The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has a mission to complete the safe clean-up of the environmental legacy resulting from six decades of weapons production and energy research. This effort is recognized as one of the largest and most diverse and technically complex environmental clean-up operations in the world. As described in the DOE Strategic Plan, to accomplish this mission, the Department will leverage past experience, applying best practices and lessons learned; identify, develop and deploy practical technological solutions derived from scientific research at the national laboratories; and look for innovative and sustainable practices that make clean-up more efficient.
An important strategy that EM deploys to seek such innovative solutions is through a domestic and international network with other federal agencies, national laboratories, academia, foreign government agencies and institutions, and industry to collaboratively develop and deploy scientific and technological solutions in support of mission needs.
The EM International Program provides an important and complementary function within the overall EM program. In conjunction with EM senior management and Program Offices, we develop and implement strategies for effective interactions with the international community that are focused on areas related to the EM mission. Through these interactions, the EM International Program contributes to successfully completing the challenging clean-up mission, while ensuring compliance with U.S. policy.
Mission
The mission of the EM International Program is to provide benefit to the Department in successful completion of the EM clean-up mission, through establishing strategic approaches for specific international collaboration initiatives that are focused on applicable strategic program goals, and aligned with U.S. foreign policy.
Vision
The vision of the EM International Program is to be an integral component of the overall DOE and EM strategies for mission success through leveraging international capabilities and expertise that offer benefit and assistance in addressing the challenges of the EM clean-up program.
Strategic Objectives
The underlying principle of the EM International Program strategy is that all actions and engagements are aligned with U.S. policy and the DOE mission in supporting the successful completion of the EM clean-pup program. Thus, all strategies and activities in which the EM International Program is engaged must establish and maintain an efficient framework for leveraging international opportunities to address the identified clean-up challenges, while providing clear organizational communications related to ongoing and planned strategic actions.
Strategic Objective 1:
Ensure that collaborative projects and activities conducted under the auspices of the EM International Program are aligned with the priority need areas identified by the mission-specific program offices within EM, and appropriately augment technology projects conducted within the respective base programs.
Strategic Objective 2:
Ensure that the EM organization is engaged with and well-represented to other DOE Program Offices, as appropriate, to support U.S. policy and overall DOE strategy related to the EM mission.
Strategic Objective 3:
Ensure that the EM organization is engaged with and well-represented to key federal agencies, through effective communications, to support U.S. policy and the overall DOE strategy related to the EM mission.
Strategic Objective 4:
Ensure that the EM organization, to include the mission-specific program offices within EM, is engaged with and well-represented on appropriate International organizations, committees, conferences and partnering countries that can provide benefit to the EM mission.
Strategic Objective 5:
Ensure that appropriate agreements, statements of intent, memorandums of understanding and other alliances are maintained and/ or established, as appropriate, and in accordance with U.S. policies, to maintain an effective network for international collaboration.
Strategic Actions
The EM International Program performs several key strategic actions aimed at achieving the Strategic Objectives, which also support DOE policies on energy and the environment, as described in the DOE Strategic Plan, as well as U.S. foreign policy. We employ a multi-faceted approach to ensure that EM is actively engaged with and well represented throughout the International community for matters related to environmental clean-up. Key components include having visible and effective representation through the following activities:
- Establishing collaborative technology projects with international partners
- Engaging with DOE program offices
- Engaging with other U.S. agencies and programs
- Participating in multinational forums and agencies
- Exercising and/ or establishing collaborative international agreements
- Participating in key International conferences
These efforts position the EM International Program to identify and leverage opportunities to engage with international partners in specific areas that can potentially benefit the EM clean-up mission.
KEY AREAS OF FOCUS
The EM International program will work closely with the program offices within the EM organization to identify and select technical collaboration projects that are aligned with the high priority technical challenges (i.e., initiatives) facing the EM mission and/ or areas that offer potential significant improvement to baseline approaches. Current areas of technical focus identified by respective EM program offices are:
1) Tank Waste Management and Disposition
2) Soils and Groundwater Remediation
3) Decontamination and Decommissioning
4) Nuclear Materials Management and Disposition
Read more about these topics and other EM activities here.