Opinion: Don’t squander America’s leadership in nuclear energy The Hill July 26, 2017 By Warren
F. Miller, Peter B. Lyons, and John F. Kotek
The United States government invented civil nuclear energy, commencing a wide-ranging research, development and demonstration program built off of the World War II Manhattan Project.
The Atoms for Peace program, initiated by President Eisenhower in the mid-1950s, gave the effort a major boost. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission — the predecessor of today’s U.S. Department of Energy — later began research development and demonstration programs in virtually all areas of energy technology. That was decades ago. So why should the federal government today continue to have a role in nuclear energy development or, for that matter, any form of energy technology development? Why not leave energy development and deployment to the private sector >>Continue reading SRS completes construction of new saltstone disposal unit The Aiken Standard July 22,
2017 Construction is complete 16 months ahead of schedule and
$25 million under budget on a new disposal unit for saltstone waste at the Savannah River Site, according to a news release.
The 32.8-million gallon Saltstone Disposal Unit 6, or SDU 6, which cost about $118 million, was designed and built by SRS liquid waste contractor Savannah River
Remediation.
It can accommodate the larger stream of decontaminated salt solution from the Salt Waste Processing Facility, or SWPF, scheduled to begin operations in December 2018. >>Continue reading ETTP switchyard cleanup project nears completion The Oak Ridger July 21, 2017 OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge EM program and a small business specializing in environmental consulting, remediation, and deactivation and decommissioning are scheduled to complete field work and cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park’s K-732 Switchyard this month, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental
Management.
Workers removed extensive electrical infrastructure and equipment, transported three massive 110-ton condensers and characterized, excavated and backfilled three condenser basements and 20 underground vaults. They also remediated the soil and removed and transported nearly 56,000 gallons of oil. >>Continue reading CAB recommends against using SRS for waste storage The Aiken
Standard July 25, 2017 Recommendations for the opposition of consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at SRS had mixed opinions Tuesday during the second day of the two-day Citizens Advisory Board, or CAB, meeting.
While other recommendations were mostly unanimous, CAB members spent time debating parts of the draft proposal presented at
Monday's meeting.
According to CAB Chair Nina Spinelli, the recommendations will be sent to the U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE.. >>Continue reading MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Hanford national park visitor center dedicated Tri-City Herald July 25, 2017 The stars and stripes were raised over the Richland visitor center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Richland at a dedication ceremony Tuesday.
The center that has served as a gateway for tours of Hanford’s historic B Reactor since 2009 has had $127,000 of improvements made by the Port of Benton.
It stepped up and took a chance on a young national park, said Colleen French, DOE’s national park program manager at Hanford.
It may not be the visitor center long term. The National Park Service is required to conduct a study and prepare a Visitor Access and Use Plan that will pick a permanent location. >>Continue
reading |
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| August 2017 | | 8-9 | Intermountain Energy Summitt |
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| August 2017 | | 16-70 | INVITATION ONLY
ECA Peer
Exchange: Implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park |
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| September 2017 | | 5-7 | Radwaste Summitt 2017 |
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| September 2017 | | 12-14 | 2017 National Cleanup
Workshop |
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| September 2017 | | 13 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Event |
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Find the most recent ECA Bulletin here |
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