Biden, DOE must not neglect Tri-Cities need for PILT funds
Tri-City Herald Editorial Board | 2/4/2022
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After getting blindsided by the Biden administration last spring, Tri-City leaders are smart to make a preemptive move to ensure the community gets the federal money it deserves.
PILT is the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. Its purpose is to provide a way for the federal government to compensate Benton, Franklin and Grant counties for turning much of 580 square miles of land into a toxic, uninhabitable nuclear waste site.
Our region has come to rely heavily on that money, and getting it pulled from the budget unexpectedly last year was alarming. Thankfully, the payment was eventually restored thanks to the efforts of Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. and Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.
But we don’t want to see a repeat of this situation ever again.
This year, Tri-City leaders are on their guard. There is no longer any shred of confidence that federal officials will do the right thing unless we remind them of their moral obligations to keep PILT going year after year.
Hanford Communities – a coalition of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco, Benton and Franklin counties and the Port of Benton – recently sent a letter to the energy secretary outlining the need for PILT to continue.
School superintendents in the region also sent a letter to DOE, and the national Energy Communities Alliance is putting pressure on the White House.
It is a shame such a show of force is necessary.
PILT money should be a dependable source of revenue every year without question — and without the fight.
In 1943 the federal government seized acres of private land in Benton, Franklin and Grant counties in order to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons during World War II.
Jump ahead several decades and it became apparent that if this land had not been snatched away, these Eastern Washington counties would be collecting millions of dollars in property taxes.
To remedy that, in 1996 DOE finally agreed to compensate the counties for that loss of revenue — with a caveat. Since the federal government can make its own rules, it was able to say in the agreement that the money wasn’t an entitlement, and that payments would depend upon the availability of federal funds.
This hole has allowed the federal government to pay varying amounts over the years. And that means that there were many times money from the PILT program didn’t come close to making up for the loss of property taxes if the land had remained in private ownership.
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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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McMorris Rodgers, Capito request review of NRC preparedness on advanced reactors
E&C Press Release | 2/4/2022
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to initiate an assessment of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) preparedness to review and approve advanced nuclear reactor applications. This letter builds on several
questions Ranking Member Capito asked during a December 2021 Senate EPW Committee hearing where she questioned NRC leadership on the commission’s
capabilities.
“Advanced nuclear reactor designs are expected to be smaller, safer, and more economically competitive than the Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology currently used by today’s operating reactors. The designs are expected to generate electricity in a more flexible system, could generate heat to be used for non-electric purposes, and will utilize different fuel forms and coolants, which will allow reactors to run longer between refueling outages. Congress has
consistently provided bipartisan support—both funding and authorizing specific advanced nuclear programs—to develop and deploy these advanced nuclear reactors,” the members wrote.
“To realize the environmental, economic, and national security benefits of these advanced nuclear technologies, NRC must be prepared to license and oversee the development and deployment of the designs,” the members continued.
The letter can be viewed here.
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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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