DOE/ORO/2327 Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental ...

Annual Site Environmental Report
having significant environmental impacts. Activities that are relative to any of those aspects are carefully
controlled to minimize or eliminate impacts to the environment.
WAI has established and implemented objectives and measurable performance indicators for the
targets associated with the identified significant impacts.
The P2 programs at TWPC involve waste reduction efforts and implementation of sustainable
practices that reduce the environmental impacts of the activities conducted at the TWPC. The WAI EMS
establishes annual goals and targets to reduce the impact of the TWPC’s environmental aspects.
WAI has a well-established recycling program at TWPC and continues to identify new materialrecycling
streams and to expand the types of materials included in the program. Currently, recycle
streams at the TWPC range from office materials such as paper, aluminum cans, plastic drinking bottles,
and toner cartridges to operations-oriented materials, such as scrap metal, cardboard, and batteries. WAI
evaluated and put into place during the last part of 2009 a “single stream” recycling program that allows
the mixing of multiple types of recyclables and increases the population of recyclable items.
“Environmentally preferable purchasing” is a term used to describe an organization’s policy to reduce
packaging and to purchase products made with recycled material or bio-based materials and other
environmentally friendly products. In 2009, WAI procured environmentally preferable materials totaling
approximately $131,000 for use at TWPC.
Several methods are used by WAI to evaluate compliance with legal and other requirements. Most of
these compliance evaluation activities are implemented by internal and external environmental and
management assessment activities and routine reporting and reviews. WAI also uses the results from
numerous external compliance inspections conducted by regulators and contractors to verify compliance
with requirements.
5.3 Compliance Programs and Status
During 2009 UT-Battelle, WAI, and Isotek operations were conducted in compliance with contractual
and regulatory environmental requirements with the exception of two interrelated exceedances of
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit discharge limits. There were no
notices of violation or penalties issued by the regulatory agencies. Table 5.5 contains a list of
environmental permits that were effective in 2009 at ORNL. Table 5.6 presents a summary of
environmental audits conducted at ORNL in 2009.
ORNL does not operate any RCRA Subtitle D disposal facilities. ORNL's industrial solid waste is
sent to the Y-12 industrial solid waste disposal landfills. ORNL complies with the requirements by
meeting the waste acceptance criteria at the Y-12 facilities.
The following discussions summarize the major environmental programs and activities carried out at
ORNL during 2009 and provide an overview of compliance status for the year.
5.3.1 National Environmental Policy Act/National Historic Preservation Act
NEPA provides a means to evaluate the potential environmental impact of proposed federal activities
and to examine alternatives to those actions. UT-Battelle, WAI, and Isotek maintain compliance with
NEPA through the use of site-level procedures and program descriptions that establish effective and
responsive communications with program managers and project engineers to establish NEPA as a key
consideration in the formative stages of project planning. Table 5.7 summarizes NEPA activities
conducted at ORNL during 2009.
During 2009, UT-Battelle and WAI continued to operate under site-level procedures that provide
requirements for project reviews and NEPA compliance. These procedures call for a review of each
proposed project, activity, or facility to determine the potential for impacts to the environment. To
streamline the NEPA review and documentation process, DOE-ORO has approved “generic” categorical
exclusions (CXs) that cover proposed bench- and pilot-scale research activities and generic CXs that
cover proposed non-research activities (e.g., maintenance activities, facilities upgrades, personnel safety
enhancements). A CX is one of a category of actions defined in 40 CFR 1508.4 that does not individually
Oak Ridge National Laboratory 5-19