MOAB, Utah — U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Newsletter
The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project joined forces with public safety agencies to conduct a successful multi-agency emergency response exercise designed to evaluate coordination, communication and readiness in the face of a simulated disaster.
“This exercise demonstrated the value of a coordinated, multi-agency response and the effectiveness of an offsite unified command center,” said Tim Mason, Environmental, Safety, Health & Quality manager for the Moab Project’s remedial action contractor. “It was gratifying to see each organization perform so well, and the strong participation from local, county and state agencies made the exercise a success.”
The emergency scenario centered on a simulated gas leak at the Moab Project’s Moab site, with a third-party delivery truck running over a natural gas pipeline valve, creating a significant leak without ignition. The incident required an immediate order to stop work, and a simulated site evacuation.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) oversees cleanup at the Moab site, located along the Colorado River. Since 2009, EM crews have been transporting uranium mill tailings by rail from the Moab site to the Crescent Junction site, where an engineered disposal cell is being constructed.
