ECA Update 10/10; TIM WALSH CONFIRMED AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR DOE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Published: Fri, 10/10/25

Updated: Fri, 10/10/25

TIM WALSH CONFIRMED AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR DOE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OFFICE

On the evening of October 7, the Senate confirmed Timothy John Walsh of Colorado as Assistant Secretary (EM-1) of the Department of Environmental Management Office (DOE-EM). This is the first time in over 6 years since we have had a Senate confirmed Assistant Secretary in the position. ECA has always advocated for a political nominee in the role as it allows tough decisions to be reviewed and made in this role.

As ECA stated in its July letter to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Senate Armed Services Committee supporting the nomination, "ECA supports the nomination of Mr. Walsh, who would be the first political appointee in over six years to lead the EM program. ECA believes that EM should be led by a political appointee to enable the difficult decision-making that the program requires to evolve and best serve the U.S. taxpayers and the host communities. Congress and President set up the EM program to have a political leader to ensure that the leader of the program would go through the Senate confirmation process and be directly accountable to the President, the Secretary, and Congress."

Click here to read the full letter.

As discussed in ECA's transition paper, Ensuring Long-Term Success: Recommendations for the Next Administration on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Mission, while EM has made substantial progress in cleaning up sites over the past 35 years, decades of work remain to be completed. The program faces substantial challenges that can threaten continued success in areas such as workforce development, waste disposal capacity and sustained relationships with local communities.

Click here to read the full paper.

Further, the communities are excited about the opportunities the new Assistant Secretary Walsh can bring to the role. The nuclear industry continues to expand in our communities and the coordination with EM and NE at DOE will be a key to the United States role in new nuclear development.

Click here to read more on the historic confirmation.

ECA NEW NUCLEAR FORUM TO BE HOSTED IN AUGUSTA, GA FROM APRIL 21-23, 2026

Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is pleased to host the fifth annual ECA Forum in Augusta, GA from April 21 - April 23, 2026. The meeting is part of ECA’s ongoing New Nuclear Initiative to define the role of local governments in supporting the development of the new nuclear technologies.

April 21 | Registration Opens & Nuclear 101

April 22 | Full Day General Session

April 23 | Half-Day General Session

The ECA Forum is the only meeting designed to bring together DOE, federal, state, local and tribal governments and policymakers with developers, utilities, regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary to support nuclear development. Stay tuned for further details on registration, agenda, and more!

Click here to learn more about the upcoming ECA New Nuclear Forum!

WHAT YOU'VE MISSED:

Idaho National Laboratory conducts heat pipe r&d

Idaho National Laboratory under the Department of Energy–sponsored Microreactor Program recently conducted a comprehensive phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) exercise aimed at advancing heat pipe technology for microreactor applications.

Read the full story

DOE interactive map assists with datacenter siting decisions

Developed by NREL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office, the Speed to Power Data Viewer is a free, interactive map designed to support data center siting decisions. It draws on decades of NREL expertise in integrating power grid modeling with spatial analysis to assist strategic and cost-effective energy infrastructure planning.

Read the full story

Massachusetts Governor's Office to Launch Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy Roadmaps in Partnership with UMass Lowell

The Massachusetts Governor's office is teaming up with University of Massachusetts Lowell to develop “Advanced Nuclear and Fusion Energy Roadmaps” to accelerate the state’s leadership in advanced nuclear and fusion energy technologies.

Read the full story

PODCASTS ON NUCLEAR:

Gone Fission Podcast - TVA SMR at Clinch River

September 22, 2025 | S5 E5

The 2025 Nuclear Opportunities Workshop sponsored by the East Tennessee Economic Council in Knoxville continues to yield newsworthy stories for the Gone Fission podcast. This week, host Michael Butler talks with Tennessee Valley Authority Vice President Greg Borschieg about TVA's plans to build a small modular reactor on the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge. In May, TVA became the first American utility to apply for a construction permit to build an SMR. Learn more about this groundbreaking project in this week's episode of the Gone Fission podcast.

https://gonefissionpodcast.com/

EFCOG Exchange Podcast

September 17, 2025 | S1 E1

In this debut episode, EFCOG Chair and Honeywell Federal Solutions VP/GM David “DJ” Johnson sits down with Mike Nartker, VP of Communications at Longenecker & Associates, to explore EFCOG’s history, mission, and the impactful work happening across the DOE complex. New to EFCOG? This episode offers an engaging introduction to the organization and its current priorities. Already familiar? You’ll hear fresh insights from DJ and Mike on opportunities to strengthen collaboration with DOE—highlighting how digital tools and AI can help advance the Department’s evolving mission. Stay tuned for future episodes of the EFCOG Exchange Podcast, where we’ll continue spotlighting innovation, collaboration, and success across the DOE enterprise.

https://efcog.buzzsprout.com/2531686