NWTRB to review DOE's SNF, HLW activities and consent-based siting process
NWTRB Press Release | 1/10/2022
|
|
|
The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, and Wednesday, March 2, 2022, to review information on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) activities related to spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). Specifically, the meeting will cover research and development (R&D) on SNF and HLW storage, transportation, non-site-specific disposal, DOE’s
integrated waste management system, and its consent-based siting process to identify federal interim storage facilities. The Board is an independent federal agency established by Congress to conduct ongoing technical and scientific evaluation of activities undertaken by DOE to manage and dispose of SNF and HLW.
The meeting comes only a few days before the end of the comment period on DOE's Request for Information (RFI) on how to site Federal facilities for the temporary, consolidated storage of SNF using a consent-based approach. ECA has long
anticipated the release of the RFI, and we hope it marks the meaningful resumption of the Department's efforts - as it is the federal government's responsibility - to manage and dispose of the Country's defense and commercial HLW and SNF.
On the first day of the Board's public meeting, the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) will provide an update on DOE’s dual-purpose canister (DPC) disposal R&D. Speakers representing the national laboratories conducting the DPC work for DOE will report on a repository-scale performance assessment incorporating post-closure criticality and cladding degradation modeling development. A DOE-NE representative will provide a summary and status of storage and
transportation R&D and a speaker from the national laboratories will describe investigations into SNF storage canister surface environments and the potential for corrosion.
On the second day, an experiment simulating aerosol transmission through a crack in an SNF canister wall will be described by a speaker from the national laboratories. From the integrated waste management system R&D program, speakers from the national laboratories will describe the Hanford Lead Canister project and updated waste management system analysis tool requirements and enhancements. A speaker from DOE-NE will present the current functions and
capabilities of DOE’s Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START). The final speaker, from DOE-NE, will provide an update on consent-based siting. A detailed meeting agenda will be available on the Board’s website at www.nwtrb.gov approximately one week before the meeting.
The meeting will be open to the public and there will be opportunities for public comments. Public comments can be submitted during the meeting via the online meeting viewing platform, using the “Comment for the Record” form. Details for joining and viewing the meeting will be available on the Board’s website (www.nwtrb.gov) approximately one
week before the meeting.
|
|
|
|
|
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT
|
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 1 & 2, 2022
The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, and Wednesday, March 2, 2022, to review information on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) activities related to spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). Specifically, the meeting will cover research and development (R&D) on SNF and
HLW storage, transportation, non-site-specific disposal, DOE’s integrated waste management system, and its consent-based siting process to identify federal interim storage facilities.
Details for joining and viewing the meeting will be available on the Board’s website (www.nwtrb.gov) approximately one week before the meeting. The meeting will begin on both days at 12:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST) and is scheduled to adjourn at approximately 5:00 p.m. EST.
The meeting will be open to the public and there will be opportunities for public comments.
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
|
|
|
|
|
Leadership shuffle announced on key HASC subcommittees
Air Force Magazine | 1/10/2022
Two key subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee are getting new top Republicans, committee ranking member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) announced Jan. 10.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) will take over as the ranking member of the strategic forces subcommittee, leaving his previous position as ranking member of the readiness subcommittee. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) will take over as ranking member of the readiness panel.
The shuffle in leadership was precipitated by Rep. Michael Turner’s (R-Ohio) stepping down as the strategic forces subcommittee ranking member to take over as the top Republican of the House Intelligence Committee, a spot left vacant by the departure of former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) from Congress. Turner’s district includes Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The strategic forces subcommittee is responsible for a broad swath of issues, including nuclear weapons, missile defense, and space. The current chairman of the committee, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), teamed with Rogers to propose the creation of a Space Force back in 2017.
Lamborn has been involved with Space Force issues as well. His district in Colorado encompasses Schriever Space Force Base, Peterson Space Force Base, and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and he co-sponsored a bipartisan amendment in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that would have established a Space National Guard. That amendment was later dropped from the final approved NDAA.
The readiness subcommittee oversees issues of training, military construction, logistics and maintenance, housing, and base realignments and closures, among others. Waltz is a former Green Beret who also served as a policy director in the Pentagon and the White House.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Councilman Hope elected to Energy Communities Alliance leadership
The Oak Ridger | 1/9/2022
ECA is excited to welcome Councilman Chuck Hope of Oak Ridge, Tennessee to the ECA Executive Board in his role as Secretary. We appreciate his long-standing commitment to ECA and active engagement on ECA priority issues in the Oak Ridge community.
Oak Ridge Councilman Chuck Hope has been unanimously elected to the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) Executive Board of Directors.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the ECA Executive Board with colleagues from other DOE communities,” Hope stated in a news release. “Given the breadth and depth of DOE’s Environmental Management Program, it’s crucial for local elected officials to engage with the agency on matters of vital importance to our communities.”
Ron Woody, Roane County executive and outgoing ECA board chairman added, “Chuck’s knowledge of the DOE programs in Oak Ridge and demonstrated leadership make him the perfect choice to serve on the Executive Board. It’s important to have representation from Oak Ridge in this national forum.”
Hope has served on City Council since July 2011 and has been active with the ECA for more than nine years.
|
|
|
|
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR SECURITY
|
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
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
|
|
