EARLY CAREER WORKSHOP PROFESSIONALS SESSION RETURNS TO 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. ECA's own Faith Sanchez will be speaking at the panel Roundtable Discussion: Early Career Perspectives. See the agenda below!
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. A significantly reduced registration rate for early-career professionals to attend this year’s workshop is
being offered. 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!
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.
GAO MAKES 10 RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS DOE-EM CHRONIC UNDERSTAFFING
According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM)
continues to suffer from chronic understaffing and management challenges, despite efforts by DOE to recruit, hire, develop, and retain personnel. The GAO found that, at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2023, DOE-EM had 263 vacant positions across its headquarters, cleanup sites, and EM Consolidated Business Center, and an overall 18% vacancy rate across 14 mission-critical job series. GAO conducted
interviews across EM, and consistently found that difficulties with recruitment and hiring were expressed by EM officials. In addition to high vacancy levels, the GAO found that DOE-EM faces high attrition rates, with 44% of its staff being eligible for retirement by 2030. A more in depth breakdown (see table below) shows that for FY 2023, DOE-EM’s average attrition rate was 10.6, which exceeded the DOE’s and
the federal government’s average attrition rates of 8.1 percent each.
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Energy and EM information. | GAO-24-106479
aThese values are rounded to the nearest whole percent. Vacancy rate pertains to fiscal year
2023.
bGeneral Engineering includes the vacancies jointly labeled General Engineering/Physical Science. Approximately 55 of these vacancies can be filled by either, while 40 are labeled General Engineering. According to the GAO, DOE-EM's efforts have been insufficient to replenish its aging workforce. DOE-EM has not taken steps to adopt recommended
strategies, resulting in schedule delays, cost overruns, workplace accidents, and ultimately, project failures. Furthermore, the incongruencies between messaging in its program planning and budget request only serve to obscure the extent of DOE-EM's problems to external stakeholders, such as DOE and Congress. Communication breakdowns between EM and DOE's Shared Service Center have also hampered EM's workforce management efforts and could be improved by better aligning with leading collaboration
practices. Without greater efforts to include workforce planning and outreach programs in DOE's strategic plans and vision, the GAO assessed that management challenges and project failures are are likely to continue. In a new forward-looking workforce plan, GAO recommends that DOE-EM implements leading strategic planning practices, such as developing hiring goals and succession planning. Among a list of 10 recommendations,
GAO suggested that DOE-EM develop a forward looking workforce plan, that DOE-EM update agreements with DOE's Shared Service Center, and that Congress consider requiring EM to report annually on its efforts to address recurring workforce problems. EM agreed with all of GAO's recommendations.
To read the full report, click here. For the report's highlight page, click here.
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.
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.
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.
DOE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION & NOTICE OF INTENT DE-RFI/NOI-0003410s The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for information (RFI)/notice of intent (NOI) to solicit input on the development and structure of a new funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Through this RFI/NOI, DOE hopes to hear from nuclear industry, academia, and other interested groups on topics such
as: - Existing gaps in nuclear workforce training and development
- Attributes or examples of successful workforce training programs
- Resources needed to establish and maintain new workforce training and development programs
Specific questions and instructions for responding can be found here. The FOA, which we plan to release later this year, will support the development of nuclear safety curriculum training through university-led partnerships with industry, national laboratories, and/or technical colleges, community colleges, or universities near nuclear power plants. We anticipate $100 million will be available through this
FOA. Please submit responses to the RFI via email to NSTP@id.doe.gov no later than 5 PM EST on August 26, 2024. DOE Seeks Input on Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation Safety Demonstration By simulating severe accident scenarios, DOE intends to demonstrate to the public and stakeholders the safety and reliability of transporting spent nuclear fuel by rail, heavy-haul truck, and barge. DOE is seeking information from a wide range of stakeholders, including government partners, the general
public, industry experts, and potential suppliers. Key Objectives - Build Public Trust: The PPD aims to address public concerns regarding the safety of transporting spent nuclear fuel by rail, heavy-haul truck, and barge.
- Comprehensive Input:
Stakeholder feedback is sought on the types of full-scale demonstrations to be conducted, the selection of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks, potential testing facilities, and how information from the PPD can be used.
- Supplier Engagement: DOE is requesting detailed information from potential suppliers regarding equipment and services necessary for the PPD, including cask vendors, testing facilities, and providers of
instrumentation and videography services.
Interested parties are invited to submit their responses electronically by 6 PM PST, Sept. 30, 2024. Responses to the RFI will be used to design the PPD so it effectively addresses public concerns and demonstrates the safety of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks. DOE is implementing a consent-based siting process to identify sites for one or more federal consolidated interim storage facilities for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. This will involve large-scale transportation of spent nuclear fuel from over 70 nuclear power plant sites, with rail being the primary mode of transport. DOE plans to increase its outreach and
engagement activities, including webinars, listening sessions, and working groups, to raise awareness about the transportation of spent nuclear fuel. For more information on this RFI and directions on how to submit responses, please visit the FedConnect listing. |
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Kairos Power Begins Construction on Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor OAK RIDGE, TENN. – July 30, 2024 – Kairos Power has started construction on the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, the first and only Gen IV reactor to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in over 50 years. Hermes represents a critical milestone on Kairos Power’s iterative path to commercializing advanced reactor
technology. Read the full article here.
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?
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