NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP DAY 2
The Second Day of the National Cleanup Workshop continues at full throttle; today attendees heard remarks from Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-R), Chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and a keynote address from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, S-1.
"Public service isn't just about fixing a problem - it's about creating new opportunities."
S1 Jennifer Granholm, DOE Secretary, delivered a keynote address, stating that the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Cleanup Mission is a shining example of why public service matters. She congratulated attendees representing communities, industry, government agencies, and NGOs from all over the country for tackling the problems that nobody else wants to take on. She cited accomplishments from across the complex, such as cracking the code to deal with tank waste at Hanford, technological innovations from the national labs such as SRNL, and the successful launch of the Cleanup to Clean Energy Program.
Secretary Granholm highlighted the necessity and success of DOE partnerships to the Cleanup Mission, and the obligation DOE has to invite communities, tribes, and industry to the table, and ensure they have a seat and voice there. The Secretary provided numerous successes resulting from these partnerships, such as STEM-based opportunities for apprentices, protecting natural resources by cooperating with Tribal nations, and striking landmark deals with unions and trades groups to ensure workforce longevity, safety, and health.
The Secretary finished her remarks by focusing on the future course of the Cleanup to Clean Energy program, which she termed the epitome of opportunity. DOE aims to build out housing infrastructure, achieve 100% clean energy use at every National Lab within the next two decades, and to transform cleaned up land at EM sites to build some of the largest clean energy projects in the world in Washington, South Carolina, Nevada, and New Mexico.
In Representative Fleischmann's remarks, he remained optimistic about the future of EM and the progress of the cleanup mission following an administration transition. He also expressed confidence that a budget would pass that includes topline funding items for cleanup sites and communities to be able to continue the invaluable work that they do. Representative Fleischmann assured attendees that he understands the importance of appropriations and the budget to the consistent and continuous funding that communities' rely on to complete cleanup work, and made clear his commitment to ensure that a continuing resolution is passed.
Representative Fleischman also expressed his excitement regarding the announcement from Kairos Power that construction of one of the first advanced reactors in the United States will be in Oak Ridge. The project is a huge opportunity both for Oak Ridge, and it is a proud public example to what the state of Tennessee has been able to achieve outside of the cleanup mission.
ECA looks forward to meeting with Representative Fleischmann and others at the Nuclear Cleanup Caucus on Wednesday to discuss nuclear workforce development.
EM Senior Advisor Candice Robertson spoke as well, highlighting the progress EM has made and outlining EM’s current and future priorities.
She spoke to the strong value of partnerships to the cleanup program, citing breakthroughs in Hanford to negotiate the future of the site’s tank waste, in Oak Ridge to complete the first stage of the new Environmental Management Disposal Facility, and at the Savannah River Site to treat over 10 million gallons of tank waste at the Salt Waste Processing Facility.
“It’s a prime example of what is possible when EM and our cleanup partners remain focused on the long-term goals and achieve alignment on key priorities,” Robertson said.
She highlighted partnerships beyond the sites as well, such as agreements with academia and private businesses. These partnerships are part of EM’s larger initiatives to prioritize safety, drive technological innovations, and rejuvenate the EM workforce.
The Senior Advisor emphasized that such achievements all come down to effective cooperation among all parties.
"At the end of the day, it’s about a shared cleanup mission, a shared sense of community and a shared vision for the future," she said. "I look forward to focusing on that shared vision this week and to hearing your thoughts on what comes next."
In another session Marla Morales, Acting Director for DOE-NE Office of Consent-Based Siting, delivered remarks about the importance of siting a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) through a consent-based process, and detailed DOE's gameplan to site a CISF. Morales emphasized that any conversation about nuclear needs to include the back end of the process. She stated the facts simply - DOE has not met its obligation to take charge of waste at 20 locations in communities across the country, who never agreed to store spent nuclear fuel indefinitely. This liability costs taxpayers an average of $800 million dollars every year. The need to site a CISF is clear, and DOE aims to site one beginning in 2038.
Director Morales provided numerous ongoing and planned initiatives that DOE is involved in to set that stage and gather crucial intel in order to facilitate the project. DOE approved and began testing of the Atlas rail car, specifically designed to transport spent nuclear fuel (SNF), this summer, and it plans to move High-Burn Up casks by 2027 to prove the safety and efficiency of the rail car model. She also touched on initiatives by DOE to locate a potential geologic repository beyond Yucca Mountain, and the consortia program awardee last year that are shaping DOE's approach to the consent-based siting process of a CISF.
Today's sessions also featured the panel "EM's Future Workforce: Recruiting, Training, and Safety". The ECA-EFCOG-DOE-EM partnership is proud of communities, their DOE counterparts, and contractors commitment to discuss future workforce needs and plan future workforce meetings. The partnership has already been on the ground in the Tri-Cities surrounding the Hanford Site, in the communities surrounding the Savannah River Site and in Los Alamos. The group is looking forward to discussing the future of the workforce in more communties. The efforts to bring local elected officials, DOE-HQ, DOE field offices, contractors, Tribal leaders, unions, educators (K-12 and higher education), economic development professionals, homebuilder associations, and others together have yielded excellent ideas for addressing our shared challenges and ensuring the long-term success of the cleanup mission.
ECA appreciates the relationship we've forged with corporate leadership and DOE Field Officers, who both hosted roundtable discussions today aimed at evaluating project performance, considering lessons learned, and discussing future initiatives.
Review today's full agenda and speakers below.
ECA is looking forward to what developments the final day of of the workshop may bring, and is excited to bring you more updates as the Workshop caps off with the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Briefing Wednesday evening.
Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders, local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.