New year brings a new focus to ECA priority issues
ECA Staff | 1/5/2022
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With the start of the new year comes a host of important issues occurring in 2022. Key dates to watch include:
- January 10: The House of Representatives reconvenes. The Senate reconvened January 3.
- January 25: The President delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
- February 18: The Continuing Resolution (CR) for FY 2022 - the current budget year - federal government funding expires.
- March 7: The Federal FY 2023 Administration Budget Request would typically be due to Congress (and FY 2024 funding Senate and House hearings would begin) on February 7. However, this year's budget is expected to be at least one month late. As a reminder, the FY 2022 budget request was released in mid-May in 2021.
- September 30: FY 2022 federal budget year ends.
- November 8: Mid-term elections occur for all House seats, 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate, and 39 State and territorial governors.
Budgets
- FY 2021 - Currently operating under the CR.
- FY 2022 - Congress is working to pass the overdue appropriations bills for the FY 22 budget this year.
- FY 2023 - The FY 23 Administration Budget Request is expected in March. The fiscal year begins in October.
- FY 2024 - FY 24 budget discussions between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are set to begin in the first months of the year.
ECA members should contact their local DOE site representative to discuss budget priorities at this time. For additional information on the federal budget, please visit the ECA Budget Tracker.
Infrastructure Law projects
Implementation of projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to begin in 2022. ECA communities are requesting support from DOE to support missions at DOE sites and their frontline communities, specifically relating to energy infrastructure projects included in the $62 billion provided to DOE by the law.
PILT funding request
The communities hosting the Savannah River Site and the Hanford Site, with the support of local school boards, have requested that Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) continue to be included in the budget request for FY 23 and beyond. The Administration did not request PILT funding last year. These critical payments support local school, police, and emergency response funding for the frontline communities adjacent to DOE sites.
Mid-term elections
This year's mid-term elections may bring about changes in leadership of key committees including the following: Appropriations, Armed Services, and Budget (House and Senate); Energy and Commerce (House); Science, Space, and Technology (House); Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Senate); and Energy and Natural Resources (Senate).
ECA will continue to provide updates on these key issues as they become available.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT
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JANUARY 13, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) published a Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Planning for Establishment of a Program to Support the Availability of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for Civilian Domestic Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercial Use in the Federal Register.
DOE is working to enable the development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors as part of meeting the Administration’s job creation, energy security, and climate goals. Most advanced reactors, including several designs selected for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, are designed to be fueled by HALEU. The RFI aims to gather information to consider in preparing a required report to Congress describing actions proposed to be carried out by DOE under the
HALEU program.
Responses must be received by January 13, 2022 and may be submitted online or via email.
JANUARY 15, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary for Science and Energy and Office of Policy (OP) request information on energy sector supply chains. This request for information (RFI) seeks input from all stakeholders involved directly and indirectly in the supply chains of energy, energy systems and technologies, and energy efficiency technologies from raw materials, processed materials, subcomponents, final products, to end-of-life material recovery and
recycling—including but not limited to U.S. industry, researchers, academia, local governments, and civil society. This stakeholder input will inform the Department's efforts in building an energy sector industrial base that is diverse, resilient, and competitive while meeting economic, national security, and climate objectives.
MARCH 4, 2022
The Department of Energy (DOE) has released a Request for Information (RFI) on how to site Federal facilities for the temporary, consolidated storage of spent nuclear fuel using a consent-based approach.
Responses to the RFI will inform development of a consent-based siting process, overall strategy for an integrated waste management system, and possibly a funding opportunity. DOE especially welcomes insight from people, communities, and groups that have historically not been well-represented in these discussions.
Responses must be received by March 4, 2022 by 5:00pm ET and may be submitted electronically to consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov, including “RFI: Consent-Based Siting and Federal Interim Storage” in the subject line of the email
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DOE announces technical assistance for 21 states on grid modernization, energy transition challenges
Utility Dive | 12/23/2021
- Regulators in 21 states will receive up to two years of technical assistance from the national laboratories on a range of grid modernization and energy transition issues, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on December 21.
Participating states were chosen through an application process that began in August.
- Projects and modeling will focus on "critical emerging and existing topics, including equity and justice, distributed energy adoption and integration, grid planning, and energy resilience," DOE said.
- The State Technical Assistance to Public Utility Commissions program is one of a few initiatives announced recently by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). The agency is also directing $18 million to help state, local and tribal governments improve the residential Weatherization Assistance Program.
The energy sector is changing rapidly and DOE's state assistance program aims to help regulators better understand new technologies, planning approaches and outcomes.
"Public utility commissions are at the front lines of our energy transition," EERE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Speakes-Backman, said in a statement. "Rapid technological advancements and clean energy goals present changes to the status quo — but also great opportunities for
consumers."
National laboratories involved in the program include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The assistance program is supported through DOE's Grid Modernization Initiative and "can help to make the grid more reliable, face climate change, and increase equity," Speakes-Backman said.
DOE selected public utility commissions from these states to receive assistance from the national labs: Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah,
Washington and Wisconsin.
Assistance topics include distributed energy resource adoption and integration, equity and justice, resilience, grid planning and regulation. Technical assistance to regulatory commissions will extend 1-2 years and DOE anticipates specific projects will be completed within 18 months.
Continue reading >>
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Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments.
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