COMMUNITY GRANTS & FUNDING
ECA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSENT-BASED COMMUNITY GRANTS
ECA Staff | 03/20/2024 Earlier this month, ECA announced a funding opportunity for consent-based siting community grants with an original deadline of March 22, 2024. ECA will be extending that deadline to April 2, 2024. Below is the press released with the funding opportunity announcement. PRESS RELEASE Contact: Faith Sanchez, Program Director faiths@energyca.org: (202) 828-2410 ECA ANNOUNCES FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSENT-BASED SITING COMMUNITY GRANTS Applications due April 2,
2024 Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is soliciting applications for local governments to build capacity through
targeted education and outreach on nuclear waste storage and disposal issues; and to evaluate community interest in hosting or supporting a federal spent nuclear fuel storage or disposal mission using a community-centered consent-based siting approach. ECA intends to award up to six (6) grants of up to $75,000 this fiscal year with an initial period of performance of twelve (12) months. Eligibility is restricted to a municipal or local government entity or
group of municipal entities, state government created councils of local governments, community reuse organizations, and municipal government-related economic development entities. A community does not need to be an ECA member to apply. Additional information about eligible entities and eligible grant uses along with the complete application can be found here: ECA Consent Based Siting Community Grant
Application. The deadline for submission is April 2, 2024. This funding opportunity is part of ECA’s effort, as a U.S. Department of Energy Consent-Based Siting Consortia, to meet two key
goals: 1. Build capacity in communities interested in consent-based siting and ensure they have the information – and informed representatives – to meaningfully engage on the issues a community will address as a potential host of a nuclear waste facility. 2. Facilitate deeper engagement and (re)create momentum by distributing resources for qualifying individual communities that demonstrate readiness to begin localized
education and outreach to determine the potential for consent or to capture information that can help define the elements of consent. In parallel with activities performed under these grants, ECA will be hosting public, regional educational meetings and smaller, targeted local peer-to-peer exchanges to help build trust among the public, industry, policymakers and concerned parties – based on experience – that nuclear waste can be safely managed in a way that is protective of human health and the environment, and in a way that offers community-driven and risk-based economic opportunity. For more information, please contact ECA Program Director, Faith Sanchez at:faiths@energyca.org or (202) 828-2410. ### | Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is a non-profit membership organization of local governments and nuclear communities adjacent to or affected by U.S. Department of Energy activities. The mission of ECA is to bring together local government officials to share
information, establish policy positions, and promote community interests to address an increasingly complex set of environmental, regulatory, and economic development needs. Additional information is available at www.energyca.org. |
REGISTRATION IS LIVE FOR ECA's New Nuclear Forum: Building Nuclear Partnerships and Projects, May 8-9, 2024 in Kennewick,
WA
ECA is excited to be hosting its third New Nuclear Forum, the only meeting designed to bring together DOE, federal, state, local and tribal governments and policymakers with developers, utilities,
regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary to support nuclear development. Communities across the country are considering nuclear projects for many reasons - from diversifying regional economies, creating clean energy jobs or meeting carbon reduction goals, to increasing energy security and rebuilding the U.S. supply chain. Some communities have a familiarity with nuclear energy projects, while others are just beginning to evaluate potential interest. The ECA
Forum is designed to enable shared learning so that local, State and Tribal governments evaluating nuclear projects can be meaningfully engaged - and prepared - to match the strengths and needs of their communities with new nuclear opportunities.
INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR? To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Autumn Bogus, ECA Forum Staff, at abogus@la-inc.com.
QUESTIONS?
For any questions, comments, or to learn more about the ECA New Nuclear Forums, please contact Kara Colton,
ECA Director of Nuclear Policy, at kara.colton@energyca.org or Faith Sanchez, ECA Program Director, at faiths@energyca.org.
WASTE MANAGEMENT WRAP-UP: FROM CLEANUP TO CLEAN ENERGY
DOE-EM | 03/19/2024 Cleanup leaders reflect on past, discuss future challenges, opportunities A perfect fit for this year’s Waste Management Symposia theme, “Proud of our Past, Poised for the Future,” this
panel focused on the past 50 years of environmental remediation and engaged with the audience on challenges and opportunities as cleanup progress continues. Panelists provided historical overviews of EM’s Hanford, Idaho National Laboratory and Savannah River sites. They also cited
some of the most significant successes while also highlighting critical lessons learned to be carried forward as EM continues to improve processes to best serve impacted communities. The collective knowledge of this panel made for a powerful discussion around future opportunities, with topics including incorporation of artificial intelligence to optimize infrastructure needs, increased use of clean energy alternatives to drive efficiencies and sustainability, and development of new technologies
to tackle specific contaminants. DOE Atomic Legacy Preservation
Network EM is building the Atomic
Legacy Preservation Network (ALPN), an interconnected network of institutions, linking the DOE Office of Legacy Management,
National
Nuclear Security Administration, museums, interpretive centers, national parks and other organizations to tell the story of EM’s history and progress. “We’re casting a wide net and bringing together institutions that didn’t know that other ones like them exist,” EM Communication Services Director Anita Iacaruso said. In April, EM will hold an introductory webinar hosted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for institutions across
the country to learn more about ALPN and how they can participate. Also in the works is an ALPN webpage as part of EM’s website. DOE highlights its Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative at conference A new DOE initiative known as “Cleanup to Clean Energy” is
working to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands — portions of which were previously used in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex — for clean energy generation. Working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry, federal entities, tribes, and state and local officials, DOE will explore opportunities to lease federal land for the buildout of utility-scale clean energy projects. Panelists Rob Seifert, director of the EM Office of
Infrastructure Management and Disposition Policy, and Seth Kirshenberg, executive director, Energy Communities Alliance, discussed the opportunities the initiative presents to specific locations during the 2024 Waste Management Symposia. Cleanup to Clean Energy is an innovative effort helping to achieve President Joe Biden’s climate goals and the directive in Executive Order 14057 for
agencies to use their properties for the development of new clean electricity generation. EM leaders turn focus to EM's hot topics at Waste Management Members of the EM leadership team joined EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Avery as panelists at the 2024 Waste Management Symposia to focus on hot topics within the cleanup program. There was standing room
only for one of the first panels at this year’s conference, and the panelists highlighted EM priorities and focus areas for the coming years. Avery and members of the EM leadership team talked about various topics, from the importance of workforce staffing, to future missions, to the vital role technology development and deployment play within the EM program. Avery emphasized that EM needs to “continue making steady and deliberate progress” in coming years. WIPP: Celebrating 25 years of cleanup history As EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant (WIPP) celebrates 25 years of operation, panelists shared personal stories of how they got their start there and how it changed the community for the better throughout the years. “My WIPP journey has been memorable, and I would do it all over again,” said Joe Lopez, IT division director, Carlsbad Field Office, as he reflected on 39 years of WIPP service. WIPP is the nation’s only geological repository for defense related nuclear waste. The site has around 1,500 federal and contractor employees. The first transuranic waste shipment arrived March 26, 1999. The panel session also covered topics on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its technical reviews at WIPP, accomplishments with shipments from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and WIPP’s construction journey. For the full article click here
NEW MEDIA: Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Celebrating WIPP's 25th Anniversary March 11, 2024 | S4E5 This month, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico celebrates its 25th Anniversary. Located in Southeast New Mexico about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, WIPP was constructed for disposal of
defense-generated transuranic or TRU-waste. WIPP is the nation’s only repository for the permanent disposal of TRU waste. In this week’s episode, Host Michael Butler talks with DOE Carlsbad Field Office Manager Mark Bollinger, Senior WIPP offiicial Tammy Hobbes, and Brandon Jones, Project Manager for the facility’s new underground venting system. They join us in looking back on WIPP’s history, starting with receipt of the first shipment of TRU waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory in March
1999. ECA Webinar: Advanced Nuclear Technology Deployment: An Introductory Conversation with U.S. DOE & U.S. NRC February 21, 2024 In coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), ECA hosted the first in a new series of educational webinars, "Advanced Nuclear Technology Deployment: An Introductory Conversation with U.S. DOE & U.S. NRC". ECA's Director of Nuclear Policy, Kara Colton, along with Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary, Office of Nuclear Energy, DOE and John Lubinski, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, NRC discussed advanced reactor development, demonstrations, and deployments.
|
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.
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.
|
|
|
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. |
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.
|
|
|
|
