ECA NEW NUCLEAR FORUM 2025 WRAP UP
In April, the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), in conjunction with the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), hosted the fourth annual ECA Forum: Moving New Nuclear Projects Forward. The event brought together DOE, federal, state, local, Tribal governments, and policymakers with private sector developers, utilities, industry, regulators, and academia. The agenda reflected the rapid pace of change in the nuclear sector. Nearly 250 attendees came to Idaho
Falls to explore the opportunities, challenges, and partnerships currently underway to support new nuclear development in the United States and beyond. Keynote speakers for the opening sessions included Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho (ID-2) and Dr.
Michael Goff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy. On the second morning, David Wright, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, kicked off the day’s agenda. Snapshot sessions by Kristen Ellis, DOE-EM
Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, and Stephanie Weir, National Technical Director for Collaboration-Based Siting, provided details on related nuclear initiatives in their respective program offices. Key takeaways from the event included: - New federal policies are propelling new nuclear development and project planning.
- Local ambitions align with
today’s federal momentum to maintain and deploy nuclear power.
- A transitioning workforce can accelerate the industry’s renewal. Opportunities exist for energy communities, like those evaluating coal-to-nuclear transitions, to leverage existing training and retraining programs to create new jobs.
- The past is prologue – valuable lessons inform today’s approaches to licensing, construction, siting and community engagement around nuclear projects.
- American nuclear deployments
set the pace for global sector leadership.
ECA was founded to give communities a voice in national energy decisions. The New Nuclear Forum remains proof of that promise in action and all that it can accomplish. Planning for the 2026 Forum is already underway, and ECA looks forward to the progress reports anticipated when stakeholders convene again in South Carolina. ECA has put together videos from Idaho Falls online for all to watch. Whether one missed a single session, or the whole Forum, you can still check out the important conversations ECA members are having about new nuclear - click here to see the ECA Forum: Moving New Nuclear
Projects Forward Resource Page! The page hosts a variety of resources to exhibited at the Forum, including a participants list, session-by-session breakdowns of speaker bios, presentations, recordings of the proceedings, and a full summary of the Forum.
GAO RELEASES REPORT ON HOW DOE EM CAN SAVE BILLIONS IN THE CLEANUP MISSION
The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for cleaning up and disposing of nuclear waste from 15 federal sites, known as the EM complex. EM primarily manages four types of nuclear waste: low-level radioactive waste (LLW), transuranic waste, high-level radioactive waste, and spent nuclear fuel. EM develops estimates of the amount of
each type of waste that it expects to dispose of to complete its cleanup work. However, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), EM's estimates include significant uncertainties. For example, waste amounts could vary depending on the future cleanup approaches selected.
EM has multiple disposal options for LLW, including six DOE facilities and two commercial facilities. In a recently published report, GAO's analysis found that EM's disposal needs exceed these facilities' current capacity and future expansion will be required. Further, transuranic waste currently has only one disposal option—the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico—and additional future transuranic waste could nearly exceed the facility's capacity. High-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel have no existing disposal option and will require the siting of a
new deep geologic repository. EM headquarters delegates disposal decisions to individual cleanup site officials and supports them as needed. However, EM has not assessed opportunities to optimize complex-wide disposal decisions—GAO has previously found that EM could save billions of dollars by considering alternate disposal plans for certain waste. EM has also not developed an integrated waste disposal plan to address
factors affecting EM's ability to complete its cleanup mission. EM officials told GAO they have not assessed complex-wide strategic alternatives to current disposal plans because regulatory constraints limit alternatives. However, the use of models, such as optimization models, could reduce the costs of EM's cleanup mission by billions of dollars. By developing a complex-wide plan, EM will be better able to address
interrelated issues across its 15 sites and identify opportunities to address regulatory constraints. Moreover, implementing its disposal plan will likely require EM to negotiate with multiple regulators to revise agreements at different sites. By leveraging modeling and integrated planning, EM would be better positioned to engage with regulators in a complex-wide forum to ensure that each waste stream is disposed of in a cost-effective manner that protects human health and the
environment. To read the full report, click here. To read a one-page summary of the report, click here.
SUPREME COURT LIMITS NEPA REVIEW OF MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN 8-0 RULING
Axios | May 29 The Supreme Court unanimously decided Thursday to limit environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects in a case that has profound implications for President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda. Why it matters: The justices' decision reduces the scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act to focus only on immediate impacts. - Under NEPA, federal agencies must study any potentially significant environmental consequences of federal permits for infrastructure projects.
- Industry officials and their supporters have long complained that NEPA reviews have grown beyond what Congress intended, often dragging out the approval
process.
Driving the news: At issue in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County was whether the federal Surface Transportation Board should assess climate change impacts
when authorizing a railway seeking to connect Utah's crude oil to the national rail network and on to Gulf Coast refineries. - Justices determined that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit went too far in requiring regulators to look at potential effects on Gulf Coast communities.
- The court, in an 8-0 opinion with Justice Neil Gorsuch recusing himself, said federal agencies are entitled to "substantial judicial deference" in NEPA cases.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor
and the court's other two liberal justices said federal regulators lack the authority to take into account any harms caused by the oil that might eventually be carried on the railway...
Read the original article
here.
SENATE ENERGY AND WATER SUBCOMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON NNSA BUDGET REQUEST
The Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 4 at 2:30pm ET to review the President's discretionary fiscal year 2026 budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Acting Administrator Teresa Robbins will appear as a witness before the Subcommittee. To watch the hearing live on that date, click here!
ROGER JARRELL, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EM, TO SPEAK AT THE NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
September 23 - 25, 2025 | Crystal Gateway
Marriott | Arlington, VA
Join us for the 11th annual National Cleanup Workshop (NCW), to be held September 24-25, 2025 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott - Arlington, VA. 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 growing list of federal representatives, industry officials and state and local leaders. Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors
Group and DOE-EM; this is one of the largest events in the country dealing with the issues tackled by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM). TAKE A FIRST LOOK AT WHO'S SPEAKING!
Roger Jarrell | Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
Brent Gerry | Mayor, City of
West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA
Rebecca Casper | Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, ID; Vice-Chair, ECA
David "DJ" Johnson | Vice President, Honeywell Federal Solutions; EFCOG Board Chair
Heatherly Dukes | President, Technical Service Group, BWX Technologies, Inc.
Carol Johnson | President and Program Manager, Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C)
Jeff Kendall | President,
AtkinsRéalis US Nuclear
Mark Whitney | President, Energy and Environment, Amentum
... and more!
Make sure to register before July 1, 2025, to receive the early bird discount rate! The cost of registration will increase after July 1.
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!
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: US approves NuScale's bigger nuclear reactor design WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday approved NuScale Power's (SMR.N), opens
new tab design for 77 megawatt reactors, clearing a hurdle for the company as it seeks to be the first company to build a U.S. small modular reactor. NuScale sought approval for the 77 MW design to improve economics and performance of its planned small modular reactors (SMRs), after having originally received NRC approval in 2020 for a 50 MW reactor
design. Read the full story Miller: Idaho needs nuclear energy to power Artificial Intelligence As artificial intelligence continues to use more and more electricity, nuclear energy may be the answer for Idaho and the United States, a local legislator says. Two state lawmakers from the Magic Valley on Wednesday joined other members of the Legislature's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee in a tour of the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls to learn more about nuclear energy development. Rep. Steve Miller, R-Fairfield, and Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, R-Twin
Falls, participated in the tour. Read the full story Filling technical gaps and fueling the advancing nuclear supply chain at
SRNL Ensuring energy resilience for our nation is on the minds of leaders and citizens alike. Advances in nuclear power technologies are increasing needs within the nuclear industry supply chain. Savannah River National Laboratory’s decades of experience in nuclear materials processing makes the lab uniquely qualified to meet the current and future challenges of the nuclear fuel
cycle. Read the full story
GoneFission Nuclear Report - Oak Ridge Nuclear Center
of Excellence May 13, 2025 | S5 E2 Dr. Stephen Nagy discusses Japan's strategic positioning in a complex geopolitical landscape, particularly in relation to the U.S.-China rivalry. He explores Japan's economic ties with China, the challenges posed by regional security
threats, and the evolving strategies Japan is employing to navigate these issues. The conversation delves into Japan's historical pacifism, the potential for nuclear deterrence discussions, and the importance of trade agreements and technological cooperation in ensuring regional stability. https://gonefissionpodcast.com/ NucleCast - Dr. Stephen Nagy: Navigating Japan's Strategic Landscape May 27, 2025 | S02 E220 In this episode of NucleCast, Adam interviews Tom Summers, the acting chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board (DNFSB). They discuss the DNFSB's mission to ensure safety in nuclear operations, the balance between safety and mission accomplishment, the challenges of aging
infrastructure, and the board's commitment to modernization and technological advancements. Tom emphasizes the importance of safety oversight in the context of national security and the need for a next generation of nuclear safety leaders. https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/
Spring into Strategy: Radiation Messaging and Outreach - Organized by NNSA Office of Nuclear Incident Policy & Cooperation Virtual | Multiple Dates Register Here National Cleanup Workshop 2025 Arlington, VA | September 23 - 25 Learn More Here
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