ECA Update 8/20: REGISTER NOW FOR THE EARLY CAREER OPPORTUNITY SESSION; and more

Published: Wed, 08/21/24

REGISTER NOW FOR EARLY CAREER OPPORTUNITY SESSION AT THE NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP

Following up from last year, The Tenth Annual National Cleanup Workshop will continue to focus on workforce development with a pre-conference workshop entirely dedicated to early-career professionals.

The event will feature kick off on Monday, September 16, from 12:00pm to 4:30 pm, with numerous sessions aimed at helping early career professionals learn more about the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) and how to grow and succeed in the DOE cleanup program.

Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor for Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, will meet with the group to hold a conversation about early career and career paths in cleanup work. Others speakers include Jason Chavez, City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tempore of Carlsbad New Mexico to make a case for running for public office, and ECA's own Faith Sanchez, who will be speaking at the panel "Roundtable Discussion: Early Career Perspectives". See the agenda below!

EARLY CAREER AGENDA

Last year, over 100 people attended the first-ever session to hear from leaders in EM and how they achieved their goals within the DOE cleanup program.

At this year’s session attendees can expect to hear from EM Senior Advisor Candice Robertson and participate in roundtable discussions and networking opportunities, all focused on helping them grow professionally.

You can register your early career participants at the reduced rate of $675! This rate is offered to those who have not previously attended the National Cleanup Workshop and have been involved in the EM program for less than five years. The rate for the Early Career Workshop includes admission to the National Cleanup Workshop as well! Follow the registration button below and select “Early Career Participant” to register now:

SPONSORSHIP

The National Cleanup Workshop is issuing a final call to secure a booth space at the Workshop. NCW sponsorships offer an excellent opportunity to showcase your company, maximize networking opportunities with attendees, and host an exhibit booth during the forum. Click the button below to learn more about being a sponsor:

BECOME A SPONSOR

Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders, local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.

U.S. NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD TO HOLD MEETING

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will hold a hybrid (in-person/virtual) meeting in North Augusta, South Carolina, on Thursday, August 29, 2024, to review information on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) management and plans for disposal of DOE spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and to receive program updates from DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE).

DOE speakers will provide an overview of DOE SNF storage, transportation, and plans for disposal. Other speakers will describe DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) SNF technology development activities. Additional speakers will report on SNF management activities at the Savannah River Site including current SNF storage, the accelerated basin deinventory.

Paul Murray, DOE-NE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and High Level Waste Disposition, who manages the U.S. DOE's consent-based siting initiative, will be speaking. Other speakers will describe SNF management activities at the Idaho National Laboratory, including the Idaho Road-Ready SNF Demonstration. A detailed meeting agenda will be available on the Board’s website at www.nwtrb.gov approximately one week before the meeting.

For more details on the meeting, click either of the following links: https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-17383, and https://govinfo.gov

ECA SURVEY EXTENSION

HOW WILL YOUR SITE/COMMUNITY BE AFFECTED BY THE REPRIORITIZATION OF WASTE SHIPMENTS AT WIPP?

TAKE THE SURVEY

In order to get as much of your input as possible into the prioritization of the source of TRU waste that is being disposed at WIPP from DOE generator sites, ECA has decided to extend the deadline of the survey until September 18.

We would appreciate if you could complete the survey at your earliest convenience and share the survey with members of your community. WIPP (DOE EM), as a requirement under DOE’s state permit, is developing a new “Waste Isolation Pilot (“WIPP”) Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan” (the “Plan”).

Your input will help ECA and other organizations identify and advise the prioritization of the source of the TRU waste that is being disposed at WIPP from DOE generator sites. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about the survey, or if you have any thoughts on who else we can send the survey to. Your input and support are important to making this survey an informative tool for WIPP, and it is greatly appreciated. ECA is asking for feedback from the citizens, local, state and Tribal governments and others on the issues.

ECA will post the results of the survey on our web page after the survey results are recorded.

Please provide your input before the survey closes on September 18.

TAKE THE SURVEY

For more on the survey, or if you have any questions, please contact Andres Ridge at ajr@energyca.org

WHAT YOU'VE MISSED:

Air Force nears end of contested microreactor procurement process

Eielson Air Force Base in central Alaska has been the preferred location to demonstrate the benefits of microreactors to the U.S. Air Force—and by extension the Defense Department—since 2018. Now, a protracted solicitation process is nearing an end, and the Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy) expect to announce a final procurement decision by the end of the summer—or about one year after Oklo Inc. announced that it had been tentatively selected to supply a microreactor under a 30-year power purchase agreement.

Read the full story here.

SRS partnership’s mission is to dissolve spent fuel

A collaboration between Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is making progress toward processing non-aluminum spent nuclear fuel (NASNF) as part of the site’s accelerated basin de-inventory mission. SRNL is the managing and operating contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Read the full story here.

Holtec upgrades Palisades cooling system

Palisades draws its cooling water from the lake, but global warming means that the lake's bulk temperature - like the rest of the world's water reservoirs - has been increasing, and is expected to continue rising in the coming decades during its projected service life, Holtec said.

Read the full story here.

NEW MEDIA:

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Consent-Based Siting for Spent Nuclear Fuel: A National Conversation

July 29, 2024 | S4 E14

The Gone Fission Nuclear Report travels to the nation’s capital this week to join a national conversation on next steps for identifying a community to host interim spent fuel storage from America’s nuclear power plants. Our podcast sponsor, the Energy Communities Alliance, convened a meeting of elected officials, community leaders, economic developers and Department of Energy officials to discuss what kind of incentives a community will need--and what kind of economic benefits can accrue--from volunteering to host an interim storage facility. This is an important topic as the U.S. finds itself on the brink of a nuclear renaissance that will increase the role of nuclear energy in meeting our national energy needs. Is your community interested in exploring safe spent fuel storage as an economic driver?

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Public Hearing on Benchmarking Best Practices in Management of Aging Safety Infrastructure

August 14, 2024 | 9:00am to 3:30pm | DNFSB HQ

View Here

WEBINAR: Join DOE for a Discussion on Expanding the National Conversation on Spent Nuclear Fuel

August 29, 2024 | 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM ET

Coal-To-Nuclear Transition Webinar

September 11, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30pm ET

2024 National Cleanup Workshop

September 16-18, 2024 | Crystal Gateway Marriott (Arlington, VA)

DOE BUDGET TRACKER

Monitor DOE spending bills, detailed site budgets, and more. Find everything you need to know about the budget here!

BUDGET CHARTS

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