Y-12 Blog
Three charging stations (with a total of six ports) were installed at a Y-12 garage earlier this year.
The road toward a green fleet of vehicles just got a little smoother at Y-12. In May, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Y-12 is one of three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) partner sites that received DOE’s first-ever Green Fleet Award.
“This is a great achievement for Y-12, to win a brand-new award from DOE,” explained Wayne May of Y-12 Fleet Management. “The foundation for the award centered on the Y-12 acquisition of zero emission vehicles (ZEV) in Fiscal Year 2022 as well as the Y-12’s 5-Year ZEV Charging Station Program Plan that was submitted to NNSA. It demonstrates the site’s leadership in our commitment to sustainable practices.”
If being recognized as a leader by NNSA was not enough, the award also comes with $200,000 in funding. “The funds will be used primarily in acquiring and installing needed electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging stations at the site. The first three charging stations (with a total of six ports) were installed at the Building 9712-01 garage earlier this year,” said May.
Chad Watson from Y-12 Facilities and Infrastructure Modernization added that his group is actively working to identify opportunities for charging station installations at both New Hope Center and Jack Case Center over the next year.
This is a significant step toward meeting the administration’s goal of all light-duty vehicle acquisitions being 100% ZEVs by 2027, as outlined in Executive Order (EO) 14057: Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs through Federal Sustainability. Y-12 has replaced 65% of eligible light-duty vehicles with ZEVs – more than sites with similar-sized fleets. May noted that the site is on track to meet the requirements, and the Green Fleet Award funds will offer a boost. “We have ordered ZEV units for each vehicle replacement opportunity for the past two years when a ZEV is available from General Service Administrative within that respective vehicle classification, which has amounted to 22 ZEV units to date. Vehicle availabilities are expected to see significant growth over the next three years and will include multiple options in sedans, vans, pickups, and SUV units that will become prevalent around the Y-12 site.”
These future plans are just another part of the ongoing modernization of the site. Additionally, the environmental impacts of ZEV units are significant and will help reduce CO2 emissions. “I am proud of the fact that our efforts to meet the requirements put forth in EO 14057 have resulted in a monetary benefit to the Y-12 site, and the resulting EVSE installations will benefit all employees here who use government vehicles to accomplish their mission,” affirmed May.
DOE Green Fleet Award funds will partially be used to install additional electric vehicle supply equipment charging stations, like the one pictured, around the site.
Jeremy Price and Chloe Green are helping Y-12 be environmentally responsible and prepared for the impacts of climate change.
“Their roles support the Y-12 mission by working to ensure that Y-12 becomes a more resilient site, including everything from sustainable procurement to supporting the development of sustainable, resilient solutions to address the identified climate impacts to Y-12’s critical assets and infrastructure,” said Aprell Patterson of Y-12’s Pollution Prevention Program.
The recently hired sustainability engineers support various initiatives across the site, including the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, the Vulnerability Assessments and Resilience Plan (VARP), the Sustainable Climate Ready Sites (SCRS), identifying more sustainable solutions and products, determining waste minimization opportunities, supporting sustainable acquisition initiatives, and promoting a new carpooling program.
As a U.S. Navy veteran, Price became intrigued by a post military career in sustainability after traveling the world and seeing first hand the effects acidification, pollution, and climate change have on the environment. He is the new program lead for VARP and SCRS.
“We are all stewards of our environment and, as such, we have a duty to take care of it,” Price said. “Caring about site sustainability has a direct link to conservation of land and resources. The fewer resources we take, the more there are for future generations. I also think Y-12ers should feel a sense of pride knowing that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Green is the lead for the new carpool program, which has already shown promise as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In just four months, carpooling at Y-12 has saved more than 2,000 gallons of gas, 47,500 miles traveled, and 20.3 tons of CO2 emissions.
In addition, Green has taken an interest in sustainable acquisitions. “I didn’t realize the different types of sustainable products available, nor how big of a role it plays at Y-12,” she said. “The program has acquired many items used here on site, such as cut resistant gloves made of plastic bottles, zero tree paper, and picnic tables and other furniture made of recycled materials. Sustainable acquisition will continue to grow and [through these efforts] procure more sustainable items to help reduce the footprint we create here.”
Sustainability efforts such as these have been recognized. Y-12 was recently bestowed the United States Department of Agriculture BioPreferred Program’s first Excellence in Biobased Procurement Award because of a bio based FR3 fluid it used to retrofill 20 transformers and for recycling nearly 20,000 gallons of transformer fluid.
The award is part of a nearly four decade sustainability history at Y-12. The first waste minimization and pollution prevention program was launched on site in 1985. From there, the Sustainability team has consistently shared initiatives to increase employee involvement. The overall goals are to establish and maintain services to support sustainable operations, including stewardship practices that take care of legacy issues, while protecting employees and promoting the wellbeing of employees, the public, and the environment.
“Since 1993, Y-12 has completed more than 2,220 sustainability activities, obtained a cost efficiency of more than $120.9 million, and achieved a waste reduction/avoidance of more than 3.17 billion pounds,” said Jan Jackson, Sustainability and Stewardship Program Manager.
“Sustainability isn’t about living a 100% green life,” Green said. “Sustainability is about finding the balance in order to continue to conserve and preserve resources and the environment for future generations. We have the power to make positive, sustainable changes that can help the mission and society.”
Bill Clark poses next to a glove box similar to one he worked with in the 1950’s
June 16, 1958: a day that is seared into Y-12’s history as the nation’s first nuclear criticality accident in a process facility. As the only remaining survivor of this accident, Bill Clark, now 90 years old, remembers it distinctly, and he recently returned to Y-12 for the first time since the mid-1960’s to share his story and to see how far the site has come in preventing similar accidents.
In 1958, Clark (referred to as “Employee H” in reports) worked as a chemical operator in the C1 Wing of Building 9212. On the day of the event, he was assigned to operate four EK evaporators approximately 50 feet from where the criticality occurred. Unbeknownst to him and others working that day, uranyl nitrate had been leaking through a valve in a temporary line connecting B1 and C1 wings.
At the time of the event, approximately 2:05 p.m., operators in C1 Wing were finishing an extensive inventory and cleanout process that took multiple shifts to complete. The final step before placing the system back into operation was to drain leak-test water from the pipes and safe tanks. However, the uranyl nitrate that had been leaking into the overhead pipes from B1 drained first, instead of water.
Clark recalls the moment the solution reached a sufficient level to react.
“I saw lightning bars zip-zip-zip across the ceiling going every which way,” he said. “I thought it was the welders and didn’t think anything of it. Then a fog started to descend in the room and the most God awful smell you can think of—worse than rotten eggs. That’s when the alarms went off.”
Clark’s story, and his return to Y-12, provide a stark reminder of the hazardous materials used every day across the Nuclear Security Enterprise—and the safety changes that have been put in place to prevent something similar from occurring today.
“The 1958 accident was an unfortunate event, but we learned a lot from it,” CNS Chief Nuclear Criticality Engineer Chris Haught said. “First and foremost we learned to keep large geometries out of areas where we process enriched uranium solutions. We also learned the importance of procedural control and conduct of operations. Most importantly, we learned to evaluate minor events and implement corrective actions to prevent a major event.” Fortunately for Clark he exited out the back door of C1 Wing instead of leaving his normal route, which would have taken him directly past the drum.
Everyone was instructed to start walking, Clark recalled, and they did not stop until reaching the Oak Ridge Skyway Drive-In Theater, roughly where Hobby Lobby is today. After sitting under a tree for multiple hours, Clark was instructed to get in line to have the film strip on his badge checked.
“That’s how they figured out where the accident happened,” Clark said. “We all started showing up with our film badges. I was 10 feet from the film checker when the meter hit the peg.”
It was that moment when Clark learned he had been exposed.
“I didn’t know I had been in a criticality when I was sitting under the tree,” he said. “I hadn’t felt nothing. I only knew what I had observed.”
Clark was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
“They gave me the most thorough scrub down of my life,” he said. “It felt like they were taking my skin off. They took blood from us. They took bone marrow from us.”
Exhaustive tests were done trying to determine how bad the accident was. In total, eight employees were exposed to high doses of radiation that day and all suffered long-term health effects including numerous forms of cancer. Clark endured multiple operations. To this day, he maintains a strict diet and takes a handful of medications every day to help him live. The radiation dosage levels received for each employee vary, but Clark accepts a 2002 estimate of 165 rem.
“We learned a lot of lessons from the 1958 accident,” Vice President of Mission Engineering Tony Boser said. “We’ve incorporated those lessons into our overall approach to safety at Y-12 through our procedures, our training, and in our engineering controls. All of these are designed to prevent another incident. But we can’t stop there. As we transform our site to meet our future mission demands, we are designing our facilities and our processes with the latest and most robust techniques to ensure safety in all aspects of our work. Both for our employees and our community at large.”
Following the interview, Clark re-lived his time at Y-12 with a tour of the plant. He shared stories of his work in Buildings 9201-4, 9201-5, 9204-2, and 9212. As a piece of advice to employees doing similar work today, Clark stressed the importance of wearing proper PPE.
Bill Clark is welcomed to Y-12 by NNSA Production Office employees nearly 65 years after being exposed to high levels of radiation during the 1958 Nuclear Criticality Accident.
Bill Clark recalls his experiences during the 1958 Nuclear Criticality Accident
Bill Clark tours Building 9731, the first building complete at the Y-12 National Security Complex in 1943.
Bill Clark discusses work he did in a glovebox similar to what was used during the 1950’s.
Bill Clark overlooks the Y-12 Plant while sharing stories of his work in various buildings
Building 9212 C1 Wing following the 1958 Nuclear Criticality Accident
Re-enactment of employee “A” position in proximity of the drum at the time of the incident.
Re-enactment of positions employees in proximity of the drum at the time of the incident.
Jeff Hankins (center) now calls nearly two dozen of his former students coworkers.
Jeff Hankins has been a Y-12 certified welding inspector since 2021. He is considered a subject matter expert in the field of welding and weld inspection. His willingness and demonstrated ability to work with welders, inspectors, and engineers have made him a valued addition to the Y-12 team. However, he has had an impact at Y-12 long before he started coming through the gates each day.
It’s his interpersonal skills that set him apart, according to his supervisor, Donnie Cardwell, who said Hankins has a positive impact on everyone he meets.
“Jeff has a student-oriented teaching style and the ability to adjust his approach to suit the individual,” Cardwell said.
That teaching style is well earned. For years, Hankins taught welding at Oak Ridge High School. His former students number in the hundreds. At Y-12, more than 20 workers started their welding career paths learning from him in high school.
“I think I was meant to be a teacher. That is what I am,” Hankins said. “But I am a teacher who possesses other skills that enable me to earn a good living.”
Hankins said that his goal at Y-12 is to do as good a job as possible and that he is content where he is, although he admits he misses teaching. Cardwell and others who work with Hankins will tell you that he may not be a teacher by trade any longer, but he is still teaching.
Among his former students is Matthew Spangler, who works for Y-12 Infrastructure.
Spangler said he still remembers welding class and how Hankins was not just a teacher but also a father figure to him. Spangler’s father died when he was a young teen, and he admits he did not handle it well.
“I was on a downward spiral and running with a tough crowd,” Spangler said. “Jeff held me to a higher standard. He offered me a way out of the direction I was headed.”
More of Hankins’ former students who now work at Y-12 tell similar stories.
Brandon Collier, a production supervisor in Special Materials Operations, said, “His teaching style got through to a bunch of knuckleheaded kids with no sense of direction for where they wanted to be after high school.”
Another former student is Matthew Gwyn, who works as a welder. He said, “Wow, I could write a book on all of the moments and experiences I had with Jeff that led me to be the man I am today.
“There were so many of us in that class that had been forgotten and abandoned by the system, but Jeff saw us all as his kids, and we knew and felt it — even the troubled ones whose future was a drug overdose or jail. He showed us there was more to our lives than what we saw in our broken homes and that we could be better.”
Erica Heckman, a welder for East Mission Support, met Hankins when she was a freshman. She said Hankins was the one person in her life who believed in her.
“I was a kid in school who teachers said would never be successful because I was not a bookworm. But Mr. Hankins disagreed — and told me so,” Heckman said. “He encouraged me to listen and learn from him, and work hard, and I would be successful. He taught me that I could work with my hands and make a good living.”
Hankins is humbled by the praise.
“Outside of my family, there is nothing in my life I am prouder of than seeing my former students working in a trade I taught them, supporting their families, and earning the money I told them they could,” he said.
“Teaching was the best job I ever had — not the most lucrative, but the most rewarding.”
Hankins’ impact on Y-12’s mission as a weld inspector is multiplied through the work of his former students, who he is proud to now call coworkers.
Duty. Honor. Country. It is a theme in David Turner’s life. From achieving Eagle Scout status as a young man to a 35-year military career concluding as a highly decorated retired brigadier general, Turner’s goals often derive from his desire to lead and serve.
“I feel as if I’m repeating that pattern in the work I’m now doing,” said Turner, who recently assumed the job of Vice President of Operations Support. “The mission we do for our country is so critical. It’s an honor for me to be a part of it.”
But Turner readily admits that he was not always the mastermind of his own destiny. Charting the course of his life has often involved the advice of mentors and teachers who saw something in him that he did not.
“You want to align yourself with people who have an interest in you,” he said. “They can see things in you that you may not and help you maximize whatever that may be.”
Who influenced you most in your life?
My grandmother was, without a doubt, a huge influence in my life. She was my Yoda. She was incredibly knowledgeable about so many things in life. I also had two mentors in my military career that were instrumental in guiding me. They still are involved in my life, and I continue to value their input.
What advice would you give to young people who don’t know exactly what they want to do?
Be open to advice and suggestion. I didn’t even know what an Eagle Scout was, but my best friend’s mother told me I would be one. I went home and looked it up, and I decided that I actually would become an Eagle Scout. I not only made Eagle Scout, but I held every possible leadership level in the Boy Scouts. I have never regretted listening to that suggestion. I also believe the Science, Technical, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) programs offer so many ways to learn about potential futures