Using vacuum extraction technology, the INEEL has removed and destroyed more than 79,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds from ground beneath the Radioactive Waste Management Complex since 1996.

INEEL scientists have used "enhanced in situ bioremediation," a technology they developed, to eliminate a hazardous solvent from groundwater at Test Area North, saving $8 million from the previous remedy.

An INEEL cleanup team safely removed toxic and explosive hydrogen fluoride from a 1950s-era burial site 10 months ahead of schedule and $43,000 under budget.

Engineers and scientists are probing buried waste locations at the INEEL's Subsurface Disposal Area to learn more about how the waste behaves in the ground and determine ways to reduce future human and environmental risks.

The INEEL has never missed a milestone in the Site Treatment Plan, an agreement with the state of Idaho governing the treatment and disposal of hazardous and radioactive waste.

The INEEL has never missed a milestone from the Idaho Settlement Agreement, which guides the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.

The INEEL met all Fiscal Year 2000 Federal Facility Act/Compliance Order milestones ahead of schedule.

The INEEL has sent 13 shipment of transuranic waste -- more than 103 cubic meters -- out of Idaho for permanent disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.

Over 90,000 gallons of liquid sodium-bearing waste was calcined in Fiscal Year 2000, placing it in a more stable storage configuration.

The INEEL moved spent nuclear fuel from old storage into more modern storage basins eight months ahead of schedule.

The Department of Energy, the state of Idaho and the Environmental Protection Agency signed two Records of Decision for cleanup activities in 2000.

In 2000, the INEEL was the first site in the nation to receive Integrated Safety Management verification.

The INEEL disposed of 470 cubic meters of hazardous and radioactive waste outside the state of Idaho in 2000.

More than 811 cubic meters of hazardous and radioactive waste were treated in 2000, making it the most waste ever treated at the INEEL in a single year.

The INEEL disposed of 4,260 cubic meters of low-level waste in 2000.

Fifty High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters were treated through a leaching process in 2000, meeting a Site Treatment Plan milestone.

In 2000, 97 canisters of Three Mile Island-II spent nuclear fuel and core debris were removed from water storage and shipped to the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center for placement in dry storage.

Construction of the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Facility began in 2000, after final permits were received from the state of Idaho. The facility will treat 65,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste per an agreement with the state.

Top of Page

The INEEL's PINS system non-intrusively identifies chemicals within containers and has been used extensively by the U.S. Army to determine the contents of suspect chemical weapons.

An INEEL-developed system for non-intrusively identifying chemicals within containers was used to solve the mystery of the contents of abandoned gas cylinders at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center.

INEEL statisticians helped the Internal Revenue Service evaluate its processes for payment collection by mapping the processes selected and their success rates.

An INEEL-developed reporting, inventory and processing system helps make shipping waste drums to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant almost paperless by using smart cards and a patent-pending electronic signature process.

The Idaho Accelerator Center -- located at Idaho State University and established by ISU, the Department of Energy and the INEEL -- leads the way in radiation science and accelerator research and education.

The INEEL developed and delivered the Transportable Munitions Assessment System to Greece to aid in the recovery and destruction of obsolete munitions.

The Transportable Munitions Assessment System contains three INEEL-developed systems that enable operators to handle, recover and destroy old munitions safely.

The INEEL is a collaborator on the Russian Ecological Biotrade Center, which will employ former Soviet weapons scientists to explore the potential for developing new commercial products using Russia's biodiversity.

The INEEL's Specific Manufacturing Capability project has an unblemished record of providing life-saving armor for the Army's main battle tank on time, within budget and within specifications.

The Army is so satisfied with the INEEL's tank armor project that it announced in 2000 that it is expanding the project to develop side-armor packages.

Research at the INEEL's Advanced Test Reactor and Naval Reactors Facility have contributed to the extension of the life of nuclear fuel on Navy vessels, so that some nuclear-powered ships never have to be refueled.

Top of Page

The INEEL has developed a cost-effective, passive cleanup technique for radioactively contaminated concrete that uses naturally-occurring microbes and keeps human workers safe.

INEEL researchers are investigating an untapped energy source -- frozen methane gas trapped in the depths of the ocean floor.

INEEL researchers developed a new electrolyte membrane so that rechargeable lithium batteries run far longer and are safer to handle and dispose.

INEEL researchers developed a new sensor that safely measures power line high voltage without touching the lines.

INEEL developed a pager-sized radiation detection device to help U.S. Customs prevent nuclear material smuggling through airports.

INEEL researchers created a super-strong adhesive by studying mussels -- nature's underwater adhesive experts.

INEEL has created a new recipe for super-strong, rare earth magnets that can be used to power motors in computers, cordless power tools and other electronic devices.

INEEL is world-renowned for the development of SIMION PC-- a computer program that simulates ion paths inside prototype instruments.

INEEL has developed a new technique that identifies humans by their antibodies, creating a unique barcode for each person.

INEEL has developed a composting technique that uses acetone and microbes to dissolve away bits of explosives contaminating soils.

INEEL has developed an almost maintenance-free wet gas flowmeter that measures the flow rate of gas and liquid from natural gas wellheads in real time five- to 10 times more accurately than conventional methods.

INEEL researchers have developed a remote-controlled robot that uses ultrasonics to test the bottoms of tanks for leaks.

INEEL scientists designed, built, and maintained one of the world's largest matched index-of-refraction facilities to study turbulent fluid flow.

Researchers are creating strong, durable membranes that can be specially tailored to separate different chemicals from water -- a critical problem for many industries.

INEEL researchers have developed a new portal monitor to detect concealed weapons. The monitor not only alarms to alert the operator, but also shows the location of metal objects on the person.

The INEEL is the Department of Energy's lead laboratory for environmental management.

The INEEL is the Department of Energy's lead laboratory for nuclear power development.

Physicists at the INEEL are contributing to the development of boron neutron capture therapy techniques for tumor treatment.

INEEL researchers are addressing one of the nation's most pressing environmental concerns --subsurface contamination in soils and groundwater.

The INEEL's Advanced Test Reactor produces isotopes that are used in treating cancer, sterilizing medical equipment, inspecting aircraft materials and treating pain in bone cancer sufferers.

Top of Page

The Department of Energy recognized the INEEL for work that demonstrates DOE's commitment to save taxpayers' money and improve quality of life for consumers.

The INEEL received prestigious Energy@23 awards for two technologies in 2000: Development of Novel Solid Electrolytes and Rapid Solidification Process Tooling.

The INEEL and Argonne National Laboratory were named the DOE lead laboratories for nuclear reactor technology.

The INEEL and Argonne National Laboratory are coordinating the Generation IV Nuclear Systems Initiative -- an international effort to develop the next generation of nuclear power reactors.

The INEEL and Argonne National Laboratory are leading the effort to develop nuclear power reactors that produce electricity cheaper and safer while creating less waste and resisting proliferation of nuclear weapons materials.

The INEEL is the first national laboratory to create a greenhouse gas inventory and report emissions quarterly to DOE -- a first step toward understanding how to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases on our environment.

Local industry and the INEEL took the first step in a phased plan to provide alternative vehicle fuel in the region with the December 2000 opening of a public compressed natural gas fueling station in Idaho Falls.

An alternative vehicle fuel station opened by local industry and the INEEL provides compressed natural gas fueling capabilities to the public, completing a "clean fuel corridor" from Butte, Mont., to the Salt Lake City area.

INEEL researchers are collaborating on three projects that pull carbon dioxide from gaseous streams such as smokestack exhaust, eliminating the greenhouse gas before it can mix with the atmosphere.

Alternative fuel modeling tools developed by the INEEL identify primary and secondary industries and estimate the market growth potential and overall benefits of alternative fuels for test cases in the Greater Yellowstone-Teton Parks region.

The Greater Yellowstone-Teton Systems Analysis project helps develop integrated strategies to address transportation, energy, visitor facilities and information systems issues, and their impact on the region's environment and economy.

An INEEL-designed device that simultaneously detects two types of radiation -- gamma rays and neutrons -- was recognized as one of the 100 most significant technological achievements of 2000 by R&D Magazine.

The INEEL was selected as home for the Safety and Tritium Applications Research Facility, a move that will expand the lab's scope of fusion research and develop, attract top scientists and promote INEEL missions.

Top of Page

The INEEL hosts a national program that funds the development of technologies to treat radioactive wastes, including finding alternatives to thermal treatment.

More than 1,300 scientists and engineers conduct research and development activities at the INEEL.

More than 500 research and development scientists at the INEEL work directly with the operations they support for innovative science and technology solutions.

The INEEL provides 69 professional scientists and engineers to serve as adjunct faculty to the University of Idaho and Idaho State University higher educational programs in southeast Idaho.

The INEEL developed a model that quantifies the output of greenhouse gasses from their sources and identifies the most effective approach to decrease emissions.

The INEEL developed a new modeling tool about the alternative fuel market that helps decision-makers select alternative fuels and vehicles.

The INEEL has joined the University of Utah to simulate the relationship between the availability of water and growing demands for it along Utah's Wasatch Front.

The INEEL has an agreement with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to collaborate and exchange science and technology information.

The INEEL developed a new geographic information system (GIS) management tool that services maps and data via the Internet.

In collaboration with Idaho State University and Utah State University, the INEEL is conducting research on science-based decision making for land and watershed management.

The INEEL is working with the Seneca Nation on the use of ion mobility spectrometry to locate abandoned oil and gas wells on the Cattaraugas Reservation in New York.

The INEEL's Integrated Community Safety Program offers training courses to prepare state, local and tribal governments and private industries for emergencies.

INEEL's "Wonder Science Camp" program introduces young students to science, sparking their interest in archeology, astronomy, atomic science, and chemistry.

The INEEL coordinated with the National Petroleum Technology Office to examine practices and technologies used to reduce the impact of oil exploration and production on wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Working with INEEL scientists, Science Action Teams consisting of high school students, teachers, and graduate students support programs on watershed management and habitat assessment.

The INEEL developed a database and Internet mapping program concerning the extreme conditions where bacteria live in Yellowstone National Park's hot springs.

The INEEL is using remote sensing and imagery analysis to look at the effects of fires, cheatgrass and other disturbances on wildlife habitat and vegetation.

The President of the American Nuclear Society is currently employed at the INEEL.

Top of Page

INEEL archaeologists have discovered archaeological sites dating back at least 12,000 years.

An estimated 75,000 archaeological sites reflecting use of the area by Native American hunter-gatherers may be preserved within the boundaries of the INEEL.

A professional staff of five archaeologists and historians work to protect an estimated 40,000 prehistoric archaeological sites at the INEEL, some estimated to be 10,000 years old.

The INEEL cultural resource management staff works closely with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes for help and guidance in the management of prehistoric sites.

The world's first usable electricity from a nuclear reactor was generated on the INEEL on December 20, 1951, at the Experimental Breeder Reactor I.

The INEEL contains the remnants of at least two stage stations and hundreds of other historic archaeological sites, including trails, canals, homestead foundations, trash heaps and miles of historic trails.

The Navy used the INEEL during World War II, and again during the Vietnam War, to test-fire its large guns.

Cultural resources on the INEEL include prehistoric Native American sites, historic Euro-American sites, World War II structures and artifacts, and historic nuclear structures.