WASTE MANAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM
ECA open sessions at WMS to feature productive discussions on priority topics, spotlight DOE and community leadership
ECA Staff | 3/1/2022
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On Tuesday March 8 and Wednesday March 9, the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) will hold meeting sessions open to attendees of the Waste Management Symposium (WMS) in Phoenix, AZ.
The five, 100-minute panels will cover a range of priority topics for ECA communities and feature Department of Energy (DOE), contractor, and local community leadership perspectives.
On Tuesday, ECA's Director of Nuclear Energy Programs Kara Colton will kick off ECA's meetings as the moderator of a session on "The Path Forward for Consent-Based Siting of Nuclear Waste Facilities," which will discuss DOE's recent Request for Information on siting federal waste facilities using a consent-based model and the potential impacts to sites.
Rick McLeod, President/CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization and ECA member, will moderate the panel "Will it Save Billions? Defining High-Level Waste Based on Composition." This session will highlight what communities need to know about DOE’s interpretation of High-Level Waste and the practical implications for its application at sites.
Attendees of "The Future of Workforce Training: A Whole of DOE Approach" panel will hear from moderator Kristen Ellis, Senior Advisor for STEM and Talent Acquisition for DOE's Office of Environmental Management, and other panelists on the future of workforce training with a focus on STEM education.
Wednesday's meetings will start with a joint session hosted by ECA and the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) on "Meeting Shared Goals on DOE Site Infrastructure and Resilience." ECA's Executive Director Seth Kirshenberg will lead the conversation between contractors, DOE, and local governments on how parties can best collaborate on shared infrastructure and resilience projects related to the cleanup
mission.
The last ECA session will be on "Agreeing on Risk in Cleanup in Frontline Communities: Challenges and Opportunities." Dylan Kama, ECA's Program Director, will moderate the discussion on how successful community engagement occurs in the cleanup program, including discussion on on-site vs. off-site storage, how cleanup levels are developed and the role various parties play (DOE, state, EPA, tribes, local governments, and
communities), incorporating community vision for future use, and successes and lessons learned.
All WMS participants are invited and encouraged to attend ECA's sessions, and can look forward to productive discussions on the subjects described.
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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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DOE facility offers training "as real as it gets"
Gone Fission Nuclear Report | 2/28/2022
Imagine a training exercise where you have to follow clues, complete a series of specialized tasks, and “escape” from an enclosed room before your air supply runs out.
It’s just one of many real-life scenarios students confront at the Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response – HAMMER, for short – training center at the Department of Energy’s Hanford nuclear site in Washington State.
HAMMER Director Paul Vandervert described the training program in the February 28 episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, a weekly podcast that features news from the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program nationwide. Hosted by Michael Butler, the episode is available on all podcast platforms and can be accessed at www.gonefissionpodcast.com.
“Since its inception 25 years ago, HAMMER has emphasized providing high quality training that is focused on realism and retention,” Vandervert said. “Once workers receive our training and go back out into the field, we want to be sure their training sticks, so when they encounter challenges, they’ll be very well prepared."
Vandervert said HAMMER is a national and regional training asset that serves other DOE, state, regional, and national needs in such areas as disaster recovery, emergency response, transportation, fire protection, law enforcement, and military readiness. It also has a global reach, having trained hundreds of border security officials from more than 70 countries under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department.
Situated on an 88-acre state-of-the-art campus on the edge of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, HAMMER trainers utilize hands-on, performance-based training techniques, including props that allow students to train in a realistic but controlled and safe environment. HAMMER’s training props are configured to create a variety of scenarios ranging from handling hazardous materials to radiation exposure, industrial hazards, and workplace accidents.
A new respiratory protection course at the Hanford Site’s Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center features an “escape room” with an engaging twist: employees wear supplied air equipment while they
answer questions, discover clues and solve puzzles in a simulated work environment.
They’re under pressure to “escape” or complete the activity safely in a limited amount of time before their air bottles empty. The simulation helps the employees learn the limitations, advantages and disadvantages of respiratory protection equipment.
Other training scenarios are carried out in facilities like the Search and Burn Building, a 5,235-foot three-story structure which provides realistic training in total darkness or low-light environments. A six-story tower with multiple floor plans and interior and exterior stairways is used for hose and ladder drills, rappelling, incident response, and fall protection training.
HAMMER is managed by Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, a partnership of Leidos, Centerra and Parsons with North Wind Solutions as a key subcontractor.
The Gone Fission Nuclear Report covers the latest developments in environmental cleanup across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. DOE is now engaged in the largest environmental remediation program in history, cleaning up nuclear production sites across the U.S. that were used to support national security missions for 75 years.
“Some of the work on these sites dates back to the super-secret Manhattan Project, a national priority to develop the first atomic bomb that helped end World War II,” Butler said. “Cleanup of these sites is a multi-decade effort, requiring thousands of trained professionals and highly skilled crafts people with budgets in the billions of dollars.”
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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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