ECA Update: LAST CHANCE - Join ECA & GAO for a briefing on the EM Program; New NHL study on Cold War sites

Published: Thu, 10/20/22

ECA Update

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

LAST CHANCE: Join ECA and GAO for a Briefing on DOE's Environmental Management Program

ECA Staff | 10/19/2022

Today at 12:00pm EST, ECA will host a free, virtual briefing with the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

This year, GAO has released several reports about DOE's Environmental Management (EM) program. They include:

June 16: Improvements Needed to Measure Progress of Cleanup of Formerly Used Defense Sites
July 13: Enhanced Coordination, Prioritization, and Leadership Commitment Could Improve DOE Research and Development Efforts
July 27: DOE's Efforts to Manage Depleted Uranium Would Benefit from Clearer Legal Authorities
July 29: Hanford Site Cleanup Costs Continue to Rise, but Opportunities Exist to Save Tens of Billions of Dollars
September 28: Actions Needed to Determine Whether DOE's New Contracting Approach is Achieving Desired Results
September 29: DOE Needs to Improve Transparency in Planning for Disposal of Certain Low-Level Waste

Follow the latest DOE budget updates with ECA's budget tracker

Monitor DOE spending bills, detailed site budgets, and more.

Find everything you need to know about the DOE budget here!

IN OTHER NEWS

NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS

NHL releases Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sites theme study

National Park Service | 10/22

This month, the National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Program released a theme study, dubbed Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sites, which focuses on the Cold War-era sites and properties created to defend America in the second half of the twentieth century.

The historic context portion of the study examines the Cold War chronologically from the detonation of the first two atomic bombs and Japanese surrender in 1945 at the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, America’s principal nuclear adversary, in 1991. It examines how the international affairs and the political and military challenges of the Cold War-era influenced the weapons systems and defense programs of the United States.

Currently, 17 Cold War-related resources have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. These include military sites such as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 Military Reservation in Pima County, Arizona, now operated as the Titan Missile Museum, the White Sands V-2 rocket launching test site in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, now located in Groton, Connecticut.

The Cold War’s political history is represented by NHLs such as Westminster College Gymnasium in Fulton, Missouri, where former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave his famous “Iron Curtain” speech, and Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida which housed Cuban refugees starting in 1962. In addition to those existing ones, the theme study includes a study list of 24 possible new NHLs, including the Strategic Air Command Ground Alert Facility at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, which was designed to have refueling planes and nuclear armed bombers in the air fifteen or fewer minutes after receiving a warning of incoming Soviet missiles.

Beyond discussion of potential new Cold War NHLs, the context here and in other NHL theme studies can inform nominations for the National Register of Historic Places or other historical studies. Learn more about the recent theme studies on the National Historic Landmarks Program website.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Latest 'Gone Fission' podcast episode | Gone Fission Nuclear Report, 10/17

NEW NUCLEAR

America's new nuclear power industry has a Russian problem | Reuters, 10/20

ECA PUBLICATIONS

Interactive guide for communities and governments to help navigate nuclear waste cleanup

The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) recently released the Guide to Successful Environmental Cleanup, an interactive online resource that provides frequently asked questions, case studies, and recommendations regarding nuclear waste cleanup.

To assist local government officials, their communities, and federal agencies in deciphering the complexities of the environmental cleanup process, ECA developed this guide to facilitate future successful cleanups.

Guide to Successful Environmental Cleanup

ECA BULLETIN

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.

View current and previous editions of the ECA Bulletin at www.energyca.org/bulletin

DOE SITE PROFILES

Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles

ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 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.

Access your community's profile by visiting: www.energyca.org/site-profiles

1625 Eye St., NW
Suite 800
Washington DC 20006
USA

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options