TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS & WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK
CONGRESS BACK IN SESSION, ENERGY & WATER BILL TO BE ON HOUSE FLOOR NEXT WEEK
With the Congressional recess coming to a close, H.R. 4553, or the fiscal year (FY) 2026 bill on Energy and Water
Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, is set to be considered on the House floor next week (week of September 1). The Bill was reported favorably out of committee last month. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires on September 30,
meaning Congress must pass all of the appropriations bills before October 1, extend the CR, or risk a government shutdown. The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill provides the funding for cleanup activities at every cleanup site in the country, as well as NNSA mission sites, and other DOE mission sites. All of the appropriations bills, including H.R. 4553, must be passed by the House before they can make their
way into a combined “omnibus” bill that must be passed by both houses. The Senate has yet to announce the allocations and mark-up schedules for its version of Energy and Water Development Bill. The Appropriations Bills can only allocate funding below or equal to the ceiling the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) determines and recommends. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee released its version of the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes what amounts can be appropriated up to for programs dependent upon Defense funding, including the Environmental Management and National Nuclear Security Agency programs.
The timeline above displays the NDAA process. This NDAA serves to inform what should constitute defense funding and by what processes and policies they should be authorized. Authorization directly affects the amount of money federal agencies can spend for environmental cleanup of defense sites and other nuclear activities. Authorization is the amount of money agencies are
authorized to spend; appropriations are the amounts of money agencies and departments are given to spend. In both chambers, once markup is finished and the NDAA is reported favorably out of committee, it will be sent to be heard on the floor. If one chamber passes its version of the NDAA first, it will go to the other for consideration. A conference committee between both chambers will then be established to work out
differences between the House and Senate versions. Afterwards, the bill is presented to the President to either be passed or vetoed. The NDAA only authorizes spending, and Congress must pass a full-year appropriations bill to truly provide funds to these programs. ECA staff will continue to monitor progress on FY2026 Appropriations and Authorization and provide updates as they develop. You can learn more about energy
appropriations process, the NDAA, and other budget issues on our website.
DOE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY ESTABLISHES THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT CONSORTIUM
Background: On May 23, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14302, Reinvigorating the Nuclear
Industrial Base, and directs the Secretary of Energy to seek voluntary agreements pursuant to section 708 of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The United States currently lacks the sufficient domestic nuclear fuel resources to meet projected demand and requires swift and decisive action to secure the nation’s economic and national security interests. Program Overview: The U.S. Department of
Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy is establishing the Defense Production Act Consortium and will seek voluntary agreements with U.S. companies. The voluntary agreements allow industry consultation to develop plans of action to ensure that the nuclear fuel supply chain capacity for mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, deconversion, fabrication, recycling and reprocessing is available to enable the continued reliable operation of the nation’s reactors. Click here for the original article, in addition to current opportunities and resources.
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!
THE NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP IS ALMOST HERE!
September 24 - 25, 2025 | Crystal Gateway Marriott | Arlington, VA
We’re officially one month away from the National Cleanup Workshop to be held September 24-25 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott - Arlington, VA!
Join us to hear
from Roger Jarrell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) and Acting Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM), and a wide array of federal representatives, industry officials and state and local leaders. We will 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.
If you haven’t secured your spot,
now’s the time!
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 EXHIBITS & SPONSORSHIPS
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: Oklo Signs MOU with ABB and Commissions Monitoring Room to Advance Training for Aurora Powerhouse Deployment SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oklo Inc. (“Oklo”), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation, and has commissioned a digital monitoring room at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The monitoring room, equipped with ABB technology, will anchor Oklo’s operator training
and simulation center and reflects continued progress toward fleetwide deployment of Oklo’s Aurora powerhouses. Read the full story Landmark partnership between The Nuclear Company and USC aims to advance nuclear energy innovation This past April, The Nuclear
Company opened its primary engineering and construction office in Columbia. Earlier this week, the company, which aims to modernize nuclear construction in the U.S., announced a landmark partnership with the University of South
Carolina’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) to position the state as a national hub for advanced nuclear energy innovation, workforce development, and economic growth. Read the full story Growing nuclear momentum in New Jersey Enthusiasm is continuing to trend upward in New Jersey this week as industry and government have rallied over the idea of new nuclear capacity in the state. Holtec executives spoke at a state legislative meeting on siting small modular reactors at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant site. Also present was the state’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU) president, who talked about addressing high energy costs through SMRs. Elsewhere, U.S. Rep. and leading gubernatorial candidate
Mikie Sherrill talked on the campaign trail about the potential for new nuclear. Read the full story X-energy, Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Doosan Enerbility Announce Partnership to Scale Advanced Nuclear Energy
for AI Infrastructure X-energy, Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Doosan Enerbility sign strategic
collaboration agreement to accelerate the deployment of new Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactors in the United States to meet increasing power demands by data centers, advanced manufacturing, and electrification. 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 - Matthew Loh: The United States' Relationship with Singapore and China August 26, 2025 | S03 E233 In this episode of NucleCast, host Adam speaks with Matthew Loh, a defense reporter from Singapore, about the complex
geopolitical landscape in Southeast Asia, particularly regarding Singapore's relationship with China and the United States. Loh provides insights into Singapore's unique position as a small but strategically important nation, navigating its ties with major powers while maintaining a neutral stance. The conversation explores Singapore's military reliance on the US, the potential risks of conflict over Taiwan, and the implications of China's ambitions in the region. Loh also shares his wishes for
Singapore's future, emphasizing the need for public education on geopolitics and the importance of stability in a rapidly changing world. 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 ECA New Nuclear Forum 2026 Augusta, GA | April 21 - 24 Learn More Here
|
|
