ECA announces recipients of local government education and outreach funding

Funds will benefit local frontline communities around DOE cleanup sites

The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is pleased to announce that three local governments – Anderson County, TN; the City of Idaho Falls, ID; and the Town of Ashford, NY – were selected to receive grants to increase education and outreach campaigns and local government participation in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) environmental cleanup mission. Each grant recipient will be awarded funding in the amount of $50,000.

A key part of ECA’s organizational mission is to educate local governments on issues impacting the frontline communities at DOE sites, as well as to promote local government interaction on DOE’s core missions and initiatives. It is essential that DOE decision-making reflects local government engagement, and enduring acceptance of these decisions requires informed and involved local government officials and local government entities.

In support of this goal, ECA developed the grant pilot program to increase education and local government and community participation in DOE’s environmental cleanup efforts at sites where DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) has ongoing responsibilities, including defense and non-defense environmental cleanup sites.

Each of the three grant recipients submitted applications that met the requirements of the grant program, and that demonstrated clear goals and a plan for implementation of project activities, which aligned with the goal and purpose of project.

Anderson County will coordinate development and implementation of an enhanced education and outreach strategy and creation of long-term engagement mechanisms around environmental cleanup issues, including frontline stakeholder meetings, workshops, digital outreach, data collection and reporting, third party consultation, and collaboration on an economic development strategy.

The City of Idaho Falls will work with the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium to create education materials and displays, building a forum to disseminate accurate information about environmental cleanup progress and technological breakthroughs and challenges.

The Town of Ashford will retain a consultant for technical assistance involved in the Probabilistic Performance Assessment that is being developed as part of the Supplemental EIS for the West Valley Demonstration Project and will provide the community with a better understanding of the application of federal and state environmental cleanup laws, standards, and goals for the site.

ECA would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this grant pilot program and to express our gratitude to the Selection Committee for their time and efforts.