EPA Southeast leaders visited Oak Ridge Reservation NPL Site and signed a Record of Decision
Oak Ridge, Tennessee (June 18, 2025) – This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber visited the Oak Ridge Reservation National Priorities List (NPL) Site, along with leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), and signed a Record of Decision confirming that DOE has completed soil cleanup for Zone 1 at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).
“I am in awe of the scope of this project and the incredible work of three partner agencies in cleaning up and redeveloping such a complex site,” said EPA Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber. “We have a long way to go, and EPA looks forward to continuing our work with the DOE and TDEC to realize the ambitious vision for the Oak Ridge Reservation.”
“The State of Tennessee has worked closely with EPA, DOE, and its federal contractors to determine effective pathways to clean old Manhattan Project-era contamination, protect human health and prepare sites for new industrial use,” said TDEC Commissioner David W. Salyers, P.E. “The Record of Decision signed today by EPA, DOE and TDEC is the culmination of more than 20 years of collaboration and tri-party efforts behind the cleanup of this site to make beneficial reuse possible. Much more work needs to be done so we can’t rest on past achievements, but I’m proud and confident of the three-way partnership framework that been established to enable future success for the Oak Ridge Reservation and the thriving region it supports.”
“We are honored to have top leadership from EPA and TDEC visit the Oak Ridge Reservation to mark the completion of one phase of cleanup and witness the progress already underway on the next,” said DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Erik Olds. “Our projects are creating economic opportunities on a new scale for the region and paving the way for crucial modernization of research and national security infrastructure. The pace of our cleanup is only possible through outstanding collaboration and strong partnerships with our regulators.”
The visit included East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), the recipient of EPA’s 2024 National Federal Facility Excellence in Reuse Award for its conversion from a shuttered, government-owned former enrichment complex to a multi-use industrial park with 1,800 acres for economic development, 3,000 acres for public, recreational use and 100 acres for historic preservation.
Zone 1, a 1,400-acre area surrounding the main plant area of ETTP, housed electrical powerhouse facilities, a scrap yard area and waste burial grounds. Previous operations impacted the soil, surface water and groundwater.
DOE and its cleanup contractor, United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), excavated all the impacted soil in Zone 1 that could pose risks to human health or the environment, enabling the land to be reused for economic development.
The Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), a 32,465-acre World War II-era facility constructed to develop and manufacture nuclear weapons, was named to the NPL in 1989. DOE is the lead federal agency for the Superfund response. EPA and TDEC are responsible for oversight. Working in partnership, the agencies have made significant progress, including:
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more than 1,800 acres of remediated land transferred for reuse, including transfers for new nuclear reactor development and the construction of a uranium processing facility, the largest single investment in Tennessee history.
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the first-in-the-world demolishing and redevelopment of a gaseous diffusion plant.
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dozens of cleanup actions, including responses to mercury releases, radiological contamination, nuclear test reactors, uranium enrichment facilities and large volumes of contaminated soil.
The remaining cleanup of ORR is expected to take decades, with projects focused on removing the large number of aging and contaminated Manhattan Project and Cold War-era facilities, eliminating inventories of nuclear and radiological waste, addressing impacted soil and groundwater, and generating redevelopment opportunities.
Oak Ridge Reservation NPL Site
The Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee was placed on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. ORR was established as part of the Manhattan Project to process natural material for use in nuclear weapons for the military during World War II. The ORR includes two active industrial areas: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Nuclear Security Site (Y-12) and a third industrial area, East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).
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