Remediation technology needs and applied R ampersand D initiatives

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently consolidated its environmental restoration and waste management activities. Within that new organization, DOE has committed to support Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing and Evaluation (RDDT ampersand E) activities with the following objectives: rapidly advance beyond currently available restoration and waste management technologies; provide solutions to key technical issues that will improve effectiveness, efficiency, and safety; and enhance DOE's ability to meet its 30-year compliance and cleanup goals. Four general categories have been identified where R ampersand D (and DT ampersand E) efforts need to be focused: waste minimization technologies, site characterization and assessment methods, waste treatment technologies, and remediation technologies with emphasis on in-situ methods. The DOE has already supported a number of R ampersand D activities in these areas and plans to continue that support in the future. For technology development, the DOE is committed to forming cooperative partnerships and eliciting broad participation from qualified organizations who can contribute to RDDT ampersand E activities. The new technologies resulting from these R ampersand D initiatives will enhance DOE's ability to meet its 30-year cleanup goal reduce risk, and provide significant cost savings over existing technologies. Even modest investments in these emerging technologies now can be expected to generate a high rate of return