HEARING
Secretary Jennifer Granholm backs wind and solar in Biden bid to decarbonize electricity
The Hill | 5/6/2021
Secretary Granholm testified this week to the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee on the DOE budget.
During the hearing, Granholm expressed openness to subsidizing nuclear energy plants. “We’re not going to be able to achieve our climate goals if our nuclear power plants shut down, we have to find ways to keep them operating,” she
said.
“This question of some direct subsidy or some way to support these plants to stay open, that’s still an open question, but I know that this administration would be eager to work with Congress on it,” the official added.
Asked about alternatives to a controversial nuclear waste repository in Nevada called Yucca Mountain, Granholm said that the department was “moving forward” to developing an approach to find a consent-based interim storage facility.
“The possible steps...include requests for information, engaging with stakeholders and tribal governments, establishing a funding mechanism for interested communities, organizations, maybe tribal governments to explore the concept,” she said, adding that the department hopes to announce next steps “in the coming months.”
Her full opening statement can be read here.
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PLUTONIUM PIT PRODUCTION
Plutonium pit plan involving SC endorsed by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
Aiken Standard | 5/6/2021
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at a Thursday budget hearing endorsed a plan to craft nuclear weapon cores in both South Carolina and New Mexico, a vote of confidence as the multibillion-dollar venture clambers forward.
Asked by Rep. Ken Calvert of California if she supports the National Nuclear Security Administration’s two-site approach to producing 80 plutonium pits per year, Granholm: “I do.” Calvert, a Republican, was pleased.
ECA “Engaging Energy Communities in Advanced Nuclear Demonstration Projects” Webinar Available
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NUCLEAR POWER
Federal subsidies for nuclear plants?
ANS | 5/5/2021
The Biden administration has indicated to lawmakers that it supports federal subsidies for struggling nuclear power plants, Reuters reported this morning, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
The subsidies would be in the form of production tax credits, according to the report, and would likely become part of the president’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.
“There’s a deepening understanding within the administration that it needs nuclear to meet its zero-emission goals,” states a Reuters source.
Last month, during the Leaders Summit on Climate, President Biden announced that the United States will target reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52 percent by 2030, with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest
Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's 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, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local
governments.
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