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Oak Ridge council approves formal comments asking DOE to explain proposed 533-acre transfer at East Tennessee Technology Park
Summary
Council voted to send amended comments to the U.S. Department of Energy asking for clearer notice and direct engagement after staff described a proposed transfer of about 533 acres at the East Tennessee Technology Park to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency via a covenant-deferral process.
Council members on Tuesday unanimously approved an amended set of comments to the U.S. Department of Energy seeking more information and local engagement on a proposed transfer of roughly 533 acres at the East Tennessee Technology Park.
Staff presented the recommended comment letter and the legal context for the transfer: the DOE is pursuing a covenant-deferral process that can transfer property that has not been fully cleaned up to a third party, subject to approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state. Miss Fitzgerald, staff lead on the matter, said the governor’s concurrence is also required and that the DOE told staff the only formal notice requirement was a public notice in a newspaper, which in this case appeared in a Roane County publication.
"The action of Department of Energy to do this without telling us was very disturbing," Council member Smith said during debate, criticizing the limited notice and urging direct talks with local DOE officials rather than remote, paper-based notifications. Smith asked that the city's comments request meetings and improved notice practices; council adopted those additions as amendments to the draft comments.
The council's amended transmittal asks DOE to explain the protective measures supporting the proposed transfer, requests ongoing consultation with Oak Ridge officials, and seeks commitments on notice and monitoring if the transfer proceeds. Staff said DOE agreed to accept the city's comments even though the formal comment period had already closed.
Council approved the amended comments by voice vote and directed staff to forward them to DOE. The action does not itself block or alter the federal review process; it records the city’s formal concerns and seeks to secure greater local engagement as the proposal proceeds.
