Regional deployment workshops bring together technical and regulatory experts

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Regional deployment workshops
bring together technical and regulatory experts

DOE's Office of Science and Technology is participating in a series of state-led Regional Deployment Workshops. The first workshop, held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in December 1998, provided an opportunity to discuss and develop incentives for deployment of innovative technologies at DOE sites. Participants included technology developers and users from major DOE sites in the Southeast, environmental regulators from states surrounding these sites, the consulting engineering community, and affected citizens. Participants worked in smaller groups and then reconvened to present ideas for contracting, regulatory, financial, technical, and institutional incentives and concerns related to using innovative technologies for cleanup.

The main goals of the Regional Deployment Workshops are to

expedite the deployment of innovative technology solutions for site cleanup and conversion by convening a forum to explore deployment opportunities and successes;
provide tangible training and case studies to DOE, states, and private-sector technology users on utilizing innovative technologies for characterization or remediation of common environmental problem sets; and
foster the development of a network of technical and regulatory experts that can be called on to support the cleanup proposals of DOE site managers.

Plans for two more Regional Deployment Workshops are in the works. The next two workshops will be tailored more specifically to the technical needs and concerns critical to the host region. For example, the Northwest Regional Deployment Workshop, planned for Richland, Washington in early May, will focus on needs specific to the Hanford Site and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The Southwest Regional Deployment Workshop, planned for Albuquerque, New Mexico in fall 1999, will focus on needs specific to DOE's Rocky Flats site, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and surrounding sites.

The lead organizations for the workshops are the Southern States Energy Board and Western Governors' Association. Co-sponsors include the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Cooperation Work Group, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hazardous Waste Action Coalition, DOE host states and sites, and DOE's Office of Science and Technology. In addition, the Pacific Rim Enterprise Center will play a key role in coordinating the workshop in the Northwest, as will New Mexico State University's Waste-management Education and Research Consortium (WERC) in the Southwest.

Watch Initiatives Online for the most up-to-date information about the Northwest and Southwest Regional Deployment Workshops.