Message to all Argonne employees from Bob Rosner, Argonne Director

Argonne's contributions to the nation's nuclear energy program have been visionary and transformative, from our origins in the design of the first nuclear reactors to our recent advances in closing the fuel cycle and developing new reactor technologies. For Argonne to continue to make significant impacts on the nation's nuclear energy program, from time to time we need to pause and reevaluate our programmatic strategic objectives.

The nation's energy priorities have changed and to solve the nation's biggest problems we must focus on our core competencies of long-term science-based R&D that incorporates and integrates advances in engineering and computation with the basic sciences. As we adapt our nuclear program to better serve the nation, we must also address the need for compliant facilities where we perform our nuclear experiments.

This past July, I announced the temporary cessation of programmatic activities in G and K wings in Building 205. Now, after a thorough analysis of our current situation and discussions locally and at DOE Headquarters, we have determined that our significantly aging infrastructure would require, among other programmatic equipment upgrades, new ventilation and fire suppression systems. We have also determined that the costs to upgrade our facilities with the required safety architecture are significant and the necessary investments and operating costs would unduly burden programs both inside and outside of the nuclear energy area. Recognizing that there will still be a need to perform cutting edge experimental work, we plan to leverage the DOE's robust experimental facilities at other DOE sites. Argonne and Savannah River National Laboratory are currently formalizing a partnership to collaborate in basic and applied separations R&D and to conduct various types of nuclear experiments in facilities at Savannah River.

My decision to not restart the nuclear facilities at Argonne was a difficult one and will result in some personnel reassignments and changes. We hope to absorb most of the employees affected by this decision in other areas of the laboratory where their expertise will be invaluable.

These programmatic and facility changes do not mean that we will not be operating nuclear facilities. Our plans call for consolidating all nuclear materials into one or two facilities. The clean up and consolidation effort will require significant new resources and will be an ongoing effort over the next decade.

Change is hard, but we have gone through it repeatedly and with tremendous results. The breakthroughs we have achieved in the past occurred as a result of creative and innovative approaches that broke from traditional thinking and catapulted us into leadership positions. As we embrace change going forward, I am confident that Argonne will continue to provide leadership in all areas of nuclear energy science and technology.