Colleagues Collaborate on Best Practices, Lessons Learned for National TRU Program

Participants in the recent three-day National TRU Program User's Group Summit gather for a photo.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management's (EM) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) held a three-day National TRU Program (NTP) User's Group Summit at the National Indian Programs Training Center in Albuquerque.

EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) team members, along with CBFO staff, Navarro, WIPP management and operations contractor Salado Isolation Mining Company (SIMCO) and Local Access and Transport Area, gathered with top leaders from DOE sites that produce WIPP-destined transuranic (TRU) waste. The purpose of the annual NTP User's Group meetings is to allow an opportunity for colleagues to participate in focused sharing sessions on best practices and lessons learned to continuously improve how the NTP delivers DOE's national cleanup mission.

CBFO and SIMCO staff met with individual sites to address their needs and discuss actions to keep shipments flowing to WIPP, among other topics like purchasing materials, the future of the remote-handled waste program and evolving security needs. Discussions also took place to include changes to the site permit and future revisions to the waste acceptance criteria and documented safety analysis documents.

The meeting was well attended with about 100 participants, all part of a dynamic mix of presentations, break-out meetings and networking activities. Southeast New Mexico Community College also presented its programs showcasing Carlsbad's increased capacity to develop workforce needs for WIPP and the community.

The second day of the summit culminated with an evening reception hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce at the Smithsonian- affiliated National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, where WIPP has a large public exhibit. Participants described it as a successful and collaborative meeting.

EM established the NTP to oversee the process of preparing TRU waste from waste generator sites. WIPP provides guidance on the requirements of characterizing and packaging the waste at generator sites, followed by safely transporting the waste to the WIPP facility for emplacement.