Colorado and the Accelerated Cleanup at Rocky Flats

When the Rocky Flats closure project was declared complete in October 2005, it was the largest environmental cleanup to date. Even more impressive, it was ahead of schedule and well under budget. Several factors combined to produce this success including a performance-based contract with financial incentives, development and application of innovative technologies, and a regulator-backed accelerated approach to the cleanup process. The factor in this success in which the State of Colorado had the largest role was in developing and enforcing the Rocky Flats Cleanup Agreement. In compliance with this agreement, cleanup was accomplished by means of multiple interim actions that led to a comprehensive final decision at the end. A key element that allowed the accelerated cleanup was constant consultation among DOE, its contractor, and the regulators plus collaboration with stakeholders. (authors)