About this episode

The episode features an interview with Ken Rueter, who discusses the remediation of nuclear sites and the efforts to repurpose former Manhattan Project locations.

One of the best parts of running this podcast is the chance to learn about aspects of the nuclear industry I know little about. Today’s guest, the President and CEO of United Clean Up Oak Ridge, taught me all about remediating nuclear sites. UCOR, the DOE’s contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation, boasts an impressive suite of expertise and logistical acumen dedicated to turning over former Manhattan Project sites for civilian and government use. Ken broke down the steps of remediation and the heavy machinery needed (including robots!) to deliver on these projects. I really appreciated the beauty of his vision: remediating Manhattan project sites to spur the nuclear renaissance. This episode brought out the little kid in me. A huge thank you to Ken for making the time for our discussion.

People in this episode

Host: Emmet Penney

Guest: Ken Rueter

Topics covered

• nuclear industry
• remediation
• nuclear sites
• technology
• nuclear renaissance

Keywords

• nuclear remediation
• UCOR
• heavy machinery
• robots
• nuclear renaissance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Clean Up Oak Ridge, DOE

Places: Oak Ridge Reservation

More episodes of Nuclear Barbarians

• Can I Be Fusionpilled? ft. Andrew Holland (Fusion Industry Association) · May 20, 2026 · 49 min
• Energy Dominance Financing ft. Julie Kozeracki (EDF) · January 29, 2026 · 34 min
• Forward Operating Microreactors ft. Jeff Waksman (US Army) · January 15, 2026 · 36 min
• Texatomica ft. Reed Clay (Texas Nuclear Alliance) · October 31, 2025 · 48 min
• Reactors by the Bargeful by Jake Jurewicz (Blue Energy) · October 10, 2025 · 40 min
• Moving the World ft. Craig Fuller (Freightwaves) · September 26, 2025 · 54 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Nuclear Barbarians podcast page.