ECA CALLS ON DOE TO MAINTAIN ROBUST LOCAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT In ECA’s transition paper to the next Administration, “Ensuring Long-Term Success: Recommendations for the Next Administration on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Mission”, ECA provides multiple recommendations to tackle challenges the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) faces. Maintaining partnerships and providing opportunities
for meaningful engagement between federal decision makers and local elected officials are vital to ensuring a unity of purpose that advances mission priorities. To be successful, DOE missions require community acceptance and thrive with community support. DOE and local governments work best when fully engaged in the decision-making at a site for issues that may impact the community. Fortunately, DOE has primarily moved away from announcing a position publicly and then expecting support. Successes comes when DOE engages directly with the local government prior to announcing a position publicly. ECA recognizes that this is not always feasible but prioritizing local government engagement can go a long way toward facilitating success of the mission. ECA also recognizes that a local government will not always be supportive of a decision, but the engagement may facilitate a path forward and it provides a candid
discussion of the issues. Local governments are responsible for the health, safety, and economic welfare of their communities, including the wellbeing of DOE employees and contractors. Local government input and support should not be taken for granted as ECA has found that meaningful, ongoing engagement by site managers and headquarters officials can alleviate confusion and build trust on all sides by reducing conflict (in some cases saving DOE hundreds of millions of dollars). The highest
levels of DOE leadership should ensure that every site manager and prime contractor actively engage local government officials on a regular basis. DOE success stories (nuclear energy, cleanup, defense activities and others) share this fundamental tenet. ECA supports open communication channels among DOE, sites, communities, and site managers when making short-term and long-term decisions. ECA’s goal is to foster and
encourage a strong working relationship between the DOE and local governments. These strong relationships include a necessary base of trust and communication to be fully operative and functional. All these components -- trust, communication, input, and support -- are pivotal to the identification of shared objectives, and mutual goals are a strong component in any project or undertaking.
Read the paper by clicking its cover above or the button below!
DOE ANNOUNCES $3 MILLION FOR NEW INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT AND EXPAND AMERICA'S INDUSTRIAL DECARBONIZATION WORKFORCE
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), in collaboration with the Office of Technology Transitions, today
announced $3 million for a new initiative to help grow the readiness of the workforce needed to decarbonize the U.S. industrial sector. The Industrial Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization (ISEED) Collaborative
will provide assistance to partners across the manufacturing sector to develop and disseminate instructional curricula and training programs focused on industrial sustainability, energy efficiency, and decarbonization. The resources will be available for workers at any level of training and education and designed to empower learners to build the skills and knowledge they need to contribute to sustainable manufacturing that will reduce industrial emissions and move the country towards a net-zero
economy by 2050. “As the industrial sector moves toward a low-carbon future, we need to make sure the existing manufacturing workforce has the skills and tools they need, and foster the
next generation of manufacturing workers,” said Avi Shultz, director of IEDO. “This successful investment in our industrial workforce will only be possible with tailored workforce development programs and resources like ISEED.” The ISEED Collaborative aims to amplify existing and proven programs, develop new content to support emerging technologies, align training programs to industry needs, and improve the accessibility of training and education for workers in underserved communities. Up to six selected ISEED Collaborative members will receive funding, technical support, and guidance over the course of two years to develop and pilot workforce solutions that can be scaled
regionally or nationally. To form the ISEED Collaborative membership, IEDO is soliciting proposals from organizations with established experience or networks in the following focus areas: - Energy efficiency and decarbonization for existing industrial processes, including energy management, use of waste heat, and smart manufacturing strategies.
- Industrial electrification of thermal processes, process
heat (heat pumps), or hydrogen production.
- Low-carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources, which will play a critical role in decarbonizing subsectors that rely on fossil fuels and could include renewable energy, clean hydrogen, fuel-flexible processes, and biofuels and bio feedstocks.
Potential members could include but are not limited to: manufacturing education and training organizations (except for
high schools, community colleges, trade schools and universities); trade, industry, and labor groups; organizations working to expand job and training access to diverse populations; and professional societies or associations. Applications also valid for nuclear manufacturing workforce development!
GONE FISSION NUCLEAR REPORT INTERVIEWS ECA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & DOE-EM SENIOR ADVISOR IN WAKE OF NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
In ECA’s transition paper to the next Administration, “Ensuring Long-Term Success: Recommendations for the Next Administration on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental
Management Mission”, ECA calls for a top-to-bottom review of the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management (DOE-EM) program. In this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, ECA Executive Director Seth Kirshenberg shares with Host Michael Butler the recommendations that ECA believes can help the cleanup program better accomplish its formidable mission, including establishing disposal pathways for every type of nuclear waste (such as GTCC
LLW), creating a clear policy for long-term stewardship, considering what capabilities may be required to address current and anticipated wastes, utilizing cleanup as a vehicle for economic development (such as the Cleanup to Clean Energy program), and many more.
ECA released its Transition paper just prior to the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop, in Washington D.C. Host Michael Butler caught up with DOE's Senior Advisor to the Office of Environmental Management (EM-1), Candice Robertson, at the National Cleanup Workshop, which also marked the 35th anniversary of the Office of Environmental
Management. Ms. Robertson gave her assessment of the current state of DOE’s environmental cleanup program and her outlook on the challenges ahead.
Every Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast covers the latest developments in environmental cleanup across the DOE complex. For more from the Gone Fission Nuclear report, check out their website and Youtube channel.
PROVIDE YOUR INPUT - OPEN REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION & PUBLIC COMMENT 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: October 31 2024, 7:00 pm EST Proposed Rule: Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Licensing of New Nuclear Reactors The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking comment on a proposed rule for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement for licensing new reactors. The generic impact statement uses a technology-neutral framework and plant/site parameters to identify environmental issues common to new reactors, and those issues needing project-specific analysis. NRC staff members will conduct an in-person meeting and two webinars to discuss the proposed generic impact statement and
accept comments from the public. The in-person meeting will be at NRC headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, on Nov. 7 from 1-4p.m. Eastern time. The webinars will be Nov. 13 from 1-4 p.m. Eastern time, and Nov. 14 from 6-9 p.m. Eastern time. Additional details for all three meetings will be available soon on the NRC’s website. The meetings are one method to comment before the Dec. 18 deadline. Comments can also be submitted via regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2020-0101, via email to Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov, or by mail to Office of Administration, Mail Stop TWFN-7- A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Response Due: December 18 2024 |
|
|
|
WHAT YOU'VE MISSED: Supreme Court steps into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste in rural Texas and New Mexico WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to step into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico. The justices said they will review a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exceeded its authority under federal law in granting a license to a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a dump in West Texas for 40 years. The outcome of the case will affect plans for a similar facility in New Mexico. Read the full story US looks to resurrect more nuclear reactors, White House adviser says NEW YORK, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is working on plans to bring additional decommissioned nuclear power reactors back online to help meet soaring demand for emissions-free electricity, White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi said on Monday. Two such projects are already underway, including the planned recommissioning of Holtec's
Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan and the potential restart of a unit at Constellation Energy's (CEG.O), opens new tab Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, near the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S.
history. Read the full story DOE consolidates Hanford’s management offices Beginning last week, the two Department of Energy offices responsible for the environmental cleanup of the department’s Hanford Site have been combined under a new name: the Hanford Field Office. Previously, management of the 586-square-mile site near Richland, Wash., was split between the Richland Operations Office and the DOE Office of River Protection
(ORP). Read the full story
Gone Fission Nuclear Report - Reviewing EM in the New Administration October 7, 2024 | S4
E17 With a new Administration taking office in January, the Energy Communities Alliance has released a detailed report calling for a top-to-bottom review of the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program. In this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, ECA Executive Director Seth Kirshenberg shares with Host Michael Butler the recommendations his
organization believes can help the cleanup program better accomplish its formidable mission, including revisiting EM's end-state contracting model and re-establishing a dedicated DOE office to oversee nuclear waste storage. ECA-DOE-NE Coal to Nuclear Transition Webinar September 27, 2024 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.
|
|
