[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO RICHARD B. PROVENCHER

  Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, along with my colleagues Senator Mike Crapo 
and Representative Mike Simpson, today I recognize and congratulate Mr. 
Richard B. Provencher on his upcoming retirement after more than 32 
years of distinguished Federal service consisting of Active-Duty 
military service, service with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, 
and more than 29 years of service with the U.S. Department of Energy, 
DOE.
  Mr. Provencher began his Federal career in 1986 as a health physicist 
for the NRC Headquarters Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards. Rick transferred to NRC Region 1 in King of Prussia, PA, 
where he was a materials inspector. In 1990, he joined the DOE as a 
health physicist and began his Senior Executive Service career as 
deputy director at West Valley Demonstration Project in New York. In 
1998, he served as the director of the Miamisburg Closure Project in 
Ohio.
  In 2003, he transferred to the Idaho Operations Office in Idaho as 
the deputy manager for environmental management, where he had a 
profound impact on DOE's mission to address Idaho's environmental 
cleanup efforts. Mr. Provencher provided strong leadership to the 
Federal and contractor workforce, making Idaho's cleanup performance 
one of the most successful in the Nation.
  Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Provencher was instrumental in 
negotiating and executing an agreement between the DOE and the State of 
Idaho to implement a cleanup plan for buried waste in the subsurface 
disposal area at the Idaho National Laboratory, INL, significantly 
reducing the scope of work from the original plan and saving taxpayers 
$5 billion.
  Most recently, Mr. Provencher served as the Office of Nuclear Energy 
Manager for Idaho Operations Office and Contractor Assurance, 
responsible for overseeing the INL--our Nation's flagship nuclear 
energy laboratory. This responsibility includes managing over 200 
Federal technical personnel and oversight of over 6,000 contractor 
employees with an annual budget in excess of $1 billion. Under his 
leadership, the INL completed major infrastructure improvements and 
significantly improved research and development capabilities with 
state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that will ensure a bright 
future for the laboratory.
  Mr. Provencher's remarkable ability to foster collaboration has 
strengthened partnerships internal and external to DOE. He repeatedly 
demonstrated his ability to build coalitions through his interactions 
with the State of Idaho and other elected officials regarding the 
operation of the INL. With multiple Departmental organizations present 
on the site, as well as many strategic partners across the government, 
it is a testament to Rick's leadership that all the various business 
functions are seamlessly integrated to support the INL's missions.
  Mr. Provencher's performance has improved public trust and confidence 
in the DOE's mission work. He has partnered with environmental cleanup 
and laboratory participants in carrying the message of cleanup success, 
laboratory growth, and contributions to the region which have improved 
public perception of the INL and overall DOE mission work.
  Through his years of dedicated service, Mr. Provencher exemplifies 
the best qualities of Idaho. Senator Crapo, Representative Simpson, and 
I thank Rick for his service and wish him well in all of his future 
endeavors.

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