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Final Technical Report

Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed in your application. The DOE and its national laboratories developed the Home Energy Score™ (HES) to encourage homeowners to improve their energy performance, lower costs and to share energy information through the MLS listing, appraisal, and financing channels. While the HES is an instrumental tool, it is currently underutilized and consists of technical, structural and sector barriers which need to be addressed in order to scale and many energy efficiency contractors are understandably overwhelmed by the added time and effort and lack of incentive to sell and deliver deep retrofit projects while simultaneously meeting the DOE HES program requirements; consequently, contractors may decide to forgo participation. Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Raters have the opportunity to play the critical Assessor role in producing a Home Energy Score (HES); this role has immense potential but currently is unfulfilled. Lastly, while utilities are interested in their customer base achieving greater energy efficiency, especially to help offset growing residential loads in states like California that are accelerating electrification, utilities do not have access to the market actors who are on the front line of influence to homeowners or review and approve their permits: HERS Raters, assessors, contractors and building departments. General statement of how this problem is being addressed: ConSol will integrate the Home Energy Score™ (HES) to its State of California, approved home energy rating services (HERS) platform (CHEERS) to develop a single tool for contractors nationwide to assess, record and install recommended cost, energy, and emissions saving measures to the 140 million single-family homes throughout the U.S. and 14 million homes in California (CHEERS+HES). The CHEERS high fidelity energy code permitting data will be integrated with HES for simple, accurate, easy-to-use home energy estimation and analysis and will directly gain access to the retrofit and renovations markets with the same upgraded platform. This innovative project will assist the utilities in supporting existing homes in their jurisdictions with HES and develop measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. How is this problem being addressed? What is the overall project approach? In effort to expand the Home Energy Score™ (HES) by increasing the use of aggregable home energy asset data, ConSol proposes to integrate the DOE HES via Application Programming Interface (API) to its State of California approved home energy rating services platform (CHEERS). Once the CHEERS platform and HES are integrated (CHEERS+HES), this enhanced platform will be instantly available and actively deployed via Phase 1 pilot to HERS Raters, assessors and contractors in California to market-test the solution, understand the rate of adoption and identify opportunities for improvement prior to scaling nationally. The CHEERS high fidelity energy code permitting data will be integrated with HES for simple, accurate, easy-to-use home energy estimation and analysis and will directly gain access to the retrofit and renovations markets with the same upgraded platform. This innovative project will assist the building industry and homeowners with an easy-to-use assessment if energy and carbon impacts of existing homes, and assist the utilities in supporting existing homes in their jurisdictions with HES to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. What is to be done in Phase I? During Phase I of this proposed project, ConSol will (1) design software architecture that links CHEERS to the Home Energy ScoreTM via API, (2) solicit partnership from one or more California utilities for a regional pilot, (3) test the new software with its HERS Raters and contractor network in the partnership utility jurisdiction, (4) launch a pilot version of the newly developed software with HERS Raters and contractors in the utility territory, and (5) explore California’s GoGreen energy efficiency homeowner lending program in parallel with the pilot. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits. Summarize the future applications or public benefits if the project is carried over into Phase II or Phase III and beyond. The CHEERS+HES commercialized product will be ready for national market scale following a successful Phase 1 performance. The CHEERS+HES adoption is estimated to reach a 5% adoption growth rate versus the 110,000 baseline, starting in Year 1 after Phase I completion, and continuing each year. As a direct benefit to the DOE, CHEERS will set a goal of 100,000 Home Energy Score assessments for existing home alterations within the first 10 years following Phase 1 performance. The technical benefits of this proposed project include the harmonized, automated, and seamless integration of the DOE HES into the widely used and market leading California energy registry, CHEERS. The social benefits include the aggregate energy, cost and GHG savings by allowing the broader public streamlined access to the CHEERS+HES measurement and the energy efficiency recommended measures that may result. Key Words: Home Energy ScoreTM (HES); Application Programming Interface (API); Home Energy Rating Services (HERS); HERS Raters; contractors; assessors; existing homes, energy asset data; cost, energy, and emissions saving measures; energy code (Title 24) compliance; document repository; utilities; pilot; newly developed software; energy efficiency; homeowner. Summary for Members of Congress: The DOE Home Energy Score™ (HES) is a tool to encourage homeowners to improve their energy performance, lower costs and share energy information but is underutilized and consists of barriers which need to be addressed in order to scale. In effort to expand the HES, CHEERS, Inc. will integrate the HES to its State of California, approved home energy rating services (HERS) platform (CHEERS) to develop a single tool for contractors nationwide to assess, record and install recommended cost, energy, and emissions saving measures to the 140 million single-family homes throughout the U.S. and 14 million homes in California.

Application Programming Interface (API)↗

Session 059 - Panel: Small Business Procurement and Contracting Opportunities within the US DOE Complex and USACE FUSRAP Sites (R1.7)

This panel session focused on small business procurement and contracting opportunities within the DOE Complex and USACE FUSRAP Sites. The federal government encourages prime contractors to obtain goods and services from small and disadvantaged businesses (Tier 2) and often tie these goals to contract award fee. Goods and services being considered for these procurements include decontamination and decommissioning, remediation, transportation and disposal of radioactive waste, health physics, emergency response planning and training, lab services, R and D products, waste treatment, maintenance, A/E and professional consulting. Panelists with presentations: Small Business Procurement and Contracting Opportunities within the US DOE Complex and USACE FUSRAP Program (Aaron Deckard; Subcontracting Opportunities with the DOE Primes (William Badger); Bechtel National, Inc. Small Business Opportunities (Lisa Tribuce-Leoung Tat); Small Business Procurement and Contracting Opportunities (Gina Joiner); Small Business Procurement and Contracting Opportunities - Flour (Katy Burnau); Environmental WORK, Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) (John Busse)

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LLNS Request for Variance From 10 CFR 851 for Construction of LLNL Emergency Operations Center

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) is submitting the following variance application requesting the use of the State of California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) Regulations in lieu of Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 851 (10 CFR 851, the Rule), Worker Safety and Health Program, Subpart B (Program Requirements), Subpart C (Specific Program Requirements), and Appendix A (Worker Safety and Health Functional Areas), solely with respect to the construction of the new Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility. The request is in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) “pilot” to streamline the delivery of commercial-like line item construction projects under $50 million. This pilot is aligned with the approved NA-50 safety approach for the projects in the pilot. This pilot is to test and demonstrate innovation leading to a reduced cost of construction for building commercial type structures at Department of Energy (DOE)/NNSA facilities. The variance proposes to permit local/regional construction businesses contracted to Management & Operation contractor operated facilities to bid, operate, execute, and comply with safety and health standards they utilize in their business outside of the DOE Complex. This will permit compliance to standards that are as safe and healthful as those in 10 CFR 851 without confusion, additional cost, and inefficiencies associated with the burden of compliance to an unfamiliar regulatory spectrum.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Removing the Cloak of Secrecy from Legacy Cleanup at Los Alamos national Laboratory - 20395

With the establishment in 2018 of the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and its contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) embarked on an expansive program to engage a broad range of local and regional stakeholders in the decision-making process for cleanup of legacy wastes (pre-1999) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). From the inception of LANL during the Manhattan Project until the issuance of the new cleanup contract, the site was managed by a single management and operations (M and O) contactor whose main focus was national security. Segmenting from laboratory operations a separate cleanup contract managed by DoE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) brought new opportunities for the cleanup of legacy waste. That change likewise has opened new opportunities for engaging the community on legacy cleanup decisions. The new legacy cleanup contract - an unclassified contract - emphasizes public outreach, marking a cultural shift in how stakeholders in Los Alamos and throughout northern New Mexico are engaged. Without the constraints of classified work, EM-LA and N3B have increased the level of transparency with the public regarding cleanup activities. EM-LA and N3B have crafted an approach that best meets the values, priorities and needs of the neighboring communities by adapting the model successfully employed at Rocky Flats. Through enhanced stakeholder involvement, EM-LA will implement decisions that have considered broad input and deliver a safe and efficient cleanup of the site. EM-LA and N3B began the expanded stakeholder outreach program in January 2019, leading up to four Environmental Management Cleanup Forums held in the summer of 2019. EM-LA and N3B are now in the process of initiating a series of meetings with various stakeholder groups to determine their 'values' as they relate to cleanup using a novel approach that elicits and records values. The entire process is documented, ensuring that should questions arise about how, when and why decisions were made, they can be easily addressed. In addition to other public meetings to present cleanup scenarios and solicit active public involvement in cleanup decisions, the EM-LA and N3B approach involves discussions with stakeholders who want to explore specific technical issues and cleanup discussions in depth. EM-LA and N3B are also evaluating and implementing a variety of communications tools to help ensure the engagement plan sets the gold standard for transparency in legacy cleanup and stakeholder involvement. (authors)

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Lighting Technology Energy Solutions (LiTES) (Final Technical Report)

The Lighting Technologies Energy Solutions (LiTES) Program Final Technical Report is a collaborative effort between NextEnergy, Consumers Energy, DTE Energy (DTE) and the Detroit Joint Apprentice Training Center (DJATC) to evaluate customer and contractor experiences deploying advanced/networked lighting controls systems (ALC/NLC). The LiTES Program, funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), sought to reduce energy use in small and medium commercial buildings (SMCB) by accelerating the adoption of ALC/NLC through contractor training and technology deployment. Leveraging recommendations already outlined by the Design Lights Consortium Commercial Advanced Lighting Controls (DLC CALC) project, NextEnergy led an effort to train contractors, evaluate the experience of ALC/NLC demonstration projects, identify opportunities to reduce market barriers, and accelerate the increased adoption of ALC/NLC technologies within SMCB. The LiTES Program defined SMCB as commercial buildings under 100,000 square feet. The LiTES Program efforts also included evaluating current ALC/NLC utility incentives, piloting ALC/NLC incentives specific to SMCB, and identifying opportunities to better align utility incentives with current ALC/NLC technology to support accelerating the adoption of ALC/NLC in SMCB. This report shares the survey results and M&V data findings, including energy savings, market barriers, experience of installations, impact of incentives/financing programs and provides recommendations for the increased deployment of ALC/NLC systems in small and medium commercial buildings. Utility survey results, incentive alternatives and recommendations, including a cost benefit analysis outlining energy and economic impacts of the provided ALC/NLC incentives on SMCB projects are also provided.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Hardware Assessment in Support of the Dynamic Power Convertor Development Effort

Stirling Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are being developed by NASA's RPS Program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Efforts ranging from 2001 to 2015 enabled development of the Technology Demonstration Convertor (TDC) for use in the 110-watt Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG-110) and the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) for use in the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The DOE selected Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) as the system integration contractor for both flight development efforts. The SRG-110 housed two TDCs fabricated by Infinia and resulted in the production of 16x demonstration units and 2x engineering units. The project was redirected in 2006 to make use of a more efficient and lower mass ASCs under development by Sunpower Inc. The DOE managed the flight contract with LMSSC and subcontractor Sunpower Inc. from 2007 to 2013 to build the ASRG, with support from NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). Sunpower Inc. held two parallel contracts to produce ASCs, one with Lockheed Martin to produce ASC-F flight units and one with GRC for the production of ASC-E3 engineering unit pathfinders that were used to refine the flight design and production processes. The DOE initiated termination of the ASRG contract in late 2013. After ASRG had ended, GRC completed characterization testing of the ASRG Engineering Unit #2 (EU2) and the GRC contract with Sunpower was also completed. The NASA RPS Program Office has recently initiated a new Dynamic Power Conversion development effort which includes the potential maturation of Stirling, Brayton, and Rankine power convertors for the next generation of RPS. The effort started with the request for proposal and review of submits. Contracts are anticipated for release in 2017 and will initially focus on a design phase prior to fabrication and testing. This new effort will focus on robustness in addition to high efficiency, specific power, and reliability. Also, some requirements introduced during the ASRG contract have also been included in the new effort, such as constant lateral loading. Due to the focus on robustness and new requirements relative to the older TDC design, the Stirling Cycle Development Project has initiated an assessment of government owned hardware to help inform requirements evolution and evaluation of future designs. While lessons learned from the ASRG flight development project have been taken into consideration, the evaluation of the TDC design had not been completed for some existing environments or relatively new requirements. To further assess the TDC design, a series of tasks were initiated to evaluate degradation for units that have operated unattended for over 105,000 hours, demonstrate robustness to a random vibration environment, characterize and evaluate performance for varying lateral load profiles. The status for each task are described.

Wilson, Scott D.↗

Hardware Assessment in Support of the Dynamic Power Convertor Development Effort

Stirling Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are being developed by NASAs RPS Program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Efforts ranging from 2001 to 2015 enabled development of the Technology Demonstration Convertor (TDC) for use in the 110-watt Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG-110) and the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) for use in the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The DOE selected Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) as the system integration contractor for both flight development efforts. The SRG-110 housed two TDCs fabricated by Infinia and resulted in the production of 16x demonstration units and 2x engineering units. The project was redirected in 2006 to make use of a more efficient and lower mass ASCs under development by Sunpower Inc. The DOE managed the flight contract with LMSSC and subcontractor Sunpower Inc. from 2007 to 2013 to build the ASRG, with support from NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). Sunpower Inc. held two parallel contracts to produce ASCs, one with Lockheed Martin to produce ASC-F flight units and one with GRC for the production of ASC-E3 engineering unit pathfinders that were used to refine the flight design and production processes. The DOE initiated termination of the ASRG contract in late 2013. After ASRG had ended, GRC completed characterization testing of the ASRG Engineering Unit 2 (EU2) and the GRC contract with Sunpower was also completed. The NASA RPS Program Office has recently initiated a new Dynamic Power Conversion development effort which includes the potential maturation of Stirling, Brayton, and Rankine power convertors for the next generation of RPS. The effort started with the request for proposal and review of submits. Contracts are anticipated for release in 2017 and will initially focus on a design phase prior to fabrication and testing. This new effort will focus on robustness in addition to high efficiency, specific power, and reliability. Also, some requirements introduced during the ASRG contract have also been included in the new effort, such as constant lateral loading. Due to the focus on robustness and new requirements relative to the older TDC design, the Stirling Cycle Development Project has initiated an assessment of government owned hardware to help inform requirements evolution and evaluation of future designs. While lessons learned from the ASRG flight development project have been taken into consideration, the evaluation of the TDC design had not been completed for some existing environments or relatively new requirements. To further assess the TDC design, a series of tasks were initiated to evaluate degradation for units that have operated unattended for over 105,000 hours, demonstrate robustness to a random vibration environment, characterize and evaluate performance for varying lateral load profiles. The status for each task are described.

Wilson, Scott D.↗

Session 097A - Panel: Accomplishments and Update of the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, TN (1/4) (R1.16a)

This panel was deferred until 2021. The session was designed to highlight and celebrate the accomplishment of Vision 2020 at US DoE's East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Vision 2020 is the overarching strategy and guidance that have formed the foundation of success in closing one of the largest cleanup site in the DOE Complex. The session was supposed to feature representatives from the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and its contractor, UCOR, in exploring the partnerships and performance excellence that have made the difference in achieving success. OREM's Vision 2020 is a collaboration with entities that have made a difference in its success: economic developers, workforce developers, the University of Tennessee, and community partners. The vigorous Oak Ridge small business contracting community has also been instrumental in helping achieve success. This session plans to celebrate the entire process, its numerous players, and the spirit of accomplishment as the Oak Ridge community comes to realize the promise of 30 years of continuous cleanup excellence. This session integrated with panel sessions 97B, 97C and 97D. Panelists with presentations: Beyond Cleanup: Achieving Risk Reduction through Partnerships and Performance Excellence (Kenneth Rueter); Strategic Approach to Achieve End States at the East Tennessee Technology Park (Jay Mullis)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Evaluation of Data Catalog Software for Hanford Site Environmental Datasets

Environmental information and data underpin achievement of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) mission at the Hanford Site. The Hanford Environmental Data Management (HEDM) Program is the DOE Richland Operations Office (RL) approach to develop and implement a formal program for managing environmental data and the associated records, materials, and systems at the Hanford Site. The current project, contract, organization, and contractor-specific efforts at managing environmental data sets are insufficient to provide orderly, long-term, site-wide access. A vital element to be created within the HEDM program plan is a catalog of data sources, called the Hanford Environmental Information and Data Index (HEIDI), that will enable long-term access and retrievability for the multiple independent sources of data that might otherwise be difficult to discover. This report compares leading open source and commercial data catalog platforms using criteria to assess the functionality needed to develop the HEIDI catalog of Hanford data sources that connects and exchanges data with established Hanford Local Area Network (HLAN) enterprise information technology systems. Proprietary platforms evaluated included ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, Junar, OpenDataSoft, and Socrata, and non-proprietary platforms included Energy Data eXchange (EDX), Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN), and DKAN (a Drupal-based open data portal based on CKAN). Capabilities supporting data discoverability, retrieval, and archival, as well as metadata standard requirements and integration into the HLAN were rated as either failing to meet requirements (F), meeting requirements (M), or exceeding requirements by delivering additional desired features (E). The lowest rating for any capability area was assigned as the overall rating for the platform. These findings enable DOE-RL and the contractors implementing the HEDM plan to focus on candidate tools likely to meet the requirements for implementing HEIDI. All of the platforms receiving an overall rating of ‘F’ were unable to be deployed on Hanford infrastructure or within dedicated cloud resources. A propriety software-as-a-service (SaaS) model of delivering a data catalog (e.g., found in software such as Junar and OpenDataSoft) favors consistency across customers at the expense of customization and configurable roles that are needed for Hanford work. Hosting data on a shared commercial platform places limits on dataset size (maximum of 240 Mb for OpenDataSoft), a significant limitation for HEIDI implementation. EDX, a government data catalog based on CKAN, received the ‘F’ rating due to an inability to incorporate authentication from HLAN into the system. Among platforms rated ‘M’ or ‘E’, only the Socrata platform had a SaaS delivery model. In contrast to other SaaS platforms, Socrata provided custom roles and gateways that allow local datasets to be incorporated into an online catalog. Socrata also complies with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, a significant benefit for cloud-based management of Hanford data. The other platforms rated ‘M’ or ‘E’, ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, CKAN, and DKAN, provide fully self-hosted options, allowing for greater control and flexibility with the HEIDI catalog. These widely used tools have supportive communities of practice, extensive customization options, and demonstrated deployments that provide evidence that they can meet requirements, often deliver additional desired features, and work well with federal government systems. Completely customized alternatives built on a collection of applications were not evaluated because achieving similar performance to CKAN or DKAN requires substantial resources, especially in the absence of the active communities that have grown to support these tools. ArcGIS Enterprise Sites, Socrata, CKAN, and DKAN were evaluated as strong candidates for successful implementation with HEIDI.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) National Lab Capabilities in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (Revision 1)

The Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) formed an Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) topical team in spring 2025 for the purpose of documenting the capabilities of the National Laboratories relevant to the goals and needs of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM). The team was comprised of representatives from eight National Laboratories (Table 1), thereby bringing diverse skillsets from across the DOE complex. Recognizing that LM has extensive experience working with UAS contractors and using data collected from UAS, the topical team focused on the National Laboratories’ unique capabilities and types of scientific investigations that are not yet commercially available or easily contracted as services.

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GRC Supporting Technology for NASA's Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG)

From 1999 to 2006, the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) supported a NASA project to develop a high-efficiency, nominal 110-We Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG110) for potential use on NASA missions. Lockheed Martin was selected as the System Integration Contractor for the SRG110, under contract to the Department of Energy (DOE). The potential applications included deep space missions, and Mars rovers. The project was redirected in 2006 to make use of the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) that was being developed by Sunpower, Inc. under contract to GRC, which would reduce the mass of the generator and increase the power output. This change would approximately double the specific power and result in the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The SRG110 supporting technology effort at GRC was replanned to support the integration of the Sunpower convertor and the ASRG. This paper describes the ASRG supporting technology effort at GRC and provides details of the contributions in some of the key areas. The GRC tasks include convertor extended-operation testing in air and in thermal vacuum environments, heater head life assessment, materials studies, permanent magnet characterization and aging tests, structural dynamics testing, electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility characterization, evaluation of organic materials, reliability studies, and analysis to support controller development.

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

Soil Sampling Results for Closure of a Portion of Solid Waste Management Unit #16

The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/ NNSA) and National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), the management and operating contractor for Sandia National Laboratories/California (SNL/CA), has prepared this soil sampling results report for closure of a portion of Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) #16. The entire network of SNL/CA sanitary sewer lines, including building laterals, was identified as SWMU #16 under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Assessment conducted for SNL/CA in April 1991 (DOE 1992). Along with the previous SWMU #16 investigation results (SNL/CA 2019), the results of this investigation are intended to support closure decisions by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), as discussed below. SNL/CA personnel completed upgrading its sanitary sewer discharge network in 2019. These upgrades included installing new sections of underground lines and decommissioning certain sections of the old piping system by capping in place. To date, several sections of the sewer line have been abandoned-in-place by capping as new sewer lines were installed or flow was rerouted to other existing lines. To formally close these abandoned sections of the sewer line, the RWQCB required that SNL/CA personnel collect soil samples to be analyzed for contaminants potentially released from the sewer lines. SNL/CA personnel hired Weiss Associates (Weiss) of Emeryville, California to prepare a sampling and analysis plan, implement the sampling plan and report the results of the investigation under Purchase Order #2166257. The Sampling and Analysis Plan for Partial Closure of Solid Waste Management Unit #16 (SAP) was submitted to the RWQCB on August 14, 2020 by Weiss on behalf of SNL/CA. The RWQCB approved the SAP on September 30, 2020 after Weiss updated the method detection limit and reporting limits for total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and individual aroclors. Soil sampling was conducted in accordance with the SAP except that fewer locations were sampled due to site constraints, as discussed below. This report presents the results of the sampling effort and documents all associated field activities including borehole clearing, soil sample collection, storage and transportation to the analytical laboratories, borehole backfilling and surface restoration, and storage of investigation-derived waste (IDW) for future profiling and disposal by SNL/CA waste management personnel.

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2024 Buildings Technology Baseline: Dataset Documentation

The Buildings Technology Baseline is a curated and regularly updated dataset of current and projected performance, retail, and installed price data for all major building energy technologies needed to enable cost/benefit analyses. Building technology analyses require an up-to-date understanding of installation costs and cost-effectiveness of key building energy efficiency technologies. The dataset was assembled by Guidehouse during fiscal year 2024. Data was gathered from the 2024 National Residential Efficiency Measures Database (NREMDB), the 2023 Energy Information Administration Updated Buildings Sector Appliance and Equipment Costs and Efficiencies ("EIA Building Data Report"), DOE Lighting Market Model, the 2023 RSMeans database, and the 2020 Grid-Interactive Efficient Building Technology Cost, Performance, and Lifetime Characteristics ("GEB Data Report"), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, various literature, as well as new data from online retailers, stakeholder interviews, and contractor databases in 2023 and 2024. The dataset has been reviewed by subject matter experts at NREL and DOE. The 2024 dataset release is intended to be a starting point for interested users to provide feedback. This database is not intended to provide specific cost estimates for a specific project. The cost estimates do not include any rebates or tax incentives that may be available for the measures. Rather, it is meant to help determine which measures may be more cost-effective. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) makes every effort to ensure accuracy of the data; however, NREL does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Independent Review of Groundwater Remediation Strategy for Hexavalent Chromium and RDX Groundwater Plumes at Los Alamos National Laboratory (Rev. 1)

Site operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) resulted in the release of oxidized chromium, Cr(VI), into Sandia Canyon from cooling tower effluent from 1956 until 1972. The chromium traveled with the surface water approximately 3 miles downstream before migrating below ground surface. Chromium concentrations exceed 50 μg/L in the upper portion of the aquifer. Another LANL groundwater plume of concern is associated with RDX (Royal Demolition Explosives, 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine). Between 1951 and 1996, RDX was released to the mesa-top facilities' process water outfall, adjacent and underlying soils, and alluvial sediments, along with surface water in Cañon de Valle. Between 2000 and 2010, two remedial actions were deployed, removing much of the near-surface RDX, however, recharge due to precipitation has transported RDX into the perched-intermediate zone and into the regional aquifer. The report documents an independent technical review by scientists from the Department of Energy (DOE) Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) to provide recommendations for potential near term actions to address and optimize remediation for both the Cr(VI) and RDX plumes. The proposed near-term remedial actions include design of pump and treat systems for Cr(VI) and monitoring and study for natural attenuation for RDX. The review assesses existing data, conceptual and numerical modeling, and it recommends a technical integration process to support identifying and implementing strategic, effective and efficient remedies. The DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and their cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear-BWTX, LLC Los Alamos (N3B) provided the information required for the review. Interviews were also conducted with regulators to obtain the full spectrum of technical, regulatory and scientific perspectives. The independent review team was impressed by the capabilities, experiences, innovativeness, and insightfulness of the technical representatives from both the regulator, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and N3B. Incorporation of vadose zone flow pathways in the conceptual site model (CSM) and configuring the numerical modeling for the site was generally state-of-the-practice (or better). This could be considered state-of-the-art by addressing uncertainties related to spatial extent of hydraulic windows. The reviews from the regulators were thorough and often provided useful concepts for consideration and future/study resolutions. The overarching consensus recommendation of independent review team is that the LANL groundwater plumes should be addressed in context of the emerging "management of complex sites" paradigm.

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Tank Side Cesium Removal System Project and Technology Maturation Program - 20101

Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is the Tank Operating Contractor (TOC) for the U.S. Department of Energy-Office of River Protection (DOE-ORP) on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Site stores an estimated 56 million gallons of mixed radioactive and chemically hazardous waste in large underground tanks. WRPS is in the process of designing the Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system to produce a Low Activity Waste (LAW) feed from existing mixed Hanford tank waste. The LAW will be transferred to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) LAW Vitrification Facility, where it will be immobilized in a durable glass waste form for disposal. The TSCR Project demonstrates a tank-side treatment system for providing feed to the WTP LAW Vitrification Facility. This system removes undissolved solids and cesium from tank waste supernatant using non-elutable ion exchange media to meet the applicable waste acceptance criteria for the WTP. In support of the project, technology testing has been performed to answer design questions and reduce risk. The project scope and technology testing approach are presented. (authors)

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New health and safety initiatives at the Department of Energy (DOE)

This document touches on some of the more important lessons learned and the more noteworthy initiatives DOE has put into motion in the last three years to protect the health and safety of our contractor employees. What we have learned in the process should come as no surprise to those of you who have been working in the field: (1) that management commitment to safety and health is critical to a successful program; (2) that meaningful employee participation in all aspects of the program enhances its effectiveness at every level; and (3) that the dedication and expertise of medical and occupational safety and health professionals are needed if the challenging problems presented by the complex and technologically advanced environment at DOE facilities are to be overcome. I believe that we have made a good beginning in the long and arduous task of building an Occupational Safety and Health Program that will serve as a model for others, and I can assure you that we intend to continue our efforts to protect every worker within the complex from occupational injury and disease.

Ziemer, Paul L.↗

Preliminary Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Sampling Plan for Pantex Plant

Leidos prepared this Preliminary Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Sampling Plan for the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Pantex Plant Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) Pantex, the operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor of Pantex Plant commissioned the Preliminary PFAS Sampling Plan to evaluate the potential risks at the facility and collect preliminary groundwater data at areas within the Plant with the highest potential for PFAS. This plan presents findings from research conducted to assess past and current use of materials containing PFAS and identify areas where these materials were potentially stored, handled, used, or released at Pantex Plant. Pantex Plant is located in Carson County in the Texas Panhandle (Figure 1-1).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Integrated Environmental Management System Communication at Large Sites - 20480

At a large Department of Energy-owned (DOE) site, there are challenges to communicating Environmental Management System (EMS) topics effectively. With multiple contractors and Environmental Management System scopes, as well as a large number of employees, communication preferences and possibilities vary, providing both the benefit and the challenge of differing pathways for sharing information. Additionally, data collection for site-wide environmental reporting involves numerous points of contact spread across contractors and requires organization and integrated communication. Focusing on the value of communication to enhance EMS education and awareness to drive environmental performance, we discuss the communication methods used both at a site-wide level and by individual organizations. Example methods include site-wide working group meetings, internal Share Point, site-wide surveys, collaborative reporting, weekly newsletters, and combined communication efforts with the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS). Using external audit results to gauge employee environmental awareness and culture, we analyze the effectiveness of EMS communications. In conclusion, integration of EMS communication in alignment with the ISMS has assisted in meeting International Organization of Standardization 14001 (ISO 14001) requirements and strengthened the concept that environmental protection is part of safety for workers and the site. Increased environmental enthusiasm and awareness supports the effectiveness of EMS communication methods and positive external audit results. These results benefit other sites with EMS to gain knowledge of integrated communication efforts that increase the effectiveness of the EMS, environmental performance, and conformance with ISO 14001. By assessing the effectiveness of actual EMS communication methods, contractors will be able to take away tools to enhance environmental communication in their workplace. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗