Reeling in listeners: 'Gone Fission' podcast highlights DOE complex developments
ECA Staff | 2/3/2022
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"Are you interested in the latest news about environmental cleanup at the Department of Energy's nuclear facilities? The GONE FISSION Nuclear Report is for you!"
The new season this cleverly-named podcast 'reels' in listeners hoping to learn more about developments across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The series also provides commentary and insights to help listeners gain a better understanding of the impact of developments discussed in each episode.
'Gone Fission' is hosted by Michael Butler and was created to take advantage of one of the newest innovations in media to communicate the impressive accomplishments of the Department's Environmental Management (EM) program.
"Some of the nation's best companies are employing thousands of experienced, highly skilled workers to clean up aging, deteriorating, and contaminated facilities that served us well in ensuring America's national security for decades," Butler said. "The story of their work needs to be told, and that is the goal of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report."
Recent guests on the second season of the show include Seth Kirshenberg, Executive Director of the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA); Rick McLeod, President & CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO); and Kristen Ellis, Acting Director of Regulatory, Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Engagement for EM.
"We want to see some of the sites continue to provide communities with land for redevelopment," he said. "There's a lot of opportunities [at the sites] for new nuclear development, new nuclear energy development, and other types of energy development. These sites can be very valuable for these sorts of things."
Kirshenberg went on to say, "Integrating the cleanup program with reuse is such a smart idea. It has happened at a lot of sites successfully, and there is a lot more opportunity for that."
McLeod's episode featured discussion on SRSCRO, where the Board of Directors and he advocate for new missions for DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS) and serve as a unified voice for a two-state, five-county region around SRS while supporting cleanup
of the former plutonium production site.
"[SRSCRO] was tasked initially...to loan money and grant money to some folks locally to start up new industries and to work with the local economy," he said. "I think our focus today is somewhat similar, in that we are continually focused on economic development, whether that is new missions at SRS or industries coming into the area to help the local economic developers and any needs they may have."
McLeod also discussed how SRSCRO's mission has evolved since its inception.
"We have gotten more heavily into workforce endeavors that we're doing locally with the university partners that we have," he said. "The core mission is roughly the same, with some tweaks here and there."
Butler highlighted the important roles played by the organizations covered in the podcast's most recent episodes.
"Organizations like ECA and [SRSCRO] are playing integral roles in developing the future workforce and ensuring that the government's environmental management program takes into account the issues and concerns of local communities around DOE sites," he said. "We think it is important to highlight their contributions as well."
"I recognize that we have a lot of challenges ahead with workforce, retirement, and institutional knowledge in the nuclear industry," she said. "It's very easy to get overwhelmed, but I think there is reason to be very optimistic, too. This is a very compelling mission that a lot of people get personal fulfilment in working on, in making a difference, and in cleaning up the environment."
Ellis went on to say that EM is continuing to make great progress in cleanup and reducing their footprint, and that the future of the office is bright.
"I know that for future generations, it's a great place to work and a great place to tackle some of the greatest challenges in engineering and technology," she said. "What's more fulfilling than that?"
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT
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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
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Nuclear waste storage in New Mexico would be blocked if Senate, House bill pass Legislature
Carlsbad Current-Argus | 1/27/2022
High-level spent nuclear fuel would be prohibited from being stored in New Mexico if lawmakers pass a pair of bills introduced during this year’s legislative session.
The bicameral effort comes as Holtec International proposed to build and operate a facility in southeast New Mexico to temporarily hold spent nuclear fuel rods from generator sites across the U.S.
Sponsored by New Mexico Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-36), a frequent critic of the Holtec project, Senate Bill 54 would prohibit the kind of waste Holtec planned to store in New Mexico. It's twin bill, House Bill 127, was sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-50).
The state does have a facility for low-level waste. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy in the same region and permitted by the State of New Mexico.
Holtec would hold up to 100,000 metric tons of the waste in total on an interim basis until a permanent repository was available.
The U.S. does not presently have a permanent repository for the waste after such a project at Yucca Mountain, Nevada stalled amid opposition from leaders in that state.
In New Mexico, high-ranking state officials voiced their own opposition to the proposal with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham calling the project “economic malpractice” as she worried it could risk nearby oil and gas and agriculture industries in the region.
Last year, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit against the NRC arguing its license recommendation ignored the environmental and safety impacts the site could have if built and operated.
SB 54 was awaiting a hearing in the Senate Conservation Committee, while HB 127 was to be considered in the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Both bills added language to New Mexico’s Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Act that “no one” will store high-level waste or spent nuclear fuel in New Mexico, adding to a clause that already required state consent before such a facility could be built.
The bill would also amend requirements of the state’s Radioactive Waste Consultation Task Force to include private nuclear facilities like Holtec's in its purview for analysis and require the committee meet at least annually.
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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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