Allison stays on as SRS site manager, for now

Embattled Savannah River Site manager Jeff Allison might be staying on as the U.S. Energy Department's senior official -- at least for now.

After weeks of wrangling over what was characterized as a forced transfer to another position in Washington, the department's assistant secretary for environmental management, Dr. Ines Triay, has released details of a broad personnel reorganization that leaves Mr. Allison's job intact.

"This reorganization reflects the EM management philosophy to empower the Field and supports EM management's vision of becoming an even more high-performing organization," Dr. Triay wrote of the new management pyramid, which took effect Sunday. "I am extremely pleased to announce the Headquarters office alignments and the leaders for these offices. Attached is the EM organizational chart with the names of the leaders included as well as the new mission and function statements."

The chart names Mr. Allison as SRS site manager -- the role he has held since 2003. The environmental management headquarters position he was initially said to be taking -- director of small sites -- is listed as vacant.

Mr. Allison, in an Oct. 2 e-mail to Dae Chung, principal deputy assistant secretary for environmental management, acknowledges his plan to remain at SRS but also mentions the possibility of filling the headquarters position in the future.

Mr. Allison wrote that he hopes to begin planning soon for transition to a new SRS site manager, and the establishment of an office in Aiken from which he would perform his new duties.

Mr. Allison had previously characterized the pending reassignment as retaliation for his cooperation in an ongoing inquiry by the Energy Department's Office of Inspector General, which is exploring claims that certain managers inappropriately influenced hiring activities and job fairs related to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

SRS received $1.6 billion in such funds -- more than any federal nuclear facility except for Hanford, Wash. -- and is using the windfall to create 3,000 new jobs and accelerate a series of environmental cleanup projects that include the final decommissioning of P and R reactors, which once produced materials for the nation's nuclear arsenal.

A DOE spokeswoman at its Washington headquarters declined further comment, other than to say Mr. Allison "continues to be site manager" at SRS.

Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.