ENERGY COMMUNITIES ALLIANCE Read ECA's Spring 2017 Bulletin ECA Staff May 18, 2017 ECA has published the Spring 2017 ECA Bulletin, a detailed the January 2017 Bulletin, a detailed brief of the major events from across the DOE nuclear complex.
Articles in the issue include:
- The Legislative Update: a close look at the FY17 budget, FY18 appropriations process, Yucca Mountain legislation, and
more;
- Aging Hanford Infrastructure Leads to Partial Tunnel Collapse;
- ECA Sends Letter to EM Emphasizing Communication with Local Governments;
- WIPP Receives First Shipment Since Reopening; and
- Bipartisan Legislation in Congress Aims to Reform NRC and Promote Nuclear Technology Innovation
The ECA Bulletin also provides an overview of major contracts and acquisitions news, Government Accountability Office, and a calander of all upcoming ECA
events.
Questions, comments, or suggestions for future editions may be sent to ECA Program Manager Megan Casper at
meganc@energyca.org.
Scoop: Trump's plan to cut fossil-fuel, nuclear funding Axios May 17,
2017 The Trump administration wants to cut the Energy Department's offices for nuclear power and fossil-fuel energy by 31% and 54%, respectively, according to
a draft administration budget document viewed by Axios.
Why it matters: Top Trump administration officials have repeatedly said they back nuclear power and fossil fuels, in particular coal burned more cleanly with technology that captures and stores carbon underground instead of emitting it. These cuts show mismatch between the rhetoric and what they're willing to
allocate. >>Continue readingStatement From Secretary Perry On The Hanford Site Incident DOE May 11, 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry released the following statement
regarding the incident at the Department’s Hanford Site:
"I am pleased to announce that our dedicated and talented team of experts at the Department of Energy's Hanford site have completed filling in the hole discovered at the PUREX tunnel," said Secretary Perry. "This was accomplished swiftly and safely to help prevent any further complications. Our next step is to identify and implement longer-term measures to further reduce risks. This
week's incident is a reminder that the men and women who work for the Department of Energy do incredible work, but that work does not come without risk. Thankfully, the system worked as it should and all are safe. As Secretary, the safety of our workforce, the communities and tribal nations that surround our sites, and the environment is my highest
priority." >>Continue readingChairman Walden Requests DOE Briefing on Hanford Site U.S. House Energy and
Commerce Committee May 10,
2017 WASHINGTON, DC – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) today issued the following statement regarding the tunnel cave-in at the Hanford Site containing contaminated materials and equipment from Cold War
operations.
"The Energy and Commerce Committee has been in contact with the Department of Energy (DOE) regarding a tunnel cave-in at the Hanford Site. While there have been no reports of injuries, and no indication of a release of contamination, as Chairman of the committee, I have asked DOE to provide a bipartisan briefing for Members and staff on the situation. I am continuing to monitor
the situation as the facts develop, and I look forward to DOE assisting the committee in understanding the circumstances that contributed to the cave-in and regarding concerns related to operations at the Hanford Site." >>Continue readingWorkers who discovered break in Hanford radioactive waste tunnel praised Tri-City
Herald May 13,
2017 Hanford radiological control technicians who questioned some unusual radiation readings are being credited with discovering the breach in a waste storage tunnel at Hanford this
week.
“Congratulations to employees who were very astute,” said Doug Shoop, manager of the Department of Energy Richland Operations
Office.
He spoke publicly for the first time since the partially collapsed tunnel was discovered on Tuesday, as he and other officials returned to Richland after taking Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., onto the nearby Hanford nuclear reservation for a briefing and look at the tunnel Saturday morning.
>>Continue readingUS energy chief touts nuclear energy, vows cleanup
progress San Francisco Chronicle May 10, 2017 LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Wednesday vowed to advocate for nuclear power as the nation looks for ways to fuel its economy and limit the effects of electricity generation on the
environment.
Perry made the comments during a visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, where nuclear research has been among the main focuses since the lab's founding years during World War II. Los Alamos played a key role in the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the
first atomic bomb.
Current work at the lab centers on nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation and the modernization of the U.S. nuclear
stockpile. >>Continue readingU.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry Praises National Labs
During Los Alamos Visit Los Alamos Daily Post May 10,
2017 Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with media representatives Wednesday afternoon after he had toured Los Alamos National
Laboratory and addressed lab employees. He praised the national labs as a whole and said every country should have at least one lab like the ones we have in the United States.
“We are blessed to have them. I’m excited to be a
very hopefully potent spokesman and defender of what they do,” Perry said. He went on to thank LANL Director Charlie McMillan for his hospitality and for the very instructive time spent with him. He said he had read a great deal about the labs but that coming out here and interacting with the men and women is always very
important. >>Continue readingSecretary of Energy delivers optimistic message at
WIPP Carlsbad Current-Argus
May 11, 2017 CARLSBAD, N.M. — Newly appointed Secretary of Energy Rick Perry had nothing but words of encouragement and optimism for the workforce at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant on
Thursday.
Perry toured the facility with Carlsbad Field Office officials Thursday morning and addressed a large crowd of WIPP employees and local officials
afterward.
"I will suggest to you and anyone who listens that what happens at WIPP, the job that you all are involved with, may be one of the most important in the country from the standpoint of keeping this country safe and
giving this country great comfort that our government is involved in activities that will economically move America forward," Perry said. >>Continue
readingCONTRACTING &
ACQUISITION NNSA Awards Nevada National Security Site M&O Contract to MSTS NNSA May 12, 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced today it has awarded Mission Support and Test Services LLC (MSTS) with the management and operating contract for the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) near Las Vegas,
Nev.
MSTS is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), Jacobs Engineering Group
Inc. (Jacobs), and Stoller Newport News Nuclear, Inc. (SN3).
NNSA conducted a full and open competition for the
follow-on NNSS M&O contract. The award is valued at $5 billion over 10 years if all options are exercised. Evaluation criteria included past performance, proposed management and key personnel, small business utilization, and cost. >>Continue
readingOfficials want LANL to keep paying taxes Santa Fe New Mexican May 16, 2017 Public officials from Northern New Mexico communities are renewing a push to try to ensure that Los Alamos National
Laboratory and its contractors continue to pay gross receipts taxes on their purchases.
Under state law, the communities and the state would lose tens of millions of dollars a year in gross receipts taxes if a nonprofit group takes over management of the lab next year when the Department of Energy puts a new contractor in place. The lab is now managed by a for-profit consortium, which is required to pay gross receipts
taxes.
A bill that would have required a nonprofit lab
management organization to pay gross receipts taxes died in the Legislature’s session that ended in March. >>Continue reading |
|
| June 2017 | | 7 | House Nuclear Cleanup
Caucus Event |
|
| June 2017 | | 14 | INVITATION
ONLY
ECA High-Level Waste Committee Strategic Session |
|
| August 2017 | | 8-9 | Intermountain Energy Summitt |
|
| August
2017 | | 16-17 | INVITATION ONLY ECA Peer Exchange: Implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Richland, WA |
|
| September 2017 | | 5-7 | Radwaste Summitt 2017 Summerlin, NV |
|
| September 2017 | | 12-14 | 2017 National Cleanup
Workshop Alexandria,
VA |
|
| September 2017 | | 13 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
Event Washington,
DC
|
|
Find the most recent ECA Bulletin here |
|
