TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS & WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK
- Join ECA September 10 for a webinar: Investing in Innovation - Financing Advanced Nuclear
Projects!
- Timothy J. Walsh, EM Assistant Secretary, favorably reported by Senate Committee to Senate
- Senate vote on his nomination yet to be scheduled
- ECA expects several DOE nominees to be confirmed prior to the Senate recess at the end of the week
- GAO report finds that NNSA has made progress towards meeting recommendations to improve its financial reporting
- Register for the National Cleanup Workshop, September 24 & 25!
- Energy and Water Appropriations will not be moving this week in the House or Senate and ECA expects a CR prior to September 30 (see the ECA budget tracker at the bottom of this newsletter for detailed appropriations numbers)
JOIN ECA FOR INVESTING IN INNOVATION - FINANCING ADVANCED NUCLEAR PROJECTS
Financing is key to facilitating and moving forward advanced nuclear projects and ensuring their success. Financing for these projects can come from various sources, including: - Venture capital;
- Investors;
- Governments;
- and other parties
Join ECA as we explore the
status of financing these critical projects, including the key aspects of financing, the key issues and solutions to today’s financing challenges, and how the financial feasibility of such projects can be improved at both the demonstration and commercialization stages of development.
Speakers to be announced in the coming weeks! Please contact AJ Ridge, ECA Program Director, with any questions at ajr@energyca.org.
To make sure you don't miss anything, be sure to subscribe to the ECA Update below!
SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES EM ASSISTANT SECRETARY NOMINEE TIMOTHY J WALSH
Yesterday (July 30) the The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources favorably recommended the confirmation of nominee Assistant Secretary of Energy for the Office
of Environmental Management, Timothy J Walsh, in an 11-9 vote. His nomination now awaits a confirmation vote on the Senate Floor, which has yet to be scheduled.
GAO FINDS NNSA HAS MADE PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPROVING ITS FINANCIAL REPORTING
Earlier this month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report assessing the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) progress on meeting recommendations issued in previous GAO reports “Progress Made Toward Fully Addressing Recommendations on Common Financial Reporting”. NNSA relies on management and operating (M&O) contracts to
carry out its missions at eight (8) government-owned, contractor-operated national laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, collectively known as the nuclear security enterprise. NNSA and Congress have had difficulty understanding the total costs of NNSA’s programs and comparing constituent costs between contractors because the M&O contractors use different methods of accounting and tracking costs.
Congress needs this information to provide oversight and make budgetary decisions. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 required NNSA to implement a common financial reporting system, to the extent practicable. GAO has issued four prior reports on NNSA’s progress in implementing common financial reporting since fiscal year 2019 and made 28 recommendations to DOE and NNSA on this topic. As of June
2023, 19 of GAO's recommendations were outstanding. GAO now assesses that DOE and NNSA have fully implemented two of the 19 outstanding recommendations and partially implemented nine. Eight of the recommendations have not yet been addressed. NNSA needs to take additional actions to fully implement the remaining 17 outstanding recommendations. NNSA addressing and fully implementing the remaining outstanding
recommendations would provide better assurance to NNSA, M&O contractors, Congress, and other stakeholders that the data collected for common financial reporting are accurate, consistent, and standardized. Implementing GAO’s recommendations would also help NNSA to reduce duplicative data requests across its offices and minimize the cost and reporting burdens on M&O contractors, while ensuring that common financial reporting provides the data needed to understand the total costs of NNSA’s
programs and compare costs across its M&O contractors. GAO will continue to review NNSA’s efforts to address and fully implement the remaining 17 outstanding recommendations on common financial reporting. DOE and NNSA generally agreed with the prior recommendations. Read GAO’s summary of its report here. Read the full report here.
JOIN US FOR THE 11TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
September 24 - 25, 2025 | Crystal Gateway Marriott | Arlington, VA Join us September 24-25 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott - Arlington, VA, where we’ll explore how
the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management is working to drive down risks while also building up new opportunities for communities and the nation.
WHO'S SPEAKING?
Roger Jarrell | Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
James McConnell | Acting Principal Deputy Administrator, NNSA
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
Brent Gerry | Mayor, City of West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA
Rebecca Casper | Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, ID; Vice-Chair, ECA
Jonathan “JD” Dowell | Senior Vice President, Fluor
Heatherly Dukes | President, BWXT Technical
Services Group
DJ Johnson | Vice President, Federal Solutions Business Enterprise, Honeywell Federal Solutions; Chair, EFCOG
Mark Johnson | Principal Vice President, High Level Waste Facility, Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), Bechtel
Jeff Kendall | President, AtkinsRéalis U.S. Nuclear
Michael Lempke | President, Nuclear and Environmental Services,
HII
Mark Whitney | President, Amentum
...and more!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Wednesday, September 24 8:00am National Cleanup
Workshop 5:30pm Evening Reception for all NCW Attendees Thursday, September 25
8:00am National Cleanup Workshop SPONSORSHIP
NCW sponsorships offer an excellent opportunity to showcase your
company, maximize networking opportunities with attendees, and host an exhibit booth during the forum. Click here to learn more! STAY CONNECTED
ECA Twitter: @ENERGYCAORG
EFCOG Twitter: @EFCOG_now
DOE EM Twitter: @EMcleanup
#NationalCleanupWorkshop SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS The National Cleanup Workshop is hosted by the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of
Environmental Management (EM)*.
WHAT YOU'VE MISSED: Could CT see more nuclear energy sites? State creates funding for communities to explore option More nuclear
power plants could soon be coming to Connecticut. For decades, Connecticut banned new nuclear energy facilities, but lawmakers recently modified that moratorium in Senate Bill 4, potentially paving the way for
new reactors. The law creates a funding program for cities and towns to explore the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant, but would require a community vote before construction could begin. Officials say the law is needed to meet a growing demand for electricity, and keep costs down. Gov. Ned Lamont spoke to that idea during his State of the State address in January. “Over the next 10 years, we will need more electricity to meet the increased demand and hold down cost,” he said.
“Nuclear power – that provides most of our carbon-free power.” Read the full story As electricity demand grows, Maine
weighs nuclear power The remains of the Maine Yankee nuclear plant in Wiscasset are protected by a tall
chain link fence topped with razor wire and a checkpoint manned by armed guards. Surrounded by trees and fields, towering pylons from an electric substation are some of the only infrastructure still visible from the road leading down to Bailey Point. But Don Hudson says 30 years ago it was a completely different scene: A huge dome covered a reactor that cranked out a third of Maine’s power, the largest single source of electricity in the state. Read the full
story Work starts on Pele microreactor core Project Pele was launched in 2019 with the objective of designing, building, and demonstrating a prototype mobile nuclear reactor within five years. The initiative is led by the Department of Defense's Strategic Capabilities Office, which is working in collaboration with the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and the US Army Corps of Engineers, as well as with industry partners. Read the full story
Gone Fission Podcast - Nuclear Opportunities
Workshop July 9, 2025 | S5 E3 In this week’s episode, Host Michael Butler discusses plans to expand the Gone Fission podcast’s coverage to include the emerging nuclear renaissance. The expanded coverage begins later this month at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop in
Knoxville, Tennessee. Sponsored by the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), the Workshop is expected to attract more than 800 attendees representing major companies in the nuclear industry. Topics will include small modular reactors, advanced reactor fuel, uranium enrichment, nuclear plant financing and more. Learn more about this exciting conference in this week’s interview with ETEC President and CEO Tracy Boatner. https://gonefissionpodcast.com/ NucleCast - Pranay Vaddi: Inside the National Security Council, Policy and Arms Control July 29, 2025 | S03 E229 In this episode, Adam interviews Pranay Vaddi, who shares his experiences working at the
National Security Council (NSC) and his insights into nuclear policy and arms control. Vaddi discusses the daily operations at the NSC, the challenges of elevating nuclear issues within the government, and the importance of collaboration among various agencies. He also reflects on the evolution of the NSC, the dynamics of working within the bureaucracy, and the demanding nature of the job. Vaddi emphasizes the need for future leaders to engage in discussions and share their ideas to address
pressing national security challenges. https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/
Investing in innovation - Financing Advanced Nuclear Projects Webinar | September 10 Register Here National Cleanup Workshop 2025 Arlington, VA | September 23 - 25 Learn More Here
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