Using Department of Energy Assets for Community Benefit (cont.)

As part of the massive cleanup project at the Hanford site, 4.5 miles of an old 24” steamline was removed. A local farmer purchased the pipe to use for irrigation.

Over time, the TARC operation grew from one of picking out certain assets for immediate use to receiving all surplus property from the 560-square-mile site. Holding capacity was expanded by leasing 10,000 square feet of warehouse space on 1.5 acres. Recognizing that it did not have the capacity to dispose of the massive amount of material that would be coming their way as a consequence of DOE’s total outsourcing of this program, TARC hired Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) as the administrative contractor and sought the services of a professional auctioneer to help dispose of the assets. TARC is now the preferred option for asset disposition for site contractors at Hanford, and recently was approached by nearby Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to handle all its asset disposition needs.

Originally TARC dealt mostly with manufacturing equipment (machining tools, compressors, cranes, etc.), but now was dealing with office furniture and machines, computers by the truckload, and every other type of equipment imaginable surplused off a federal site. The massive amount of inventory coupled with limited space for operations made using a retail model out of the question, so holding public auctions on a monthly basis was the best option remaining. TARC sales have an average attendance of approximately 500 bidders from 15 different states.

TARC today

Fast forward six years and TARC now is a successful community economic development program that has generated nearly $1 million for the community’s business incentive fund. The fund has been used to create or retain nearly 200 jobs. Future plans include offering our expertise to other private sector businesses that may have surplusing needs.

Our community is not the only one to have reaped the benefits of the TARC program; U.S. taxpayers have saved millions of dollars as a result of this program. TARC has cleaned out entire buildings and acres of land at ours and our buyers’ expense – costs that otherwise would have been borne by the Hanford cleanup budget.

The project not only has allowed for accelerated cleanup of land and facilities, but buildings now can be put into shutdown mode, ceasing all utility use and associated costs. Further, since the buildings are now empty, less security is needed. From fiscal year 2001 to date, DOE Richland estimates that the TARC program has saved nearly $2.5 million. Of that total savings, $1.5 million can be attributed to DOE not having to conduct monthly sales or dispose of equipment itself over the past four years.

The goal of TRIDEC and TARC is to prepare affected communities for the ultimate closure of the Hanford facility, which served as the region’s primary employment generator for over 60 years. TRIDEC is accomplishing this by redeploying the area’s highly skilled workforce and by spinning out technologies created to aid in site cleanup that have private sector uses as well. It also will be done by identifying and implementing productive uses for transitioned land, facilities and equipment.With continued cooperation between TRIDEC and TARC, we are certain our community will continue to grow and prosper as it transitions into a healthy, 21st century economy.

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