The ECA Board Meeting was attended by various DOE Officials, including Deputy Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management (EM-2); Jeff Avery, DOE-EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs (EM-4); Kristen Ellis, and DOE-EM and Director of the Office of Communications and Stakeholder
Engagement; Carrie Meyer. EM-2, Jeff Avery affirmed the utility of the recommendations made in ECA’s Transition Paper; Avery made clear that EM holds community cooperation in
high regard and sees it as necessary to achieve success in tackling cleanup mission challenges that the paper highlights, such as finding new pathways for waste disposition. Avery followed by noting that EM has accomplished many of its current priorities, and recalled what EM has achieved over the over the past year, including:
- Negotiation of the Washington Tri-Party Agreement
- Successful and continuing treatment of tank waste at the Idaho Integrated Waste Treatment Unit
(IWTU)
- Progress on Beneficial Reuse, including land transfers, realty agreements, and nickel recycling.
- Increased cooperation with citizen advisory boards and their counterparts in the National Nuclear Security Administration.
To achieve these goals, DOE-EM undertook more consistent and concrete engagement with communities, states, and other agencies than ever before.
As EM prepares for the transition of administrations, Avery highlighted the power in EM’s storytelling, emphasizing the importance of the EM Cleanup program to protecting the environment and our national security. The more work EM does, the more it addresses the government’s liabilities.
Ellis began her remarks by also commenting on how ECA’s Transition Paper is assisting DOE in addressing cleanup mission challenges. Ellis highlighted the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as a great success and example of the interconnectedness of the EM site complex.
Thanks to fervent local support and engagement with Congress, WIPP has been able to dispose of Legacy Transuranic Waste since 1999. Ellis made clear that to address program challenges, EM relies on support, expertise, and engagement from the communities. EM is also increasing cooperation with State governments, Tribal governments, government agencies, and other stakeholders to break ground and generate momentum on program challenges.
Ellis greatly contributed to planning and has has attended Workforce Roundtables in Hanford, Savannah River, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge, also discussed upcoming Workforce Roundtables as a part of the DOE-EFCOG-ECA Workforce initiative. DOE is currently planning to return to the Los Alamos area for another roundtable, and is also working with ECA to organize the first Roundtable in Idaho Falls as a part of ECA’s 4th New Nuclear Forum.
Ellis also highlighted the niche ECA occupies and how ECA and communities can assist EM. Ellis highlighted ECA’s activities educating on nuclear power and radiation, showcasing and distributing EM materials to gauge
effective communication and engagement, and the importance of experimenting with new ideas and approaches to actualize otherwise unrealized benefits. She stated the EM Leadership cannot be successful without the support of communities and the other Intergovernmental Groups.
Meyer discussed new initiatives in the EM Office of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, following recommendations from a report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). These initiatives include:
- Formulate a standard stakeholder engagement framework for all EM sites across the complex
- Refocus EM’s Strategic Vision on concrete achievements
- Develop a Community Engagement Toolbox
To develop its new framework, EM will be reaching out to conduct interviews with communities for input. EM is looking to collect best practices in engagement, notification, and communication from site to site and to tailor its engagement program to each site’s needs across the entire complex.
Meyer emphasized the importance of empowering local elected
officials and communities to reach out to and provide input to DOE-EM on how DOE-EM can improve its programs and forge new opportunities to achieve its mission goals in ways that create mutual benefits for communities and EM.
Paul Murray, DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition, closed the meeting with a conversation on the future of SNF and HLW
siting.
Murray provided an overview of the challenge at hand, including the need for assured funding to maintain momentum. DOE plans to issue public site screening criteria, a revised consent-based siting process, and most significantly, Notice for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in summer 2025. The EOI are not a commitment to host a federal CISF, but rather a way to start a conversation with DOE-NE and secure resources
to allow for community capacity building. DOE hopes to have one licensed by 2038.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Murray emphasized that by taking these steps, DOE is embarking on a 250 year long, multigenerational program, one that will require the support of and alignment across local communities, States and Tribal governments. To support these efforts in the near term, DOE is planning to ship one cask containing
high-burnup spent nuclear fuel in 2027.
During the Intergovernmental Meeting, ECA showcased two presentations discussing the impact of the incoming administration on the cleanup program and on ECA’s current mission priorities. You can find the link to those presentations at here.
ECA looks forward to pursuing initiatives discussed during the Board meeting and Intergovernmental Meeting, as well as to providing updates as we progress towards those goals. To learn more about ECA, visit our website.
