Sens. Murkowski, Booker, and colleagues reintroduce Nuclear Energy Leadership Act
ECA Staff | 3/28/2019
On Thursday, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Corey Booker (D-NJ) were joined by 13 other Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA)--bipartisan legislation to "boost nuclear energy innovation and ensure advanced reactors can provide clean, safe, affordable, and reliable
power to meet national and global energy needs," according to a press release from the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee majority.
"NELA aims to reestablish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy," the release states. "It will bring together private and public sector innovators to develop next-generation advanced reactor concepts."
"As we seek to maintain electric reliability, keep energy prices affordable, and address climate change, nuclear power stands out as one of our very best options,” Murkowski said. “We once led the world in nuclear energy, but have surrendered that position to Russia and China. It is imperative that we reverse that trend and develop advanced nuclear technologies domestically. Our bipartisan bill will provide the tools, resources, and
partnerships necessary to reestablish U.S. global leadership, and I thank my colleagues for sponsoring it with me.
“It’s imperative for the United States to lead the way on tackling the world's climate crisis and that must include the development of clean and innovative technologies like next generation nuclear energy,” Booker said. “This bipartisan bill will spur development of demonstration projects at the Department of Energy, which could become an important source of carbon free electricity generation.”
The bill contains several sections, including:
- Authorization of Long-Term Power Purchase Agreements;
- Long-Term Nuclear Power Purchase Agreement Pilot Program;
- Advanced Nuclear Reactor Research and Development Goals;
- Nuclear Energy Strategic Plan;
- Versatile, Reactor-Based Fast Neutron Source;
- Advanced Nuclear Fuel Security Programs; and a
- University Nuclear Leadership Program.
A copy of the full text of the legislation is available here. Click here for a one-page bill summary and here to view a
section-by-section. Read the full committee press release here.
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
Energy secretary calls the cost of cleanup at the Hanford, Washington, site “shocking”
Tri-City Herald | 3/26/2019
RICHLAND, WA - Energy Secretary Rick Perry called the latest estimate of remaining Hanford cleanup costs “a pretty shocking number,” at a budget hearing before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., a member of the committee, asked Perry how he reconciled the Trump administration’s reduced budget request for Hanford for next year with the estimates of remaining cleanup costs at Hanford.
At the end of January, a new lifecycle cost and schedule report was released by the Department of Energy, putting the estimated remaining cost of Hanford cleanup, plus several years of monitoring, at $323 billion to $677 billion.
The budget request made to Congress last week asked for about $2.1 billion for the Hanford nuclear reservation in the next fiscal year, down from current spending of about $2.5 billion. It’s a proposed decrease of $416 million.
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
MOX termination should be complete by fiscal year 2021, DOE budget documents show
Aiken Standard | 3/27/2019
The U.S. Department of Energy is expecting to have the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility fully terminated and closed out by fiscal year 2021, according to newly released budget justification documents.
A local National Nuclear Security Administration spokesperson confirmed the timeframe to the Aiken Standard on Wednesday.
Complete termination includes "demolition and disposition of property," securing important materials and documents, laying off workers and stewarding the facility for future use, according to the budget documents.
A NNSA statement of work for MOX closure, obtained by the Aiken Standard in October 2018, laid out roughly one year of tasks.
"The government requires termination activities to be completed in the shortest timeframe and at minimal cost in alignment with budget availability," the extensive, and finely tuned, statement of work reads.
The NNSA canceled the MOX project contract in full on Oct. 10, 2018. MOX workers began getting layoff notices – affording a 60-day heads up – in November 2018. More than 1,000 MOX workers have since received their notices.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
STORAGE & DISPOSITION
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Learn more about DOE's cleanup sites with ECA's new DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, DOE stakeholders, and other parties who may be interested in learning more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local
governments.
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