The Office of Environmental Management (EM) has been delegated the responsibility for the Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex. The nature and magnitude of the waste management and environmental remediation problem requires the identification of technologies and scientific expertise from domestic and foreign sources. Within the United States, operational DOE facilities, as well as the decontamination and decommissioning of inactive facilities, have produced significant amounts of radioactive, hazardous, and mixed wastes. In order to ensure worker safety and the protection of the public, DOE must: (1) assess, remediate, and monitor sites and facilities; (2) store, treat, and dispose of wastes from past and current operations; and (3) develop and implement innovative technologies for environmental restoration and waste management. The EM directive necessitates looking beyond domestic capabilities to technological solutions found outside US borders. Following the collapse of the Soviet regime, formerly restricted elite Soviet scientific expertise became available to the West. EM has established a cooperative technology development program with Russian scientific institutes that meets domestic cleanup objectives by: (1) identifying and accessing Russian EM-related technologies, thereby leveraging investments and providing cost-savings; (2) improving access to technical information, scientific expertise, and technologies applicable to EM needs; and (3) increasing US private sector opportunities in Russian in EM-related areas.
