COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Cut in School and Emergency Response PILT Funding in DOE Request for SRS and Hanford
ECA Staff | 6/11/2021
We have had follow-up requests for the letter to Secretary Granholm on DOE not requesting funds that support schools and emergency response to the communities around SRS and Hanford through PILT that we ran in yesterday’s update. The letter is located here.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Newhouse Welcomes Western Caucus Vice Chair Stauber to Central Washington to Talk Nuclear Energy and Infrastructure
Congressional Western Caucus | 6/9/2021
Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) welcomed Vice Chair Pete Stauber (MN-08) to Central Washington to discuss several priorities facing both the Congressional Western Caucus and the House Natural Resources Committee, from uranium and nuclear energy development to aggregate mining and infrastructure modernization.
Reps. Newhouse and Stauber joined officials from Energy Northwest and X-energy in Richland to discuss their contributions to the United States’ nuclear energy future. Earlier this year, Energy Northwest, Grant County Public Utility District, and X-energy entered into the TRi Energy Partnership, where they committed to developing the nation’s first commercial advanced nuclear reactor through the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).
The lawmakers heard about the need for both a short-term and a long-term strategy for the supply of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) which is essential for advanced modular nuclear reactors.
“Nuclear energy is crucial for American energy independence,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Advanced modular nuclear reactors truly are the future of our nation’s baseload energy portfolio, and we must ensure we have an adequate supply of minerals like uranium in order to generate nuclear energy here in the United States. I am proud my good friend Rep. Stauber was able to meet with Energy Northwest and X-energy
to learn about how they are paving the way for the next generation of commercial, carbon-free energy development.”
“The science is clear: there is no cleaner energy source than nuclear," said Rep. Stauber.
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REACTORS
Georgia independent monitors predict even more Vogtle nuclear delays
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | 6/8/2021
Georgia Power’s nuclear expansion of Plant Vogtle is even further behind than the company recently acknowledged and has faced an unexpected array of quality issues, according to testimony from independent state monitors and staff of Georgia regulators.
The first of two new reactors likely won’t be in operation until at least the summer of 2022, and the project’s total costs are likely to rise at least another $2 billion, according to one key monitor’s report Monday.
A crucial round of testing underway has been “an unexpectedly poor showing” and “significantly more problematic” than anticipated, wrote another monitor and a staff member for the Georgia Public Service Commission.
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
SASC Advances Nominations of Kendall, Shyu, Blume, Hruby, Rose, Rosenblum, Maier
Senate Committee on Armed Services | 6/10/2021
The Senate Armed Services Committee today voted by voice to favorably report out the following nominations:
- Ms. Jill M. Hruby to be Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
- Mr. Frank A. Rose to be Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
The nominations were immediately reported to the floor following the Committee’s action.
NUCLEAR WASTE
NUCLEAR PLANTS
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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