ECA Update: New Mexico Senators call on DOE to suspend Order 140.1; Piketon requests hearing for on-site landfill

Published: Fri, 08/31/18

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ECA UPDATE

Aug 31, 2018

FEATURED

NUCLEAR SAFETY

Senators Udall, Heinrich call upon DOE to suspend Order 140.1

ECA Staff | 8/31/2018

This week, New Mexico Senators Udall and Heinrich sent a joint letter to Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requesting that the Committee: (1) prohibit funds from being used to support a reorganization and staff reduction of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB); and (2) include language in the final FY19 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that suspends DOE Order 140.1.

DOE Order 140.1, the letter contends, "appears to restrict the amount of information the Board can access for its safety oversight work at DOE sites." The letter also notes the DNFSB's unanimous opposition to the Order, as recognized in a August 28 public hearing.

ECA formally submitted a request to the Secretary of Energy, calling on DOE to halt implementation of Order 140.1 until a review process could take place that solicits input from the DNFSB, local governments, and other relevant stakeholders. A copy of ECA's letter can be found here.

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP

Piketon wants hearing on waste disposal criteria for proposed on-site waste dump

Chillicothe Gazette | 8/30/2018

PIKETON – The Village of Piketon and its representatives are now pushing for a public hearing on what materials will be allowed inside that facility.

During a village council meeting last week, the body approved a pair of resolutions tied to their efforts to stop construction of an onsite waste disposal facility on Department of Energy land in the village.

The first is a request for a public hearing on the Waste Acceptance Criteria Implementation Plan proposed by DOE for the disposal site. The second requests a public hearing on the final findings and orders for actions to restore natural resources at the site.

The requests are the latest effort by village officials to ensure they have a voice in determining the future use of the site. As opposition against the creation of the onsite waste disposal facility has been pursued, one of the arguments made involves the village’s claim that DOE has not made enough of an effort to engage village officials or to address findings of a third-party assessment that cracks in the bedrock where the disposal cell is being created could pose a potential risk should the cell someday leak.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sept 11 Environmental Management Advisory Board Meeting; Alexandria, VA

Sept 11 EM Site-Specific Advisory Board Chairs Meeting; Alexandria, VA

Sept 11-13 2018 National Cleanup Workshop; Alexandria, VA

Sept 12 House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Event; Washington, DC

Sept 12 EM Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge; Oak Ridge, TN

Sept 30 End of Fiscal Year 2018

Oct 1 Start of Fiscal Year 2019

Oct 2-4 2018 ETEBA Business Opportunities & Technical Conference; Knoxville, TN

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