OFFICE OF EM ANNOUNCES NEW INITATIVE TO SUPPORT ATOMIC LEGACY 

ECA Staff | 12/1/2023

The Office of Environmental Management made an exciting announcement this week and revealed their latest initiative, The Atomic Legacy Preservation Network (ALPN). 

The Office of Environmental Management released this statement on the exciting initiative, 

"ALPN is an innovative project that seeks to make connections among the diverse national network of museums, national parks, interpretive centers, legacy sites, and other organizations that tell the story of the Manhattan Project, alongside other nuclear weapons productions in the United States and the legacy of those national efforts. 

The importance of educating and understanding our country's atomic legacy has become more evident. With the growing amount of interest in this field, there is a current need for more resources and tools available to the public. EM strives to deepen the public's understanding of how communities across the nation have participated and ushered in nuclear innovation from the Manhattan Project to present day. Through ALPN, we will foster communication both with the public and wit those in the network."

This initiative is being led by the Communications Services team at the Office of EM. They have entered a partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides library grants, museum grants, policy development, and research. 

ECA is excited to hear about this initiative and will be extending their support. We will make sure to provide updates as we hear more. 

AT COP28, COUNTRIES LAUNCH DECLARATION TO TRIPLE NUCLEAR ENERGY CAPACITY BY 2050, RECOGNIZING THE KEY ROLE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN REACHING NET ZERO 

DOE PRESS RELEASE | 12/1/2023

During the World Climate Action Summit of the 28^th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change today, more than 20 countries from four continents launched the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy.  The Declaration recognizes the key role of nuclear energy in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keeping the 1.5-degree goal within reach.  Core elements of the declaration include working together to advance a goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity globally by 2050 and inviting shareholders of international financial institutions to encourage the inclusion of nuclear energy in energy lending policies. Endorsing countries include the United States, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The full text of the Declaration is below.  

Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy
02 December 2023 

Recognizing the key role of nuclear energy in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions / carbon neutrality by or around mid-century and in keeping a 1.5°C limit on temperature rise within reach and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7;

Recognizing the importance of the applications of nuclear science and technology that contribute to monitoring climate change and tackling its impacts, and emphasizing the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in this regard;

Recognizing that nuclear energy is already the second-largest source of clean dispatchable baseload power, with benefits for energy security; 

Recognizing that analyses from the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and World Nuclear Association show that global installed nuclear energy capacity must triple by 2050 in order to reach global net-zero emissions by the same year; 

Recognizing that analysis from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows nuclear energy approximately tripling its global installed electrical capacity from 2020 to 2050 in the average 1.5°C scenario;

Recognizing that analysis from the International Energy Agency shows nuclear power more than doubling from 2020 to 2050 in global net-zero emissions by 2050 scenarios and shows that decreasing nuclear power would make reaching net zero more difficult and costly;

Recognizing that new nuclear technologies could occupy a small land footprint and can be sited where needed, partner well with renewable energy sources, and have additional flexibilities that support decarbonization beyond the power sector, including hard-to-abate industrial sectors;

Recognizing the IAEA’s activities in supporting its Member States, upon request, to include nuclear power in their national energy planning in a sustainable way that adheres to the highest standards of safety, security, and safeguards and its “Atoms4NetZero” initiative as an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange expertise;

Recognizing the importance of financing for the additional nuclear power capacity needed to keep a 1.5°C limit on temperature rise within reach;

Recognizing the need for high-level political engagement to spur further action on nuclear power;

Continue Reading >>

SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR SITE HACKED BY GROUPS LINKED TO RUSSIA AND CHINA

The Guardian | 12/4/2023

The UK’s most hazardous nuclear site, Sellafield, has been hacked into by cyber groups closely linked to Russia and China, the Guardian can reveal.

The astonishing disclosure and its potential effects have been consistently covered up by senior staff at the vast nuclear waste and decommissioning site, the investigation has found.

The Guardian has discovered that the authorities do not know exactly when the IT systems were first compromised. But sources said breaches were first detected as far back as 2015, when experts realised sleeper malware – software that can lurk and be used to spy or attack systems – had been embedded in Sellafield’s computer networks. 

It is still not known if the malware has been eradicated. It may mean some of Sellafield’s most sensitive activities, such as moving radioactive waste, monitoring for leaks of dangerous material and checking for fires, have been compromised.

Sources suggest it is likely foreign hackers have accessed the highest echelons of confidential material at the site, which sprawls across 6 sq km (2 sq miles) on the Cumbrian coast and is one of the most hazardous in the world.

The full extent of any data loss and any ongoing risks to systems was made harder to quantify by Sellafield’s failure to alert nuclear regulators for several years, sources said.

The revelations have emerged in Nuclear Leaks, a year-long Guardian investigation into cyber hacking, radioactive contamination and toxic workplace culture at Sellafield.

The site has the largest store of plutonium on the planet and is a sprawling rubbish dump for nuclear waste from weapons programmes and decades of atomic power generation.

Continue Reading >>

ECA WEBINAR: PLANNING FOR THE UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL YEAR: HOW TO COMMUNICATE PRIORITIES

Join ECA, December 13 at 2PM EST for an engaging discussion around "Planning for the Upcoming Congressional Year: How to Communicate Priorities". This conversation will be facilitated by David Reeploeg, Vice President for Federal Programs, TRIDEC and Head of ECA Public Policy Committee, and will include Jaime Shimek, former House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee clerk, Colin Jones, Vice President, Deputy General Manager of the Jacobs North American Nuclear Group, and Mary Louise Wagner, Governmental Affairs Consultant. 

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

NEW MEDIA

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Manhattan Project National Park: Three Sites, Many Stories

In 2015, the United States welcomed its 409th National Park. Known as the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, it tells the story of the men and women who developed the atomic bomb that ended World War II. The Park features three key locations across the U.S.—Oak Ridge TN, Los Alamos NM, and Hanford WA. National Park Service Superintendent Wendy Behrman is our guest in this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast. 

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: A DOE View: Community Support is Essential

In our last episode, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast examined the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee’s decision to close in two years. This week, Department of Energy officials at Headquarters and two sites discuss the continuing need for CROs and the importance of community support in the success of DOE’s cleanup mission. 

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.