HEWD chairman, NNSA and DOE leadership tour SRS

• September 23, 2023

Senior members of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of Energy leadership teams; U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee; and U.S. Representative Joe Wilson, R-S.C., were among the visitors who toured the Savannah River Site Aug. 10.

In addition to Congressmen Fleischmann and Wilson, the group included NNSA officials Dr. Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs (NA-10); Summer Jones, assistant deputy administrator office of production modernization (NA-19); and Nicole Nelson-Jean, associate administrator for the office of infrastructure (NA-90), as well as Jeff Avery, DOE principal deputy assistant secretary in the office of environmental management (em-2), among others.

During the full-day visit, the group toured various locations on-site, including Savannah River Tritium Enterprise, Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, Salt Waste Processing Facility, Defense Waste Processing Facility and Savannah River National Lab. Participants were briefed on some of NNSA’s large-scale projects at the Site, including the Surplus Plutonium Disposition mission, Tritium Modernization and continued construction efforts within SRPPF.

SRTE delivers the nation’s only tritium supply for the nuclear stockpile. SRPPF is part of NNSA’s two-site strategy between SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory to produce the plutonium pits needed for restoring the nation’s nuclear weapons modernization program capabilities.

“NNSA is delivering weapons to the Department of Defense in support of vital U.S. deterrence and assurance missions. We deeply appreciate congressional support for this work,” said Dr. Adams. “The team here at SRS has been essential to meeting tritium production requirements and is also a key part of the plutonium pit production strategy, as they work diligently to ensure SRPPF success.”

“SRS continues working closely with NNSA and DOE in support of our environmental cleanup and nuclear security missions,” said Dennis Carr, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions President and CEO. “As these missions continue to evolve, we are keenly aware of the opportunities and challenges this presents. We appreciate the commitment of key congressional leaders as well as our colleagues within NNSA and DOE in supporting both the Site’s enduring missions and new missions that are vital to national security.”