THE POLICIAL BATTLE FOR A CONTINUING RESOLUTION
Lawmakers have yet to negotiate and pass key defense authorization and appropriations bills, despite a looming deadline for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) on October 1. Most appropriations bills have not been passed in the House, and the Senate has passed none, including the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Acts for FY 2025 – (S.4927) and (H.R.8997). As
such, Congress will temporarily fund the government at FY2024 levels via a continuing resolution (CR).
The CR could fund the government through March 28, nearly six (6) months into the FY2025, which would favor Republicans hoping to earn congressional majorities in the upcoming election. Democrats, who are currently in control of the administration and Senate, are aiming to strike a compromise on a shorter CR that would only extend for three (3) months into mid-December. DOE’s EM,
NE, Office of Science, LM, NNSA and other programs that most ECA members follow are not at risk for funding and are not the high-profile issues being negotiated at this point. However, how the CR is set up is important as OMB typically does not permit spending at the full CR amount, and each will be impacted (as they are every year) during the CR on the spending. One sticking point for passage of the CR is an
attempt by House Republicans to attach a bill, (H.R.8281), known as the SAVE Act, that would require individuals to show documentation of US citizenship when they register to vote and requires states to purge noncitizens from their voter rolls. For Democrats, attachment of the bill is a
non-starter, and would kill the CR. Without passage of a CR, the federal government will experience a shut down. Any shutdown of the government for even a short amount of time could negatively impact DOE’s Environmental Management (EM) program and curtail vital research throughout the complex and at national laboratories. Shutdowns can have dire economic consequences for our communities, including the loss of businesses, jobs, and revenues needed to provide local services. A shutdown is unlikely, however. Republicans may not want to be seen as the cause of a shut-down prior to the election. Even if the House passes the resolution with the SAVE Act attached, the Democrat-majority Senate will be able to cut the bill from the resolution. Even with a CR passed, it may be some time before Congress does pass $833 billion
worth of FY2025 funding. Since it is an election year, lawmakers may delay final decisions on 2025 spending until a new Congress has taken office in January. ECA looks forward to discussing FY2025 funding at the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop. For more information on the appropriations process, see ECA’s website. For more information on the battle for a Continuing Resolution, see the articles below: AXIOS - Scoop: White House, Dems plot 3-month funding plan Defense One - Congress will land on $833B defense budget—and a CR of unknown length, top HASC
lawmaker says.
ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT SIGNS CONSENT ORDER WITH DOE FOR LANL LEGACY WASTE CLEAN-UP
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration and the U.S. Department of Energy have executed a Settlement Agreement to clean-up legacy radioactive wastes at Los Alamos National Laboratory, marking a historic moment in the fight to hold the federal government accountable for the toxic waste it left behind in the wake of nuclear weapons testing in New Mexico. The Settlement Agreement, executed on Aug. 30, and associated Compliance Order on Consent supersedes the contested 2016 agreement that failed to deliver meaningful clean-up of legacy radioactive waste. “Los Alamos National Laboratory is now fully accountable for cleaning up the radioactive waste legacy stemming from the Oppenheimer days,” said New
Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “This settlement agreement holds the U.S. Department of Energy accountable to both New Mexicans and Tribal communities who have every right to expect full and timely remediation of the site.” As part of the settlement, the new Compliance Order on Consent outlines the strategies for prioritized clean-up of
historical operational waste at LANL, which includes nuclear weapons design and testing, as well as high explosives research and development. The settlement is the outcome of extensive negotiations conducted over several years between New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the DOE. In 2021, NMED initiated a civil lawsuit against DOE for failing to make progress on the contamination clean-up at LANL stipulated
in the prior 2016 Compliance Order on Consent. At that time, NMED sought termination of the 2016 Compliance Order on Consent, court-supervised negotiations for a new Compliance Order on Consent, and a civil penalty of $333,000 for alleged violations. “This is the culmination of years of effort by the Environment Department, with this
consent order being one more step in holding the Department of Energy accountable,” said Environment Secretary James Kenney. “Los Alamos National Laboratory must now immediately get to work and fill the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant with legacy waste. All excuses have been voided.” The new agreement offers necessary revisions regarding public participation, an improved and faster dispute resolution process, and
broadened enforcement of deadlines conforming to a new five-year plan. NMED anticipates these provisions will ensure preference is given to legacy waste clean-up by making the U.S. DOE responsible for transparently spending their Congressionally appropriated funds towards achieving clean-up of the site. “The new Consent Order sets critical deadlines for cleanup progress milestones, forcing the DOE to take
accountability in a timelier manner,” said JD Nance, NMED Hazardous Waste Bureau Chief. “This includes scheduled deadlines for monitoring well installations, allowing NMED to better define the chromium plume's boundary and ensure contamination doesn't affect surrounding resources.” The Biden-Harris Administration identified the legacy waste remediation at LANL as a priority for its Justice40 Initiative. The Justice40
Initiative is a federal government effort to deliver at least 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities. LANL was chosen by the Administration as one of five U.S. Department of Energy Justice40 Pilot Programs and it is the only Justice40 Pilot Program under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program. NMED is planning to conduct public stakeholder
and Tribal meetings in the coming months to explain the terms of the settlement and opportunities for engagement per the Compliance Order on Consent. NMED will share these opportunities on its public calendar and through social media. Pursuant to state law, the $333,000 civil penalty reverts to the State of New Mexico’s Hazardous Waste Emergency fund. This is the primary state fund from which NMED addresses releases of hazardous materials. The Settlement Agreement and Compliance Order on Consent
is available here.
DOE SELECTS NEW DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WASTE AND MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
Jeff Baran has been selected as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste and Materials Management (EM 4.2). Jeff has more than 20 years of experience across all three branches of the federal government. Jeff served as a
Commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2014-2023, focusing on the safety and security of the country’s civilian nuclear facilities. He worked on numerous policies and rulemakings to protect public health and the environment, including those related to decommissioning, environmental remediation, and waste disposal, storage, and transportation. As a Commissioner, Jeff built lasting and productive relationships with a broad range of stakeholders through hundreds of in-person
meetings, site visits, keynote speeches, and panel discussions. Before serving at NRC, Jeff worked for the U.S. House of Representatives for over 11 years. During his tenure with the Energy and Commerce Committee staff, oversight of DOE was one of his primary areas of responsibility. Among Jeff’s key initiatives was working to coordinate the efforts of six federal agencies, including DOE, and two Native American Tribes to
clean up uranium contamination in and around the Navajo Nation. From 2003 to 2008, he was counsel to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Prior to his work on Capitol Hill, Jeff served as a law clerk for Judge Lesley Wells of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Jeff
earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in political science from Ohio University. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School.
JOIN ECA AND DOE TO DISCUSS COAL TO NUCLEAR TRANSITION
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.
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.
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.
HOW WILL YOUR SITE/COMMUNITY BE AFFECTED BY THE REPRIORITIZATION OF WASTE SHIPMENTS AT WIPP?
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.
For more on the survey, or if you have any questions, please contact Andres Ridge at ajr@energyca.org
Why it’s so difficult to build nuclear power plants in the U.S. Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, is the largest source of clean energy in the U.S. following the addition of two new
reactors, according to Georgia Power. The plant’s unit 4 reactor began commercial operations in April and unit 3 went online last year. They are the first reactors built from
scratch and connected to the grid in over three decades and together can power over a million homes and businesses, according to the utility provider. But bringing a nuclear power plant to life is difficult and
costly. Read the full story Which rural area will take the UK’s nuclear waste? A repeating tone - blip, blip, blip - is the audible reminder that we are in one of the most hazardous nuclear sites in the
world: Sellafield. That sound - pulsing from speakers inside the cavernous fuel-handling plant - is a signal that everything is functioning as it should. That is comforting because Sellafield, in Cumbria, is the temporary home to the vast majority of the UK’s radioactive nuclear waste, as well as the world’s largest stockpile of plutonium. Read the full story Why This Texas A&M Student Went Nuclear At College GameDay If you tuned into ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast from Texas A&M University on August 31, you might have noticed something unusual. Behind the TV commentators, amid the sea of handmade signs held by cheering students, one in particular had a unique message: “I Heart Nuclear Energy.” Read the full story
PROVIDE YOUR INPUT - OPEN REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION Opportunity: DOE Package Performance Demonstration DOE intends to establish a consolidated interim storage facility for storage of spent nuclear fuel until a permanent repository is available. DOE is performing this market research to gather information from all interested parties that will help formulate the actual solicitation. The first RFI is working to establish the market boundaries that can best fulfill the needs of the CISF program. This RFI works to answer the best contract
strategy and contract type, the ability of commercial businesses to support and fulfill CISF requirements & to what capacity small businesses can support CISF requirements. Response Due: September 30 2024, 7:00 pm EST |
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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.
Hanford Advisory Board Meeting September 10-11, 2024 | Centennial Hotel (Spokane, WA) More Info Here Coal-To-Nuclear Transition Webinar September 11, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30pm ET Register now! 2024 National Cleanup Workshop September 16-18, 2024 | Crystal Gateway Marriott (Arlington, VA) Register now!
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