[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING ROBERT BOSTON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2023

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, with my colleagues Senator Mike Crapo and 
Jim Risch, I rise today to honor the exceptional and distinguished 
career of Mr. Robert D. Boston. Mr. Boston has dedicated more than 38 
years to federal service, that includes his 23 years of service at the 
U.S. Department of Energy.
  Mr. Boston has led an impressive life and career, and we are most 
grateful for his leadership role as the Manager of the Department of 
Energy's Idaho Operations Office--a position he has honorably served in 
for many years. In this role, he has been responsible for oversight of 
the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the nation's leading nuclear 
energy research, development, and demonstration laboratory; and for 
providing oversight of the environmental cleanup and waste management 
mission at the Idaho site.
  As Deputy Manager and later Manager, he was instrumental in 
negotiating agreements between the Department of Energy and the State 
of Idaho. Many of these agreements have been critical to establishing 
the INL as the nation's lead nuclear research and development 
laboratory. Under his leadership, a path was created in the agreement 
for the INL to receive spent nuclear fuel for research purposes and an 
approach was developed for the handling of spent fuel from important 
on-site reactor demonstrations. These elements will ensure ongoing 
missions at the Lab.
  The INL is home to the world's most powerful test reactor, the 
Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This test reactor serves as the flagship 
irradiation facility in the U.S. and can simultaneously support a 
variety of experiments for multiple customers like the Department of 
Energy, the U.S. Navy, or university and industry partners. During his 
tenure, Mr. Boston oversaw the important maintenance overhaul of ATR 
Core Internals Changeout VI. The 11-month outage, the longest and most 
complex outage in ATR history, was completed in March of 2022 and will 
enable the nation's principal test reactor to continue safe operations 
critical to the Department's research portfolio and security mission.
  Mr. Boston played a key role in DOE history when he led the effort to 
restart the Transient Test Reactor in 2017. This transient reactor 
facility, also known as TREAT, is a unique national asset and is now 
providing the Nation with a testing capability that has been missing 
since 1994. While in operation at INL, TREAT will help shape the future 
of clean energy and foster new ways to bring innovative reactor 
technologies to the market.
  Under his leadership, the INL completed many major infrastructure 
improvements, and significantly improved research and development 
capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. In 
addition to these improvements, Mr. Boston has also been involved in 
establishing new and innovative reactor projects, including the 
Versatile Test Reactor, the PELE Department of Defense reactor, and the 
Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation project 
(MARVEL), among others.
  Mr. Boston will also leave an enduring impression on the future 
generations of nuclear engineers in Idaho. He is adjunct faculty at 
Idaho State University (ISU) and a member of the ISU Reactor Safety 
Committee, ISU Engineering Advisory Board, and the ISU Health Physics 
Advisory Board.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Boston's leadership has had a lasting impact on the 
advancement of the Idaho National Laboratory, the Nation's nuclear 
energy program and national security missions. We sincerely thank Mr. 
Boston for his dedicated service to our state and country and wish him 
well in this next chapter of his life.

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