Federal environmental remediation programs involving legacy nuclear sites bring together complex engineering, waste treatment and long-term cleanup requirements, creating significant technical and project-delivery considerations for contractors and government project owners. Bechtel will participate in three sessions at the 2026 National Cleanup Workshop in Arlington, Virginia, as the event examines progress across the U.S. Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program.
The workshop will bring together U.S. Department of Energy officials, site representatives, industry participants, local government officials and other stakeholders involved in environmental cleanup.
Bechtel Senior Vice President and General Manager of Environmental and Security Ben Souther is scheduled to participate in a session examining corporate leadership perspectives on Sept. 15.
Brian Hartman, Bechtel’s project director for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, will participate in a session focused on opportunities to address tank waste at the Hanford Site.
Ken Harrawood, president and program manager of Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, is scheduled to participate in a session examining the role of disposal operations in the broader cleanup program.
The sessions reflect several major components of federal environmental remediation work, including treatment of radioactive tank waste and disposal of waste generated through cleanup activities.
Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is intended to process radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the Washington site. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico provides a deep geological disposal facility for certain transuranic radioactive waste associated with defense activities.
The combination of waste treatment, transportation and disposal requires coordination among government agencies, site operators, engineering and construction contractors and other project stakeholders.
The National Cleanup Workshop will run from Sept. 14 through Sept. 16 in Arlington. The Energy Communities Alliance hosts the event with cooperation from the Energy Facility Contractors Group and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
The event is expected to draw more than 750 participants from government, industry and local communities to discuss progress and challenges associated with the nation's nuclear cleanup program.
For construction and engineering contractors, federal environmental cleanup programs represent work involving specialized facilities, hazardous materials management, waste treatment and long-term infrastructure operations. The workshop provides a forum for government and industry stakeholders to discuss delivery issues across these interconnected activities.
Bechtel’s participation places its environmental and nuclear cleanup project experience within discussions covering waste treatment, disposal and broader program management requirements.
Source: Bechtel.
