DOE EM Update Newsletter features North Wind Portage’s MOAB project in 12/11/2018 Vol. 10, Issue 48.
Moab Project Revamps, Renews Partnering Commitment With Contractors
Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project partners celebrated a milestone in 2018 after safely shipping 9 million tons of residual radioactive material from a former uranium-ore processing facility in Moab to an engineered disposal cell in nearby Crescent Junction. The project has shipped about 58 percent of the total estimated 16 million tons.
MOAB, Utah – EM Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Cleanup Director Russell McCallister recently approved a newly revised partnering agreement with the site’s two prime contractors focusing on teamwork, project quality, early conflict resolution, and partner consensus.
McCallister made partnering a top priority after becoming the director in December 2017. EM and contractor employees — some of whom are new to the project or have new roles and responsibilities — met over the summer to advance the project’s existing agreement and align it with the group’s priorities. Used across the EM complex, the pact provides a framework for collaborative working relationships centered on mutually desired outcomes.
“The partnering process was a helpful exercise and a reminder that we are teammates who share a mission to get the Moab Site cleaned up,” McCallister said. “As the agreement outlines, working together and maintaining good communication will help us overcome roadblocks and get the job done.”
Officials with the project’s prime contractors — North Wind Portage, the remedial action contractor, and S&K Logistics Services, the technical assistance contractor — welcomed the revised accord.
“Partnership and collaboration are key to the continued success of the project and provide perspective and opportunity that may not otherwise be recognized or sustained,” said Greg Church, project manager with North Wind Portage.
Joe Ritchey, the program manager with S&K, envisioned successful collaboration from the agreement.
“As a contractor, we welcome the partnering process and the cooperation it brings. It allows us to use our various areas of expertise for the overall good of the project,” Ritchey said.
In addition to the partnering-specific objectives, the team identified overall cleanup goals, including safety, efficient resource management, environmental stewardship, open communication, and continuous improvement.
EM introduced a partnering policy eight years ago to improve contract and project management with the goal of delivering results on time and within cost. EM field site partnering agreements can be found here: https://www.energy.gov/em/em-partnering-initiative
View the Moab Site’s partnering agreement on the same website. It lays out the project’s mission, vision, commitment statement, strategic project goals, partnering goals, and logistics.
-Contributor: Honora Thompson
Photo Caption: Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project partners celebrated a milestone in 2018 after safely shipping 9 million tons of residual rdioactive material from a former uranium-ore processing facility in Moab to an engineered disposal cell in nearby Crescent Junction. The project has shipped about 58 percent of the total estimated 16 million tons.
