ECA Update 8/28: JOIN ECA AND DOE TO DISCUSS COAL-TO-NUCLEAR TRANSITION; and more

Published: Wed, 08/28/24

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.

HANFORD ADVISORY BOARD TO MEET IN SPOKANE SEPT. 10-11, 2024

SPOKANE – The Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) is on the road again, holding its September meeting in Spokane.

The HAB is a nonpartisan and broadly representative body with a balanced mix of the diverse interests affected by Hanford Site cleanup. Its primary mission is to provide informed recommendations and advice on selected major policy issues to the U.S. Department of Energy (Energy), Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“We’re excited to come to Spokane and for the community to learn more about the HAB’s role in providing advice on Hanford cleanup issues,” said Susan Coleman, chair of the Hanford Advisory Board. “The Spokane community will also have the chance to hear updates on Hanford cleanup directly from the Tri-Party Agencies.”

Since the HAB’s inception 30 years ago, it has issued 316 pieces of advice reflecting the diverse community voices and perspectives affected by Hanford.

The Spokane meeting will take place Sept. 10 and 11 at the Centennial Hotel, Skyline Ballroom, 303 West North River Drive, Spokane, WA.

During the meeting, HAB members and the public will hear updates about Hanford Site cleanup from Energy, Ecology, and EPA. The HAB will also get an overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Hanford.

The HAB will also consider three pieces of advice to pass to the agencies and offer two opportunities for public comment.

The public is welcome to attend the meeting in-person in Spokane or online via Microsoft Teams, and the agencies will make every effort to accommodate persons with physical disabilities or special needs. If you require special accommodations, please contact Energy at least seven days in advance of the meeting.

The HAB will offer public comment opportunities at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 10 a.m. Sept. 11. Written statements may be filed with the HAB either before or within five business days after the meeting.

Meeting information and the agenda can be found on Energy’s website.

The Hanford Site, located north of Richland, Washington, produced more than 70 tons of plutonium from World War II through the Cold War. When plutonium production ceased in 1989, the site’s mission shifted to cleaning up the chemical and radioactive waste left behind.

Energy is the federal agency responsible for Hanford and its cleanup. Ecology and the EPA are the regulators overseeing Energy’s cleanup under the Tri-Party Agreement, a judicial Consent Decree, and various permits.

Contact information

Ryan Miller

Washington Department of Ecology

Ryan.Miller@ecy.wa.gov

509-537-2228

Twitter: EcyHanford

Geoffrey Tyree

U.S. Department of Energy

Geoffrey.Tyree@rl.doe.gov

509-308-4287

Roberto Armijo

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Armijo.Roberto@epa.gov

509-376-3749

A joint announcement from the Tri-Party Agreement Agencies

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

TVA puts $150 million toward SMRs as NRC backs quality assurance plan

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors approved $150 million in additional funding to continue design work and TVA’s plans for small modular reactors at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tenn. With that decision late last week and an initial $200 million investment announced in early 2022, TVA has put a total of $350 million toward the development of SMRs at the site.

Read the full story here.

2nd RFQ for clean energy projects at Savannah River Site

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has issued a request for qualifications related to the department’s Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative for utility-scale energy projects at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. This is the second RFQ issued for the 310-square-mile site. While the first, which closed on April 19 this year, was limited to solar energy projects, this latest request is open to all carbon pollution–free electricity projects, including nuclear.

Read the full story here.

Startup raises $4m to build nuclear reactors a mile underground

A nuclear energy startup that wants to build reactors a mile underground has emerged from stealth and announced a $4 million pre-seed funding round. Deep Fission says that by using the natural conditions deep under the earth’s surface it can eliminate the need for the large pressure vessels and containment structures needed in traditional pressurized water reactor designs. It claims this will significantly reduce costs while enhancing safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency.

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.