WASTE DISPOSAL
8th panel for nuclear waste disposal at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will be ready in 6 months
Carlsbad Current-Argus | 6/24/2021
Miners at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad said they are about six months away from finishing a new panel to hold nuclear waste at the underground repository, after removing more than 100,000 tons of salt.
Transuranic (TRU) nuclear waste made up of irradiated clothing materials and equipment is permanently disposed of in WIPP’s underground salt bed about 2,000 feet underground where the salt gradually collapses to permanently entomb the waste.
As WIPP’s seventh waste disposal panel was filling up, crews were at work to complete Panel 8 in time to begin accepting waste immediately.
The U.S. Department of Energy reported workers removed a total of 105,000 tons of salt to create the panel as of mid-June.
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NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
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"CAPITALIZING ON A NEW ERA OF CLEANUP SUCCESS"
September 8-10, 2021
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, Virginia
Join more than 700 attendees, including senior DOE officials, Congressional leaders, DOE contractors, and state, tribal and local government leaders for the largest EM-focused gathering in the D.C. area.
Scheduled sessions at this year's workshop include:
- A New Era for EM Cleanup
- Insights from Congress
- The Next Phase of EM Success
- Partnering with DOE on Priority Issues: Environmental Justice, Cleanup Engagement and Clean Energy Production
- Upcoming EM Acquisition Plans and Schedule
- Roundtable: Lessons Learned and Improving Project Performance
- Legislative Challenges and Opportunities for the EM Program
- Roundtable: The Future of Disposal
- The Future of the EM Workforce
- Roundtable: DOE Field Office Managers
- Congressional Staff Perspective
- Entering a New Era for Hanford Tank Waste
LEGISLATION
U.S. Democrats launch bill allowing existing nuclear plants tax credit
Reuters | 6/24/2021
Five Democrats in the U.S. Senate introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow some existing nuclear power plants to receive a tax credit equal to an incentive already given to operators of wind power turbines.
The bill, led by Senator Ben Cardin, provides a production tax credit of $15 per megawatt hour for existing nuclear plant owners or operators in states such as New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania which have deregulated power markets. Cardin's state, Maryland, has two reactors at Exelon Corp's (EXC.O) Calvert Cliffs plant.
Nuclear reactors are virtually emissions-free, but have been struggling to compete with power generation fueled by natural gas, and wind and solar power. The United States has 93 reactors, down from 104 in 2012, as rising security and safety costs put additional pressures on the business.
The bill, if passed by the Senate and House, could help President Joe Biden, who has also supported a production tax credit for nuclear plants, in his goal to put the country on a path to decarbonize the power grid by 2035.
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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