OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released final figures for 2023 that show Oak Ridge is maintaining its position as the national pacesetter for cleanup across the federal government.

This is due in large part to a recent regulatory framework among the Oak Ride Office of Environmental Management (OREM), contractor UCOR, EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that’s ushering in a new chapter of accelerated cleanup.

Since implementing the framework in 2020, OREM and UCOR have started and completed the most remedial actions, or restorative cleanup tasks, of any of the 175 federal cleanup sites nationwide.

The EPA reports its progress annually to Congress by tracking completed decision documents and remedial actions.

In fiscal years 2020-2022, Oak Ridge accounted for 61% of DOE’s completed actions and 20% of all completed federal facility remedial actions nationwide.

OREM maintained momentum with its remedial actions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. During that period, EPA reported 24 completed remedial actions across the nation, 10 of which came from OREM, accounting for 41% of the nation’s total.

“These remarkable numbers validate our belief in how special Oak Ridge is,” OREM Manager Jay Mullis said. “These results are possible through a tremendous workforce, supportive community and regulators who are committed to advancing cleanup in a meaningful and impactful way.”