Integration of Nuclear Consolidation Disposition Activities

Coordinating, tracking, and reporting the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) efforts in disposing of special nuclear material is complicated by the Department’s diverse organizational structure. This paper will report on DOE’s efforts to overcome these difficulties by streamlining its nuclear materials management structure and processes while maintaining appropriate program office functional accountability of materials. DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is proposing to establish an Office of Nuclear Materials Integration (ONMI) that will be responsible for Departmental nuclear materials management policy and integration of nuclear materials consolidation and disposition activities. The ONMI will develop and oversee the Excess Materials Consolidation Integration Project that will develop a multi-program integrated schedule of activities necessary for consolidation and disposition of DOE special nuclear materials, including activities managed by NNSA’s offices of Defense Programs and Nuclear Nonproliferation and the DOE offices of Science, Nuclear Energy, and Environmental Restoration. The ONMI would have a small staff and funding to manage specific assigned NNSA nuclear materials disposition activities. However, the new organizational structure would maintain existing program responsibility for funding most materials disposition activities, management of associated facilities and assets, and program execution. The new structure would also provide a clear mechanism for program office input to materials management policy, and prioritization of limited resources. The Department of Energy (DOE) will update Order 5660.1B, “Management of Nuclear Materials” and produce a companion manual in 2008, to incorporate revised requirements and responsibilities for life-cycle management of DOE-owned and DOE-managed accountable nuclear materials.