ECA Staff | 10/24/2023 

Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) met with its municipal counterparts around the world to discuss hosting and educating communities to engage with governments and industry on new nuclear energy development, clean energy development, radioactive waste disposal options, and other issues.  In addition, the Global Partnership of Nuclear Communities (Global Partnership) held two meetings while in Vienna to discuss working together and our joint goals.  

From October 16-20, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) brought together municipal governments, NGOs and national government representatives for a week-long meeting focused on the safe development of carbon-free nuclear power and sustainable radioactive waste management solutions.

ECA met with U.S. Ambassador Laura Holgate (who has worked with ECA for over 20 years) who identified support for our Global Partnership and the need to engage with many more local governments in countries throughout the world that are interested in nuclear energy. She also identified several opportunities for municipalities to work together for carbon free energy development which can make a big difference for countries throughout the world – especially those with developing economies.

ECA along with GMF Europe and CANHC (the current Global Partnership members) met with IAEA Director General Grossi.  The Director General identified:

“Nuclear’s future relies on community support.  As we urgently need to shift to carbon-free energy, open dialogue with locals and knowledge exchange between municipalities is key.” 

In both meetings ECA highlighted the Global Partnership’s agreement reached earlier in the week to focus on ensuring that governments and the industry: 

      1.      Engage municipalities in the nuclear project. 

      2.      Create economic opportunities in the local community. 

      3.      Provide resources to the community to participate in the project.

      4.      Protect human health and the environment. 

      5.      Educate and train the local workforce for the project. 

Mayor Gerry, Mayor Casper, Councilmember Chavez, Seth Kirshenberg and David Abelson all made presentations at the meeting on specific issues related to their communities, the Global Partnership and lessons learned on the moving projects forward (including where there are specific concerns raised by the local government and how the issues are eventually resolved). ECA pointed out that these issues still arise regularly in all of the projects but by working with the government and industry on all issues and being regularly engaged, the ongoing dialogue and relationships typically assist to resolve the issues

Read full press release and statement here. 

REGISTER NOW! ECA WEBINAR: CLEANUP TO CLEAN ENERGY: HOW TO DEVELOP A PROJECT ON FEDERAL LAND

Join ECA on Tuesday, October 31 at 2pm for an engaging discussion on DOE's Cleanup to Clean Energy Initiative "Cleanup to Clean Energy: How to Develop a Project on Federal Land". Register to learn more from experts, Candice Robertson, Senior Policy Advisor, DOE-EM, Seth Kirshenberg, ECA Executive Director, and Peter Flynn, Bostonia Partners.

• Hanford Site, Richland, WA
• Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, NV
• Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC
• Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Carlsbad, NM

Reach out to Faith Sanchez, ECA Program Manager (faiths@energyca.org) with any questions. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Adding Nuclear to the Mix: NEI, EPRI, NETL, WVU, AND GAIN

This event serves as a platform to bring together diverse stakeholders including local communities, policymakers, utility companies, and energy innovators to delve into the dynamic landscape of enhancing energy portfolios. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the evolving energy industry, focusing on the integration of innovative value-added energy solutions. By participating, you'll have the opportunity to learn about the current developments and opportunities in the nuclear and sustainable energy generation space. Whether you're seeking to better understand the future of energy, explore ways to support local economies, or foster resilient energy practices, this conference offers a unique chance to connect, learn, and contribute to the ongoing transformation of our energy systems.

The conference registration is live: https://gain.inl.gov/SitePages/2023.11.1415_AddingNuclearToTheMix.aspx

Check out ECA's latest report! 

DISPOSAL DRIVES CLEANUP: RE-ENERGIZING MOMENTUM FOR DISPOSAL SOLUTIONS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE

This report calls on the Department of Energy to launch the initiative to develop the actual waste disposition approaches. The Department could potentially save hundreds of billions of dollars in cleanup costs by using its available tools and implementing the report’s recommendations.

NEW MEDIA

NucleCast: Admiral Hyman Rickover: Establishment of the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Submarine Program

Marc Wortman, PhD, is an independent historian and freelance journalist. He is the author of four books on American military and social history, most recently Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power (Yale University Press, 2022), which was named a National Review Book of the Year and received an honorable mention for the John Lyman Award in biography from the North American Society for Oceanic History. His other books are 1941: Fighting the Shadow War, A Divided America in a World at War (Atlantic Monthly, 2016); The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta (PublicAffairs, 2009), and The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power (PublicAffairs, 2006). A multi-prize-winning feature-length documentary based on The Millionaires’ Unit is available on streaming services.