TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS & WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK
EPA, STATE AND LOCAL PARTNERS COMPLETE CLEANUP OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR CORP. SUPERFUND SITE
Environmental Protection Agency | August 20, 2025 CLINTON, Tennessee (August 19, 2025) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and Anderson County, announced the completion of a $10.7 million cleanup at the American Nuclear Corp. Superfund Site. The former radioactive source fabricator leaked radioactive chemicals during the 1960s and
has been a blight in Anderson County for decades. “It is a priority of this Administration to clean up contaminated sites so they can be returned to the community for reuse in ways that expand the local economy,” said Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber. “American Nuclear Corp. had languished for decades, and now it
is safe for redevelopment thanks to this collaborative cleanup effort. What a win for the people of Anderson County and the State of Tennessee!” “The completion of the cleanup at the American Nuclear Corp. Site is a significant step forward for Anderson County and the State of Tennessee,” said Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy
McNally. “This project reflects the power of collaboration across federal, state and local partners in addressing long-standing environmental challenges. I am grateful to all those who worked tirelessly to make our community safer and healthier. I look forward to the land returning to productive use for the benefit Tennesseans for generations to come.” “This project is a great example of perseverance by local leadership and commitment to follow through by our federal partners with the EPA,” said Tennessee Representative Rick Scarbrough. “I am so thankful for the collaboration between EPA, the State of Tennessee, and TDEC that led to the
successful cleanup of the former American Nuclear Corporation Site,” said Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank. “This wonderful project and investment have removed contaminants from our community and restored peace of mind, closing out a very long chapter of environmental risk allowing us to move forward with plans to benefit the people of our county.” “I want to express our deepest gratitude to the EPA and TDEC for their exceptional work in cleaning up the American Nuclear Corp. Site,” said Anderson County Commissioner Tracy Wandell. “We, the citizens of District 1 and the entire county, sincerely thank you for your efforts in cleaning up the superfund site and for the outstanding teamwork demonstrated throughout the process.” This was considered a Nationally Significant Removal Action due to the type of contamination and cost to remediate. Radioactive materials at the American Nuclear site were five to six times more energetic than those at the nearby Oak Ridge Superfund Site. The next step is to return the property to the State of Tennessee and consider redevelopment possibilities. American Nuclear Corp., a 6.25-acre site, was a radioactive source manufacturing facility licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1962. By 1964, inspectors had discovered noncompliance. In 1969, inspectors discovered radioactive material from
ANC leaking into the environment. The company abandoned the site in 1970, and the site was condemned in 1980. In 2022, EPA exercised enforcement discretion regarding exemption from liability under the BUILD Act. Tennessee claimed sovereignty to serve a protective function as the non-liable owner. In 2023, EPA signed an Action
Memorandum requesting approval of a proposed Time-Critical Removal Action. Read the original article here.
DOE PUBLISHES SMALL BUSINESS STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE COOPERATION WITH SMALL BUSINESSES
Last week, the Department of Energy published its Small Business Strategic Plan, which outlines four priorities to guide DOE’s small business engagement from
2025 through 2030. The Department stated that it will be entering the next five-year period with a “strong foundation and a clear understanding of the vital role small businesses play in delivering its mission.” The four strategic priorities are to: - Modernize Industry Engagement
- Goal: Create a transparent, cost-effective industry
engagement model that strengthens DOE’s supply chain and prepares small businesses to better compete and support mission success.
- Enable Data-Driven Innovation to Advance Small Business Procurement
- Goal: Modernize tools, insights, and forecasts to improve planning, increase competition, and enhance alignment with DOE missions.
- Expand the American Energy Small Business Industrial
Base
- Goal: Strengthen the domestic energy supply chain by addressing participation gaps and building resilient small business capacity.
- Sustain Strong Statutory Performance
- Goal: Maintain DOE’s longstanding record of meeting Small Business Act requirements while seeking opportunities to further enhance mission delivery and taxpayer value.
The four priorities that make up the plan will serve as a roadmap for DOE to “move beyond targets and scorecards, and for elevating small businesses from program compliance participants to essential mission partners.” DOE emphasizes that small businesses will remain central to delivering innovative solutions, advancing energy security, and ensuring value for the American taxpayer. By the end
of July 2025, DOE plans to convene working groups comprised of experts in small business procurement subject matter from DOE and large prime contractors to develop implementation tactics and milestones for each of these strategic priorities. To read the strategic plan, click here.
HOW ARE NUCLEAR PROJECTS FUNDED? LEARN MORE WITH ECA!
Want to learn more about how new nuclear projects are funded? Join Energy Communities Alliance on September 10 at
2:00pm to learn about why financing is crucial to facilitating and moving forward advanced nuclear projects and ensuring their success. Overcoming challenges to financing is critical to accelerating technological advancement, ensuring U.S. leadership in meeting rapidly growing global energy demand, and enhancing American economic competitiveness, geopolitical influence and national security. Financing for these projects can come from various sources, including: - Venture
capital;
- Private Investors;
- Institutions;
- Governments;
- and other parties
Join ECA as we explore 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!
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 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-communities-alliance
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: How America Can Achieve Nuclear Energy Dominance In a new report, the Working Group on Nuclear Energy Dominance outlines a roadmap
for restoring American leadership in nuclear energy. A defining element of the Trump administration’s policy agenda has been that of energy dominance. To achieve that dominance, the administration has set its sights
on increasing the production of fossil fuels, primarily through a flurry of executive orders. Meanwhile, incentives for the renewable energy industry have been repealed, with Trump arguing that technologies such as solar and wind power are too expensive and unreliable. Read the full story Aalo Atomics Secures Capital, Regulatory Backing for 2026 Modular Nuclear Project at INL, Eyes Potential First Data Center Pairing Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics has secured new capital and regulatory backing to complete construction of its 10-MWe Aalo-X reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The project, recently selected under the
Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) new Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, will demonstrate cold criticality by July 2026 in an unusually aggressive federal milestone for advanced nuclear deployment. Read the full story Construction begins on Natrium reactor training center TerraPower announced yesterday that it has begun construction on the Kemmerer Training Center (KTC) at the site of the Natrium project in Kemmerer, Wyo. According to the company, the state-of-the-art KTC is the second facility to reach the construction milestone of the advanced nuclear project. Read the full
story Oyster Creek submits plan to terminate its NRC license Holtec International has submitted a license termination plan (LTP) for Oyster Creek nuclear power plant to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a milestone in the decommissioning of the boiling water reactor, which operated from 1969 to 2018. Holtec took over Oyster Creek’s license from Exelon
Generation in 2019 for the immediate decommissioning of the plant, located in Forked River, N.J. Before a power reactor can terminate its license, the NRC requires that an LTP be submitted at least two years before the proposed license termination date. According to Holtec’s LTP, which was submitted to the NRC in August 2024, the company intends to complete the decommissioning of Oyster Creek and conduct final status surveys (FSSs) for release of the site by 2029. Read the full story
Gone Fission Podcast - Charles Oppenheimer August 4, 2025 | S5
E4 Charles Oppenheimer, the grandson of atomic pioneer Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, is Michael Butler’s guest on this week’s episode of the Gone Fission podcast. Ironically, this episode drops two days before August 6 which will be the 80th anniversary of America's use of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, a pivotal event that launched the end of World War II--and one in which Charles
Oppenheimer's grandfather, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, played a major role. Charles and Michael sat down at the recent Nuclear Opportunities Workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee, for a wide-ranging discussion that covered everything from nuclear plant financing to what it’s like to be an Oppenheimer in today’s world. Was he surprised that “Oppenheimer” was such a blockbuster hit at the box office? Find out in this week’s episode. https://gonefissionpodcast.com/ NucleCast - Brent Sadler: Shipbuilding and China's Naval Expansion August 19, 2025 | S03 E232 In this episode of NucleCast, Brent Sadler discusses the current state of the U.S. Navy, focusing on shipbuilding challenges, the
need for increased capacity, and the implications of China's naval expansion. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration with allies, the role of government in revitalizing the shipbuilding industry, and the strengths and weaknesses of both the U.S. and Chinese naval forces. The conversation emphasizes the urgency of addressing these issues to ensure U.S. maritime readiness in the face of potential conflicts. 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
|
|
