ECA Chair, Mayor/CEO Brent Gerry to provide local government perspective on EM advisory board
ECA Staff | 2/15/2022
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ECA Chair Brent Gerry, Mayor/CEO of the City of West Richland in Washington state, has recently been named to the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB), a federal advisory committee.
EMAB’s mission is to provide independent and external advice, information, and recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) on corporate issues relating to accelerated site cleanup and risk reduction. The 17 members of EMAB each serve a two-year term, which may be renewed. Members typically meet one to three times per year.
Mayor Gerry’s appointment to EMAB demonstrates that EM recognizes the necessity of having local elected officials from frontline communities hosting EM missions on the board. Mayor Gerry follows former ECA Chair and Mayor Robert Thompson, who served for over eight years on EMAB.
ECA appreciates Mayor Thompson’s dedication to the board and the critical input he provided from the local government perspective. ECA also appreciates the continued commitment of the EM leadership and the Administration to ensure local government elected official are engaged on EM policy development.
Created in 1992, EMAB was established to identify applicable private and public sector best management practices and provide counsel on how to integrate them into the EM program. The board works with the private sector to identify barriers to the effective execution of the Assistant Secretary’s program objectives and facilitates discussions between the department, private industry, and the public for knowledge sharing. Additionally, EMAB provides strategic management
advice on where and how to focus the program’s resources to achieve maximum impact and greatest risk reduction.
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Join ECA for a Virtual Budget Briefing
On THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 from 2pm - 3pm ET, join ECA for a virtual budget briefing + Q&A.
Participants will get an overview of the budget and appropriations process, hearing specifically about the Department of Energy (DOE) budget from Steve Trischman, Director of the
Office of Budget and Planning for DOE's Office of Environmental Management.
There will also be a Q&A session at the end of the meeting.
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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.
MARCH 8, 2022
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to notify interested parties of DOE's intent to solicit applications for certification of nuclear reactors for eligibility to submit of sealed bids for the Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program credits from nuclear reactor owners or operators that are at risk of ceasing operations due to economic factors and intent to request sealed bids from certified reactors for allocation of available
credits.
The Department also seeks input from all stakeholders through a Request for Information regarding the establishment of a CNC Program including the application, certification, and selection processes.
Written comments and information are requested on or before March 17, 2022. The Department intends to develop initial draft guidance for the certification applications during the NOI/RFI comment period. It is strongly preferred that respondents comment on issues affecting certification directly via the email address (rfi-cnc@nuclear.energy.gov) by March 8, 2022.
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New 'Gone Fission' episode celebrates Black History Month
ECA Staff | 2/15/2022
The podcast is a "one stop source" for all the latest news in the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) program across the nation.
In this week's episode, host Michael Butler highlighted vignettes about Black scientists who participated in the early history of atomic energy and in our national security mission.
The episode also revisited an interview with Dr. Harold Conner, the first Black chemical engineering graduate from the University of Tennessee, who went on to become the site manager of the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant at the Oak Ridge Reservation and a top executive at UCOR.
The episode also featured discussion on Judge Michelle Childs, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and candidate to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. During her tenure as a state circuit trial judge and federal district trial judge, Judge Childs ruled on complex cases involving DOE, the Savannah River Site, and the DOE contractors at the site.
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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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