Senate advances Rick Perry to be Energy secretary The Hill March 2, 2017 The Senate voted Thursday
to forward with Rick Perry's nomination to be Energy secretary.
Senators voted 62-37 to get his nomination over an initial procedural hurdle, setting up a final vote for Perry as early as Friday if senators fail to reach a deal to speed up his nomination.
Democratic Sens. Mark Warner (Va.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Jon Tester (Mont.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) voted
with all present Republicans to back Perry.
GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.) was not present.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted ahead of the vote that Perry would get bipartisan support, adding that once the former Texas governor is confirmed, he can "begin leading on smarter policies at the Energy Department." >>Continue readingTrump To Propose $54 Billion Defense Increase, Cuts To Domestic Programs NPR February 27, 2017 President Trump's budget will propose a $54 billion increase in defense spending, while slashing domestic programs by the same amount. The president told the nation's governors on Monday that his plan "puts America
first," and that "we're going to do more with less, and make the government lean and accountable to people."
An official
with the White House Office of Management and Budget, who spoke to reporters only if not named, said most agencies will see budget cuts, including foreign aid, which comprises less than 1 percent of federal spending.
A formal budget blueprint will be sent to Congress in March. The official said this the first step of "internal collaboration" between the White House and federal agencies. >>Continue readingActing EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange Speaks to Energy Communities Alliance EM Update February 28, 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange emphasized the role and value of local communities in the DOE cleanup mission in remarks to the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) on Feb. 23.
“The local communities near our sites can be some of our most passionate and driven
advocates that we have for our mission,” Cange said. “That’s because you understand the EM mission — why we do what we do — because your communities have been home to our nation’s defense nuclear weapons production programs and government-sponsored nuclear energy research in some cases for over 70 years.” >>Continue readingMake Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste a Security Issue:
Proponent Bloomberg BNA February 24, 2017 The political logjam over Yucca Mountain should be broken by depicting the storage of nuclear waste there as a national-security issue, a leading Nevada proponent of the project
says.
“If I could get in a room with President Donald Trump, what I would say is this a national security issue. The government made promises. They’ve taken money from ratepayers. There’s $30 billion-plus sitting there. It’s time to follow the law,” said Dan Schinhofen, chairman of the Nye
County Board of County of Commissioners, who represents the county where Yucca Mountain is located.
Other advocates of Yucca Mountain previously have cited national security as a reason for opening the site, even though much of the waste to be sent there comes from commercial nuclear
plants and not federal defense facilities. >>Continue readingHanford officials: Emptying waste from leaking tank completed Tri-City Herald February
21, 2017 The Department of Energy has completed work to empty as much waste as possible from Hanford’s double-shell tank with an interior leak, according to a notification to the state Department of Ecology.
DOE was required by a settlement agreement with the Department of
Ecology to have the tank emptied of enough waste to determine the cause of the leak by March 4.
“Preparations for tank inspections are being initiated,” the notice said.
Tank AY-102, Hanford’s oldest double-shell waste storage tank, held about 744,000 gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste when work started to empty it almost a year ago on March 3. >>Continue reading |
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| March 2017 | | 1-2 | Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board,
Hanford Richland, WA
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| March 2017 | | 2 | Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth Pikeon, OH |
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| March 2017 | | 5-9 | Waste Management Conference Phoenix, AZ |
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| March 2017 | | 7 | Environmental Management Business Opportunities Forum Phoenix, AZ |
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| April
2017 | | 5 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Event |
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| June
2017 | | 7 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Event |
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| August 2017 | | 16-17 | INVITATION ONLY
ECA Peer Exchange: Implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Richland, WA |
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| September 2017 | | 12-14 | 2017 National Cleanup Workshop Alexandria, VA |
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| September 2017 | | 13 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
Event Washington,
DC
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Find the most recent ECA Bulletin here |
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