ECA Update 8/26: NRC CHAIR CONFIRMED BY SENATE FOR A TERM THAT WILL LAST UNTIL 2029; and more

Published: Mon, 08/26/24

NRC CHAIR CONFIRMED BY SENATE FOR A TERM THAT WILL LAST UNTIL 2029

The Honorable Christopher T. Hanson was re-appointed as Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by President Joe Biden to a second term which will last until June 30, 2029. The Chair was confirmed by the Senate on June 4 in a 81-17 vote. Chair Hanson was first sworn in as a Commissioner on June 8, 2020, and designated Chair for his first term by President Joe Biden, effective January 20, 2021.

In addition the status of other recent confirmations and nominations Include:

William Isaac White, of West Virginia, to be a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DFNSB) for a term expiring October 18, 2028. The Nomination was last received in the Senate and referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 23.

Matthew James Marzano, of Illinois, to be a Member of the NRC for the term of five years expiring June 30, 2028. The Nomination was last received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Patricia L. Lee, of South Carolina, to be a Member of the DFNSB for a term expiring October 18, 2027. She was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-41 vote on July 9.

JOIN ECA AND DOE TO DISCUSS COAL-TO-NUCLEAR TRANSITION

Join the Energy Communities Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) as they present Coal-to-Nuclear (C2N) Transition Webinar on September 11 from 1:00-2:30 pm ET.

As part of ECA’s New Nuclear Initiative, participants will join a discussion with DOE-NE on the feasibility of converting the nation’s retiring coal plants to nuclear power plants. By leveraging the existing workforce and some of the infrastructure in coal communities the transition from coal-to-nuclear could preserve hundreds of jobs, while creating new jobs and economic opportunities. Register for the webinar here!

Please submit any questions you ay have beforehand to Faith Sanchez, Energy Communities Alliance, faiths@energyca.org.

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

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

Join us for the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop!

Hear from senior DOE leaders, local government officials, and industry leaders about DOE's cleanup priorities, the future of the workforce, and more.

FULL AGENDA

Featured Speakers:

The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Chairman, House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor, DOE-EM
Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
Greg Sosson, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, DOE-EM
Kristen Ellis, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, DOE-EM
Dae Chung, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, DOE-EM
James McConnell, Associate Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
Brent Gerry, Mayor, City of West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA and
Rebecca Casper, Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vice-Chair, ECA.

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.

WHAT YOU'VE MISSED

Viewing Platform Overlooking Historic K-25 Footprint Takes Shape at Oak Ridge

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — When crews with Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and cleanup contractor UCOR finished demolishing the mile-long K-25 Building more than a decade ago, they left behind a massive 44-acre footprint that’s now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.With the addition of the K-25 Viewing Platform, now underway, visitors will be able to learn more about the former uranium enrichment facility that helped end World War II while viewing the area from a new perspective.

Read the full story here.

DOE Issues Request for Qualifications for Generating Clean Energy at Savannah River Site

AIKEN, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) related to the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative for utility-scale energy projects within the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site (SRS). Today’s announcement reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to leveraging federal properties to increase the deployment of clean power through the buildout of utility-scale clean energy projects.

Read the full story here.

DOE awards first Super Rapid Turnaround Experiments for nuclear energy tech

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy for the first time has awarded access to Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) for Super Rapid Turnaround Experiments (RTEs). The 13 selected research projects, announced August 21, will examine the performance of nuclear fuels and materials for existing and planned nuclear power reactors. The project teams include 13 principal investigators collectively representing six universities, three national lab facilities, and one industry partner. They are getting no-cost access to capabilities valued at about $1.8 million.

Read the full story here.

WNA report: Nuclear power generation increased globally in 2023

The World Nuclear Association's annual World Nuclear Performance Report provides up-to-date details about the nuclear power sector for both existing nuclear electricity generators and reactors under construction. Average capacity factor of nuclear reactors increased by 1 percent—reaching 81.5 percent—last year. The report, published on August 20, shows that nuclear generation increased by 58 terawatt-hours in 2023, providing 2,602 TWh, or 9 percent, of the world’s electricity production.

Read the full story here.

Hanford stabilizes final reactor fuel storage basin

Workers at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state recently finished filling the last large concrete basin at the K Reactor Area with cement-like grout. The basin stored reactor fuel rods from historic plutonium production in the 1950s.

Read the full story here.

NEW MEDIA:

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Oak Ridge Vision: A Cleanup Milestone Completed

August 26, 2024 | S4 E15

Each year, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management publishes a list of cleanup priorities for its sites around the country. Progress in the cleanup program is measured by how well these milestones are met. This week, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report is celebrating the completion of a major cleanup goal on DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. It’s a comprehensive soil remediation project that DOE calls “Vision 2024.” Our guest is Joanna Hardin, DOE Federal Project Director for the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge. She talks with host Michael Butler about what it took to remediate more than a half million cubic yards of contaminated soil as the site becomes home to new nuclear-related businesses.