ECA Update 7/15: ECA SURVEY RE: WIPP LEGACY TRU WASTE; and more

Published: Mon, 07/15/24

Updated: Mon, 07/15/24

ECA SURVEY

Should DOE Prioritize “Legacy” TRU Waste or Treat all TRU Waste Equally for Disposal at WIPP Under the New Permit with the State of NM?

ECA is conducting a survey to get your input that will help ECA and other organizations identify and provide input into the prioritization of the source of the TRU waste that is being disposed at WIPP from DOE generator sites. 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”). ECA members around WIPP have asked ECA member communities and others around the country that are interested in TRU waste and WIPP issues, for their input through this survey on the Plan.

The questions will focus on “Legacy TRU waste” which ECA generally defines as TRU waste associated with Cold War and World War II periods. Others define it differently and if you do, please note it in the survey comments at the end of the questionnaire. ECA recognizes that some sites generate both Legacy TRU waste and non-legacy TRU waste.

Communities around the country have recognized the importance of WIPP to cleaning up the DOE sites in their communities. Because this plan could affect the prioritization of TRU waste shipments and the accessibility of WIPP to these communities (DOE calls these sites “generator sites”), 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 try to complete the survey at your earliest convenience. This Survey will close on August 15.

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

Duke looks long term for possible next-generation nuclear for Florida site

Duke Energy Florida is considering long-term plans for new nuclear development on 5,000 acres it owns near Gainesville.

According to testimony filed in Duke’s three-year, $818 million rate hike request with the Florida Public Utilities Commission, “In the 2038–2048 timeframe, this would be an attractive site for [the] addition of a new zero-emitting load following resource . . . including the potential development of next generation nuclear [small modular reactor] technology.”

Read the full article here.

Sam Altman's OpenAI Could Be Entirely Powered by Nuclear Energy in 2027

A Sam Altman-backed nuclear fission company is powering toward its first small modular reactor, which it hopes could be online by 2027.

The California-based nuclear developer Oklo, which is chaired by OpenAI founder Altman, has told Newsweek that it is working to build its first reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. It will be sustainable, reliable and affordable, Oklo said.

Read the full article here.

Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling creates power sector uncertainty: Moody’s

“The lack of clarity on future EPA mandates increases uncertainty and makes it more difficult for power companies to determine their most appropriate and cost-effective generation mix,” Moody’s said.

Read the full article here.

NEW MEDIA:

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: Interview with John Eschenberg

July 8, 2024 | S4 E13

Our guest on this week’s episode is John Eschenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Plateau Cleanup Company in Hanford Washington. An Amentum-led partnership with Fluor and Atkins, CPCCO is responsible for managing site operations, facility deactivation, decommissioning, decontamination and demolition, waste-site remediation, and transuranic waste management on Hanford’s central plateau and along the Columbia River corridor. It is a challenging and hazardous assignment and a large part of what has been called the biggest environmental cleanup project in the world--likely to stretch for more than 50 years into the future. Eschenberg talks with host Michael Butler about the challenges and efforts underway to ensure that an adequate and trained workforce is available to complete the mission.

3 Things to Know About the ONKALO Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel

July 3, 2024

Behind-the-scenes at ONKALO - Acting Assistant Secretary Dr. Mike Goff recently visited Finland's ONKALO repository and got a behind-the-scenes look at the world's first deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel.