2001

At the Board’s annual retreat, four standing committees were formed – Executive, Stewardship, Environmental Restoration, and Waste Management. The Public Outreach Committee was disbanded, and that function was placed under a staff public outreach coordinator, reporting to the Executive Committee. Seven new members joined ORSSAB this year, and considering that seven others had signed on near the end of FY 2000, 14 of the 20 members serving in FY 2001 had been on the Board for just over a year or less. The only three charter members to have remained on the board for the entire six years of service allowed by ORSSAB bylaws retired in July. Bill Pardue, Pat Rush, and Lorene Sigal served on ORSSAB since its inception in August 1995.

Major highlights and accomplishments of the year include the following:

·          ORSSAB established a Stewardship Education Task Team to reach out to students and the community at large with long-term stewardship education to help ensure that stewardship issues are understood.

·          The Board sponsored a tour of western U.S. disposal sites to educate ORSSAB members about waste disposal practices at locations where EM wastes are being disposed or may be disposed in the future. Sites included Envirocare of Utah, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Nevada Test Site, and the Yucca Mountain Project.

·          Ad hoc committees were established to study and make recommendations on the FY 2001 Remediation Effectiveness Report/CERCLA 5-Year Review, EPA’s “Draft Public Involvement Policy, ” DOE-Headquarters' “Revised Public Participation Guidance,” and the draft Public Involvement Plan for CERCLA Activities at the U.S. DOE Oak Ridge Reservation.

·          An ad hoc committee was impaneled to participate in creation of an “Oak Ridge Success Story” document—a concept developed by a broad coalition of local community, government, and business groups to portray a factual picture of environmental conditions in Oak Ridge.

·          ORSSAB members participated in a number of meetings and conferences around the nation to learn about EM and waste management policy, gain understanding of relevant technical issues and present technical papers.

The Board submitted 20 recommendations and comments to DOE. Officers for the year were: Chair – Luther Gibson, Vice Chair – Dave Mosby, Secretary – Corkie Staley.

2000

The Board continued to streamline its organizational structure this year, paring down the standing committees to five (Executive, Environmental Restoration, Project Baseline, Stewardship, and Waste Management) and ad-hoc committees to two (Board Process and Public Outreach).

Several valuable improvements were made in the Board’s operating procedures, including development of a mentor program and a comprehensive training program and materials for new Board members. Materials included an orientation booklet, a training manual, and a reference manual. Extensive work also went into the annual planning retreat, and a set of guidance documents was developed to assist the Board in developing its work plan.

Board membership changed dramatically this year with the addition of eight new members and two new student representatives. Several longtime members stepped down, and charter member and former ORSSAB chair Randy Gordon died this year of cancer.

Major highlights and accomplishments of the year included the following:

• ORSSAB sponsored the national "SSAB Workshop on Stewardship," October 25–27, 1999, during which over 100 DOE stakeholders, including 50 members of SSABs from 9 DOE sites, met in Oak Ridge to discuss the current state of stewardship and the related actions and activities that are most important for DOE to pursue.
• ORSSAB continued the broad-based stakeholder effort to follow up on long-term stewardship initiatives developed by the SSAB over the past 3 years by including area stakeholders in the activities of the SWG. The group published the Oak Ridge Reservation Stakeholder Report on Stewardship, Volume 2, in December 1999.
• The Board reached out to local stakeholders by holding meetings in new venues, such as Pellissippi State and Roane State community colleges.
• ORSSAB expanded its commitment to including the younger generation in its activities by seating two student representatives on the Board.

The Board issued 15 recommendations and comments to DOE. Officers for the year were: Chair - Steve Kopp, Vice Chair - Demetra Nelson, Secretary - Rikki Traylor.

1999

At the start of the fiscal year (FY), ORSSAB reconfigured several of its project teams to reflect current areas of interest and concern to stakeholders. Five teams remained unchanged: Public Outreach, Budget & Prioritization, Waste Cell Management, Executive, and Bylaws (although the Waste Cell Team changed its name to "On-Site CERCLA Waste Disposal Facility," and Bylaws became "Board Process").

The agendas of the Equity Issues and Technology Development & Deployment teams were incorporated into the newly formed Waste Management Team, and the agendas of the Federal Facility Agreement Appendix E Documents and ETTP Remediation & Reindustrialization teams were included in the Watershed Cleanup Team. The End Use Working Group completed its mission and dissolved.

Major highlights and accomplishments included the following:

• The Board expanded its outreach effort to educate the public about ORSSAB and the importance of the DOE EM Program.
• Anne-Marie Wiest became the Board’s first high school student participant.
• Interaction and cooperation with other SSABs was improved to address problems of common concern, most notably in the areas of low-level waste disposal, transportation, and stewardship.
• The Board sponsored the Stewardship Working Group (SWG)—a broad-based community effort to help DOE and other sites recognize long-term stewardship needs following remediation. This effort led to a 3-day national SSAB workshop on stewardship, held in Oak Ridge in October 1999. The Board submitted Volume 2 of the ORR Stakeholder Report on Stewardship to DOE.

Six members whose terms of service expired chose not to be reappointed to the Board, and seven new members were seated during the year. In May, the Board voted to change its name from the Oak Ridge Reservation Environmental Management Site Specific Advisory Board to the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. The Board issued 14 recommendations. Officers for the year were Chair - Bill Pardue, Vice Chair - Bob Peelle, Secretary - Rikki Traylor.

1998

The Board reorganized its committee structure from one that addressed broad subjects to one that was more focused. Project teams addressed the following subjects:

• Budget & Prioritization,
• Bylaws,
• End Use,
• East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) Remediation & Reindustrialization,
• Federal Facility Agreement Appendix E Documents,
• Equity Issues,
• Public Outreach,
• Technology Development & Deployment,
• Waste Cell Management, and
• Executive.

Major highlights and accomplishments included the following:

• The Board approved the recommendations developed by the EUWG for contaminated sites on the ORR and submitted to DOE the Final Report of the Oak Ridge Reservation End Use Working Group.
• The Board approved the recommendations of the EUWG’s Stewardship Committee and submitted the committee’s groundbreaking Stakeholder Report on Stewardship to DOE.
• The Board sponsored a public information meeting on the reindustrialization of ETTP in April, providing an important forum for discussion on a topic that will prove pivotal in remediation of the site.
• The Board sponsored a public meeting on the Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator (TSCAI), at which Bill Rickman, a world-renowned incinerator expert, presented his findings on the incinerator.

The Board submitted 18 recommendations. Officers for the year were Chair - Bill Pardue, Vice Chair - Bob Peelle, Secretary - Peter Hillis.

1997

In January, the Board’s Land Use/Economic Development Committee organized the End Use Working Group (EUWG) to study future uses for contaminated areas on the ORR. The EUWG in turn formed the Stewardship Committee to study long-term stewardship on the ORR. In March, the Board adopted its "Vision, Critical Success Factors, and Principles" statement, which was developed to provide a set of long-term goals for the group. Several ad hoc committees were formed during the year to study subjects like the On-Site Waste Management Disposal Cell, DOE’s Accelerating Cleanup: Focus 2006, and the Human Health Effects Study for Oak Ridge and Vicinity. The Board issued 14 recommendations. Officers for the year were Chair - Randy Gordon, Vice Chair - Bill Pardue, Secretary - Bob Peelle.

1996

The Board adopted bylaws in February and standing rules in May. The following committees were formed:

• Executive;
• Environmental Restoration;
• Environmental Health, Safety, and Justice;
• Land Use/Economic Development; and
• Waste Management.

Work began on the Board’s newsletter, and a Web page was established in July. Six recommendations were submitted to DOE. Officers for the year were Chair - Bob Peelle, Vice Chair - Mary Bryan, Secretary - Donna Campbell.

1995

The SSAB formation process began in January, and informational meetings were held in the Oak Ridge area through March. A panel was formed in summer to screen applications, and in September DOE-ORO empanelled its 20-member SSAB. The first meeting of the Board was held on September 21.

1994

The SSAB steering committee issued its proposal in July and met with DOE Assistant Secretary for EM Thomas Grumbly in December to discuss it. That same month, the Assistant Secretary directed that an Oak Ridge SSAB be established.

1993

The first steps toward development of an Oak Ridge SSAB began in May when a local stakeholder group was formed to discuss environmental restoration and waste management issues. Six months later, the 45 members formed a steering committee to outline a proposal regarding establishment of an SSAB in Oak Ridge.