DOE's current attention to economic transition is unprecedented. The agency is attempting a delicate balancing act by using Environmental Management dollars to support reindustrialization through the reuse of surplus facilities. Where DOE is no longer required to manage these facilities, savings from this reduction in "footprint" can then be applied to cleanups elsewhere.

The East Tennessee Economic Council - ETEC - initially handled DOE reindustrialization grants. There were complaints, however, that ETEC did not represent a broad spectrum of community interests, and when property first became available for private-sector leasing in 1995, ETEC's role was assigned to the newly formed Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, or CROET. DOE guidance specifies that a wide range of stakeholder organizations be included on any community reuse organization.

Unfortunately, many of the attitudes that plagued ETEC's handling of DOE assets are also found in CROET's current structure and conduct of operations. Representatives of local governments, public interest groups, environmental interests and labor now sit at the table, with seats on the CROET Board, but they are underrepresented on the Executive Committee. It is the Executive Committee that calls the shots, formulating policy and deciding what is to be presented to the Board. This situation not only promotes distrust, it is inadequate for addressing the many complex issues surrounding reindustrialization.

The LOC Board has endorsed a proposal to change CROET's by-laws in order to ensure a more equitable system of electing CROET leadership. I hope this can be accomplished without the confrontational attitude that has, to date, been the response of CROET's current leadership to calls for a broader consideration of reindustrialization issues.

Governor's Panel completes review of TSCA Incinerator

By Fay Martin

The Governor's Panel on the TSCA Incinerator wrapped up its mission Jan. 29, concluding one chapter, at least, in the continuing debate over Oak Ridge waste management and illnesses in the community.

The Panel concluded that TSCAI is performing far more effectively than it is required by law and regulation. The facility's stack emissions are a fraction of that permitted by the state and the EPA. We on the Panel were not able to establish any direct cause-and-effect relationship between the operation of the incinerator and the illnesses reported by workers and residents living in the vicinity of the incinerator.

We recommended that the symptoms should be treated even if the causes of the illnesses could not be identified, and counseling should be provided to help the sick people and their families. We also recommended that more basic scientific research should be done to determine the cause of the illnesses.

Other recommendations include independent verification of analyses, and the installation of continuous stack emission monitors when that technology is perfected.

The governor's office presented the panel with a draft charter. Key among our duties was to verify that the TSCA Incinerator facility provided protective systems to control emissions, ensuring the highest level of protection to the health and safety of the public and the least possible impact to the environment. Another important responsibility was to verify that TSCAI operations are in compliance with permit specifications and that environmental regulatory standards are met or exceeded.

At our first meeting we listened to the statements of several ill workers. Afterward, we added one charge to our job, namely, to address the concerns and issues raised by the public about the incinerator. It was a responsible move by Gov. Sundquist to appoint the Panel and look into these issues.

In the short time available to us, we attempted to fulfill the elements of the charter. We haven't solved the problems of why some workers and residents in the vicinity of the incinerator are ill, but we have made several recommendations we hope will be followed and result in some good to the people in the community.

The LOC CAP has been most helpful and cooperative during this venture. A white paper was prepared by CAP member Susan Kaplan, LOC Executive Director Susan Gawarecki made a presentation to the Panel, and two papers were presented to the Panel by CAP member Al Brooks.

Fay Martin is a member of the CAP and served on the Governor's Panel on the TSCA Incinerator.

Hot Flashes

LOC has new e-mail

We have changed our e-mail address. The new LOC e-mail address is loc@icx.net. Please send us your comments, concerns, complaints and kudos about Insights.

LOC CAP and Board endorse work of EUWG

This past fall, both the CAP and Board unanimously endorsed the End Use Working Group Community Guidelines. In their January meeting, the CAP also endorsed the four final EUWG recommendations to date: for Bethel Valley, Melton Valley, Bear Creek Valley, and siting of a disposal cell. These recommendations will also be considered by the Board. Broad community support for the guidelines and recommendations will help DOE move forward with cleanup efforts in a reasonable time frame and in a cost-effective manner.

New members join CAP

New members Elaine Mueller and Kenneth Roy were welcomed to the CAP in November. They are introduced with brief biographies below.

TDEC report wins praise - and it's free

The TDEC DOE Oversight Division's 1997 Annual Status Report is available free from the LOC. Congressman Zach Wamp thought this report was so informative about the reservation's environmental situation that he required his staff to read it.

CAP welcomes two new members

Elaine Couan Mueller grew up on the Texas Gulf coast and received her B.S. in botany from Texas A&M University in 1977. Her Ph.D. in plant physiology was conferred by the University of Illinois in 1985. She was employed by the university as a chemistry instructor until 1989. She is married to Paul Mueller, a nuclear physicist at ORNL, and they have an 8-year-old daughter. The Muellers have lived in Oak Ridge since 1991. Dr. Mueller is an active board member of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and serves on the Policy Council of the Anderson County Head Start program.

Kenneth Roy graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology, located in Chicago, in 1975 with a B.S. in Fire Protection Engineering. He has worked for insurance, engineering, consulting, and engineering design companies and for the past 17 years has worked at the K-25/ETTP site as a fire protection engineer. In 1988 he received an M.S. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in industrial engineering with a concentration in information systems. He holds an Illinois professional engineering license in general engineering. Mr. Roy is a member of the National Society of Fire Protection Engineers and serves as president of the local chapter. He lives with his wife and two cats in Oak Ridge.

Alphabet Soup

(Initials and acronyms to make this newsletter and other DOE-related documents easier to read)

CAP = Citizens' Advisory Panel
CROET = Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee
DOE = Department of Energy
EIS = Environmental Impact Statement
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
ETTP = East Tennessee Technology Park
EQAB = City of Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board
EUWG = End Use Working Group
LOC = Local Oversight Committee
MSRE = Molten Salt Reactor Experiment
ORNL = Oak Ridge National Laboratory
RCERB = Roane County Environmental Review Board
SSAB = Oak Ridge Reservation Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board
TDEC = Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
TSCAI = Toxic Substances Control Act
UEFPC = Upper East Fork Poplar Creek