INTRODUCTION: RICHLAND OPERATHINS QFFHCE RECORDS PRODUCED BY OPERATIONS OFFICE ORGANIZATIONS INACTIVE RECORDS.-SELECTED HISTORICAL MATERIALS by Booger M. Anders Office of Humen Radiation Exneriments Deouty Assistant Seuretary for Planning ami Administration Assistant Secretary for Eevironment, Safety and Health March 1996 The Department of Energy and Its Heritege: The Department of Energy (EXOE} is one of the mast diverse agencies in the Federal government. Tk was crested in 1977 from a score of organizational entities from a dozen departments and agencies DCE encourages the development ofenergy technologies in several areas--soler, gecthermal, fossil fuel, and auclear. Ix develops technologies aimed at promoting conservation of energy resources. DOE is one of the largest Federal agency supporters of basic scientific research and manages a research complex that includes some of the nation's premuer laboratories. DOE helns formulete national policies for energy use and development. Perhaps surprisingly tomany, DOE also runs the nuclear weapons research, development, and praduetion complex ag well 2a asaociated dismantlement and clean up activities. DOP's suclear heritage comes from the Work Wer If Manhattan Project which built the arormuc bomb. ‘The threads ofDOE's involvement with muview issues and programs run thromsh the following agencies: the Manhsttan Eneineer District (1942-1947), the Atomic Energy Comnussion (1947-19741, and the Energy Research and Development Administration (19751977). DOE sot only took over functions, cultures, and traditions fromthese egencies, it also inherited records trom them. Of these agencies, the longest hved aml most controversial was the Atomic Energy Commission (ARC). The ARC aleo created a greater volume of records than any other DOE predecessor axency and, sot surprisingly, DOE snl has custody of a substantial vokune of AR records.