TriCity Herald (WA), 12/17/09
WASHINGTON — The federal secretary of Health and Human Services has agreed to expand automatic compensation of $150,000 to more Hanford workers who may have developed cancer because of exposure to radiation.
If Congress does not object, the decision by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius takes effect Jan. 10. The action was recommended in October by a federal advisory board.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, will review 340 pending claims of former Hanford workers, some filed by their survivors. The claims are for workers who had cancers covered under the automatic compensation program and who worked at Hanford during the years the new expanded rules would cover.
Those pending claims are in addition to hundreds of past claims that have been denied but would be reviewed by the Department of Labor to see if they now qualify for compensation under the eased rules. The new rules also could help some middle-aged Hanford workers and recent retirees who yet may develop cancer.
CRESP Newstories and Links related to risk-based cleanup of the nation’s nuclear weapons production facility waste sites and cost-effective, risk-based management of potential future nuclear sites and wastes. CRESP seeks to improve the scientific and technical basis for environmental management decisions by the Department of Energy (DOE) and by fostering public participation in that search.
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Monday, December 21, 2009
Department of Energy Office of Inspector General
Department of Energy Office of Inspector General
Recent reports:
• 2009-12-11- Audit Special Report MIG-0832*
Audit Special Report "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy" http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/IG-0832.pdf
• 2009-12-07- Audit Special Report OAS-RA-10-03*
Audit Special Report "Selected Department of Energy Program Efforts to Implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act"
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-03.pdf
•Semiannual Report to Congress*
for the Period of April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009.
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/Semiannual_Report_to_Congress_4-09_to_9-09.pdf
Recent reports:
• 2009-12-11- Audit Special Report MIG-0832*
Audit Special Report "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy" http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/IG-0832.pdf
• 2009-12-07- Audit Special Report OAS-RA-10-03*
Audit Special Report "Selected Department of Energy Program Efforts to Implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act"
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-03.pdf
•Semiannual Report to Congress*
for the Period of April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009.
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/Semiannual_Report_to_Congress_4-09_to_9-09.pdf
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Nuclear Site Finds Money Can Bring Headaches
By MICHAEL COOPER; Matthew L. Wald contributed reporting. /1340 words/13 December 2009/The New York Times/NYTF/Late Edition - Final/30/English/Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
AIKEN, S.C. -- There is a phenomenon known as the lottery winner's curse, where those who suddenly strike it rich do not live happily ever after. If the experience at the Savannah River Site here is any guide, something like it may threaten the winners of stimulus bonanzas.
Earlier this year, the nuclear site won one of the biggest pots of stimulus money, $1.6 billion, to accelerate its cleanup of radioactive waste left behind after decades of producing materials for the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. But the pressure to spend the money quickly and effectively has led to a series of bitter disputes among officials that burst into public view this fall after the tensions reached critical mass.
At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether officials in Washington or at the site can do a better job managing the cleanup. The tensions have spurred a wide-ranging investigation by the Department of Energy's inspector general and a host of bitter accusations, including one that led to an inquiry into whether one stimulus official had really threatened another by saying she wanted to shoot him.
They have also raised questions not only about one of the biggest stimulus projects, but also about the oversight and operations at one of the country's biggest nuclear sites as it grapples with the complex question of the cleanup.
AIKEN, S.C. -- There is a phenomenon known as the lottery winner's curse, where those who suddenly strike it rich do not live happily ever after. If the experience at the Savannah River Site here is any guide, something like it may threaten the winners of stimulus bonanzas.
Earlier this year, the nuclear site won one of the biggest pots of stimulus money, $1.6 billion, to accelerate its cleanup of radioactive waste left behind after decades of producing materials for the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. But the pressure to spend the money quickly and effectively has led to a series of bitter disputes among officials that burst into public view this fall after the tensions reached critical mass.
At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether officials in Washington or at the site can do a better job managing the cleanup. The tensions have spurred a wide-ranging investigation by the Department of Energy's inspector general and a host of bitter accusations, including one that led to an inquiry into whether one stimulus official had really threatened another by saying she wanted to shoot him.
They have also raised questions not only about one of the biggest stimulus projects, but also about the oversight and operations at one of the country's biggest nuclear sites as it grapples with the complex question of the cleanup.
Nevada Officials See DOE Yucca Application Withdrawal By Late 2010
502 words\16 December 2009Energy Washington WeekIEPAVol. 6, No. 50EnglishCopyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
Nevada officials closely tracking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's review of the DOE Yucca Mountain application review anticipate the department will extend the process well into 2010 but will withdraw the license some time after depositions begin in early February on the 225 contentions Nevada has brought against the Yucca waste site but before the late-2010 or early 2011 hearings start.
Since a DOE memo was leaked last month industry and Nevada officials have been anticipating DOE's withdrawal of its application to build a permanent waste facility in Nevada. The memo said that in December DOE would be ending all actions to defend Yucca Mountain against criticisms, prompting nuclear energy industry sources to expect that DOE would by now have announced its application withdrawal because it is getting late for any federal action, according to industry sources. The sources say the DOE memo leak and a lack of overall response by DOE on Yucca Mountain has created confusion among industry observers who hope that the department will provide clarification of its intended waste management strategy once the Yucca license is yanked.
Industry sources are also baffled by DOE and administration foot dragging on the formation of a blue-ribbon commission, which is seen as the federal government's process for defining a new nuclear waste strategy now that the administration has said Yucca Mountain is no longer an option.
Nevada officials closely tracking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's review of the DOE Yucca Mountain application review anticipate the department will extend the process well into 2010 but will withdraw the license some time after depositions begin in early February on the 225 contentions Nevada has brought against the Yucca waste site but before the late-2010 or early 2011 hearings start.
Since a DOE memo was leaked last month industry and Nevada officials have been anticipating DOE's withdrawal of its application to build a permanent waste facility in Nevada. The memo said that in December DOE would be ending all actions to defend Yucca Mountain against criticisms, prompting nuclear energy industry sources to expect that DOE would by now have announced its application withdrawal because it is getting late for any federal action, according to industry sources. The sources say the DOE memo leak and a lack of overall response by DOE on Yucca Mountain has created confusion among industry observers who hope that the department will provide clarification of its intended waste management strategy once the Yucca license is yanked.
Industry sources are also baffled by DOE and administration foot dragging on the formation of a blue-ribbon commission, which is seen as the federal government's process for defining a new nuclear waste strategy now that the administration has said Yucca Mountain is no longer an option.
NRC Will Likely Reject NEI Request To Redirect Yucca Review Funds
908 words/16 December 2009/Energy Washington Week/IEPA/Vol. 6, No. 50/English/
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is likely to reject a nuclear industry request for the commission to use its limited fiscal year 2010 budget to expedite the NRC technical review for a permanent waste repository rather than spending money to fight Nevada's "contentions" against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, according to Nevada state and congressional representatives. The request -- in a letter from Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President Marvin Fertel to commission Chairman Greg Jaczko -- has provoked the ire of Nevada state officials and its legal counsel, who call the request unlawful, the sources say.
While NRC is still determining how it will respond to the letter, the commission is expected to respond soon and is likely to say "no," says a commission source. The almost certain negative response to the NEI proposal is expected because Nevada legal counsel believe Fertel's request to the commission is highly questionable, according to sources.
Commission sources say the NRC has received a detailed legal analysis of the request from Nevada's lawyers and are seriously considering the state's recommendations.
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is likely to reject a nuclear industry request for the commission to use its limited fiscal year 2010 budget to expedite the NRC technical review for a permanent waste repository rather than spending money to fight Nevada's "contentions" against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, according to Nevada state and congressional representatives. The request -- in a letter from Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President Marvin Fertel to commission Chairman Greg Jaczko -- has provoked the ire of Nevada state officials and its legal counsel, who call the request unlawful, the sources say.
While NRC is still determining how it will respond to the letter, the commission is expected to respond soon and is likely to say "no," says a commission source. The almost certain negative response to the NEI proposal is expected because Nevada legal counsel believe Fertel's request to the commission is highly questionable, according to sources.
Commission sources say the NRC has received a detailed legal analysis of the request from Nevada's lawyers and are seriously considering the state's recommendations.
NUCLEAR WASTE; Tensions at nuclear site after increased stimulus oversight
267 words14 December 2009GreenwireGRWREnglish© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Pressure to see one of the country's largest single stimulus awards -- $1.6 billion given to the cleanup of the Savannah River nuclear site in South Carolina -- spent quickly and effectively have lead to a series of disputes between the project and its overseers at the Department of Energy.
During the cold war, Savannah River produced 40 percent of the plutonium in the nation's atomic stockpile. Today the site is part of DOE's long-term efforts to repair land damaged by the country's nuclear weapon complex, an effort that has lasted decades.
The lead contractor at Savannah has added more than 1,600 new jobs thanks to the stimulus award, but DOE officials warned that some of the site's stimulus proposals were vague, and instead redirected $200 million to a secondary contractor at Savannah that had an already active liquid-waste removal project. Local overseers at the site bristled against the interference.
The federal government took steps to make sure the program was on track to finish its work by the end of 2011, said Inés R. Triay, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management.
"Every time that headquarters strengthens its oversight role, there's a tension that gets created between headquarters and the field site," Triay said. "That's a natural tension. It brings out the passion and commitment of all involved to get the job done."
DOE's inspector general is investigating what the stimulus funding has engendered at the site (Michael Cooper, New York Times, Dec. 13). -- PV
Pressure to see one of the country's largest single stimulus awards -- $1.6 billion given to the cleanup of the Savannah River nuclear site in South Carolina -- spent quickly and effectively have lead to a series of disputes between the project and its overseers at the Department of Energy.
During the cold war, Savannah River produced 40 percent of the plutonium in the nation's atomic stockpile. Today the site is part of DOE's long-term efforts to repair land damaged by the country's nuclear weapon complex, an effort that has lasted decades.
The lead contractor at Savannah has added more than 1,600 new jobs thanks to the stimulus award, but DOE officials warned that some of the site's stimulus proposals were vague, and instead redirected $200 million to a secondary contractor at Savannah that had an already active liquid-waste removal project. Local overseers at the site bristled against the interference.
The federal government took steps to make sure the program was on track to finish its work by the end of 2011, said Inés R. Triay, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management.
"Every time that headquarters strengthens its oversight role, there's a tension that gets created between headquarters and the field site," Triay said. "That's a natural tension. It brings out the passion and commitment of all involved to get the job done."
DOE's inspector general is investigating what the stimulus funding has engendered at the site (Michael Cooper, New York Times, Dec. 13). -- PV
Nuclear’s next generation
2563 words/12 December 2009/The Economist/EC/ECN/English/(c) The Economist Newspaper Limited, London 2009. All rights reserved
Inside story: A group of six new blueprints for nuclear power-stations promise advances in safety and efficiency. How do they differ from existing designs?
DWIGHT EISENHOWER observed in his “Atoms for Peace” speech in 1953 that nuclear technology originally developed for military purposes could also be put to peaceful uses, namely generating electricity. His speech led to the dissemination of nuclear technology for civilian purposes, and the establishment of the first nuclear power-stations. Many of these early reactors, built during the cold war, made a virtue of the “dual use” nature of nuclear technology. Designs were favoured that could create weapons-grade material as well as electricity.
Today those priorities have been reversed. America and Russia are taking steps to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and the international community is trying to prevent their acquisition by new states. Under America’s “Megatons to Megawatts” programme, weapons-grade material from retired warheads is being broken down to provide fuel for civilian nuclear power-stations. With 53 new reactors under construction around the world and dozens more planned, the main difficulties facing nuclear scientists now are to reduce the threat of proliferation, improve efficiency and do something about the growing stock of nuclear waste in indefinite temporary storage.
These new priorities favour new sorts of reactor. Taking the lead in the development of the next generation of reactors is an international programme called the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a collaboration between the governments of America, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland, plus Euratom, the EU’s nuclear body. Established in 2001, the GIF has drawn up a shortlist of six of the most promising designs, which range from updated versions of existing reactors to radically different approaches.
Inside story: A group of six new blueprints for nuclear power-stations promise advances in safety and efficiency. How do they differ from existing designs?
DWIGHT EISENHOWER observed in his “Atoms for Peace” speech in 1953 that nuclear technology originally developed for military purposes could also be put to peaceful uses, namely generating electricity. His speech led to the dissemination of nuclear technology for civilian purposes, and the establishment of the first nuclear power-stations. Many of these early reactors, built during the cold war, made a virtue of the “dual use” nature of nuclear technology. Designs were favoured that could create weapons-grade material as well as electricity.
Today those priorities have been reversed. America and Russia are taking steps to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and the international community is trying to prevent their acquisition by new states. Under America’s “Megatons to Megawatts” programme, weapons-grade material from retired warheads is being broken down to provide fuel for civilian nuclear power-stations. With 53 new reactors under construction around the world and dozens more planned, the main difficulties facing nuclear scientists now are to reduce the threat of proliferation, improve efficiency and do something about the growing stock of nuclear waste in indefinite temporary storage.
These new priorities favour new sorts of reactor. Taking the lead in the development of the next generation of reactors is an international programme called the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a collaboration between the governments of America, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland, plus Euratom, the EU’s nuclear body. Established in 2001, the GIF has drawn up a shortlist of six of the most promising designs, which range from updated versions of existing reactors to radically different approaches.
Keep Hanford land options open, Doc says
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/483 words/11 December 2009/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/D1/English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
The federal government needs to keep all options open and prevent land from being locked up as cleanup is completed on parts of the Hanford nuclear reservation, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said Thursday.
He discussed the future and funding issues for Hanford and other Department of Energy sites in Washington, D.C., as the keynote speaker at the semi-annual meeting of the Energy Facilities Contractor Group.
DOE expects to have most of the cleanup along the Columbia River at Hanford completed by 2015, shrinking the contaminated portion of the nuclear reservation from 586 square miles to about 75 square miles at its center. In addition, much of $1.96 billion in federal economic stimulus money is being used to speed up cleanup and free up areas for other uses, such as a clean energy park to research and produce energy.
A top priority should be ensuring that local communities have a meaningful leadership role in determining their future with these lands, he said.
“It is critical that we remember the unique features of each site and each community,” he said.
Earlier this year he worked to get Hanford deleted from a bill that would have designated Hanford as a National Environmental Research Park, believing a designation that covered the entire site could have unintended consequences and reduce flexibility in making long-range land use plans.
Plans also are being made at Hanford’s historic B Reactor, where supporters have worked for years to have it preserved as a museum.
The federal government needs to keep all options open and prevent land from being locked up as cleanup is completed on parts of the Hanford nuclear reservation, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said Thursday.
He discussed the future and funding issues for Hanford and other Department of Energy sites in Washington, D.C., as the keynote speaker at the semi-annual meeting of the Energy Facilities Contractor Group.
DOE expects to have most of the cleanup along the Columbia River at Hanford completed by 2015, shrinking the contaminated portion of the nuclear reservation from 586 square miles to about 75 square miles at its center. In addition, much of $1.96 billion in federal economic stimulus money is being used to speed up cleanup and free up areas for other uses, such as a clean energy park to research and produce energy.
A top priority should be ensuring that local communities have a meaningful leadership role in determining their future with these lands, he said.
“It is critical that we remember the unique features of each site and each community,” he said.
Earlier this year he worked to get Hanford deleted from a bill that would have designated Hanford as a National Environmental Research Park, believing a designation that covered the entire site could have unintended consequences and reduce flexibility in making long-range land use plans.
Plans also are being made at Hanford’s historic B Reactor, where supporters have worked for years to have it preserved as a museum.
Hanford contract award for lab protested
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/390 words/10 December 2009/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/B6/
English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
A protest has been lodged in the Department of Energy’s $48.6 million award to Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International to operate Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory.
The Department of Energy will have 35 days to address the protest, which was filed with the agency’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center rather than the Government Accountability Office. The protest was filed Nov. 27.
Four bids were received for the small business contract, which DOE awarded Nov. 20. DOE declined to say who bid on the project or which bidder filed the protest.
English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
A protest has been lodged in the Department of Energy’s $48.6 million award to Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International to operate Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory.
The Department of Energy will have 35 days to address the protest, which was filed with the agency’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center rather than the Government Accountability Office. The protest was filed Nov. 27.
Four bids were received for the small business contract, which DOE awarded Nov. 20. DOE declined to say who bid on the project or which bidder filed the protest.
Former Oak Ridge lab leader nominated to TVA board
BILL THEOBALD /264 words/10 December 2009/Gannett News Service/GNS/English/© 2009 Gannett News Service. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved. /By BILL THEOBALD/Gannett Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Marilyn A. Brown, who formerly managed the energy efficiency research and development program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was part of a committee that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, was nominated to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Thursday by President Barack Obama.
Brown's nomination is the fourth Obama has made to the TVA board this year. The nominees would fill out the nine-member board that oversees the nation's largest public utility.
Brown is a professor of energy policy at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, where she joined the faculty in 2006. She was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore.
In 2006, Brown helped launch the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. She serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the National Commission on Energy Policy.
Brown remains a distinguished visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned a Ph.D. in geography from Ohio State University, a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.
Brown donated several times to Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga while she worked at Oak Ridge, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Her nomination must be approved by the Senate.
WASHINGTON - Marilyn A. Brown, who formerly managed the energy efficiency research and development program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was part of a committee that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, was nominated to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Thursday by President Barack Obama.
Brown's nomination is the fourth Obama has made to the TVA board this year. The nominees would fill out the nine-member board that oversees the nation's largest public utility.
Brown is a professor of energy policy at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, where she joined the faculty in 2006. She was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore.
In 2006, Brown helped launch the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. She serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the National Commission on Energy Policy.
Brown remains a distinguished visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned a Ph.D. in geography from Ohio State University, a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.
Brown donated several times to Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga while she worked at Oak Ridge, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Her nomination must be approved by the Senate.
Debate over nuclear legal challenge heats up
1002 words/10 December 2009/European Daily Electricity Markets/EURODE/English/(c)2009 Heren Energy Ltd
A top energy lawyer has dismissed the possibility of a legal challenge against UK nuclear industry “subsidies”.
The anti-nuclear lobby in the UK has repeatedly raised the possibility of a legal challenge, with supporters including Liberal Democrats shadow energy secretary Simon Hughes, on the grounds that alleged financial assistance may be an infringement of EU competition laws (see EDEM 20 October 2009).
The seven areas of subsidy were identified in the report Nuclear Subsidies, published last month by the influential pressure group Energy Fair. These were:
limitations on liabilities
underwriting commercial risks
protection against terrorist attack
the cap on short- to medium-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
a cap on long-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants being ring-fenced
institutional support for the nuclear industry.
A top energy lawyer has dismissed the possibility of a legal challenge against UK nuclear industry “subsidies”.
The anti-nuclear lobby in the UK has repeatedly raised the possibility of a legal challenge, with supporters including Liberal Democrats shadow energy secretary Simon Hughes, on the grounds that alleged financial assistance may be an infringement of EU competition laws (see EDEM 20 October 2009).
The seven areas of subsidy were identified in the report Nuclear Subsidies, published last month by the influential pressure group Energy Fair. These were:
limitations on liabilities
underwriting commercial risks
protection against terrorist attack
the cap on short- to medium-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
a cap on long-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants being ring-fenced
institutional support for the nuclear industry.
Utah congressman's spokeswoman: DOE has decided to dispose of SC depleted uranium in Utah
By BROCK VERGAKIS /Associated Press Writer/143 words/10 December 2009/17:43/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A spokeswoman for Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah says the Department of Energy has decided it will begin shipping thousands of drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah.
Alyson Heyrend says the department informed Matheson's office of its decision Thursday.
Matheson had asked the agency to halt shipments of depleted uranium from the Savannah River Site until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalizes rules for how the material should be disposed of.
Depleted uranium is different from other low-level radioactive waste disposed of in Utah because it becomes more radioactive over time.
The regulatory commission isn't expected to finalize its rules until 2012 at the earliest.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A spokeswoman for Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah says the Department of Energy has decided it will begin shipping thousands of drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah.
Alyson Heyrend says the department informed Matheson's office of its decision Thursday.
Matheson had asked the agency to halt shipments of depleted uranium from the Savannah River Site until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalizes rules for how the material should be disposed of.
Depleted uranium is different from other low-level radioactive waste disposed of in Utah because it becomes more radioactive over time.
The regulatory commission isn't expected to finalize its rules until 2012 at the earliest.
DOE: Nevada not an option for SC depleted uranium
By BROCK VERGAKIS /Associated Press Writer/527 words/9 December 2009/17:07/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Nevada has been ruled out as an alternative disposal site for low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina currently scheduled to come to Utah, a Department of Energy spokeswoman said Wednesday.
DOE spokeswoman Lauren Milone said nearly 15,000 drums of the material will either be disposed of in Utah or remain in South Carolina, and a final decision could come as early as next week.
She said the Nevada site about 65 miles north of Las Vegas is being excluded from discussions about the depleted uranium because the energy department agreed to conduct a statewide environmental impact statement before accepting new waste there. The review would take too long, probably at least a year, she said.
Disposal of the Savannah River Site waste is being funded through federal stimulus money, which is intended to quickly spur the economy.
The first shipments of depleted uranium were scheduled to leave South Carolina for Utah this month but the move was opposed by an environmental group and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
Depleted uranium is different from other waste disposed at EnergySolutions Inc.'s facility 70 miles west of Salt Lake City because it becomes more radioactive over time, for up to 1 million years. The material is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process used to make nuclear weapons in the Cold War era.
EnergySolutions operates the country's largest and only privately owned low-level radioactive waste disposal site.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Nevada has been ruled out as an alternative disposal site for low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina currently scheduled to come to Utah, a Department of Energy spokeswoman said Wednesday.
DOE spokeswoman Lauren Milone said nearly 15,000 drums of the material will either be disposed of in Utah or remain in South Carolina, and a final decision could come as early as next week.
She said the Nevada site about 65 miles north of Las Vegas is being excluded from discussions about the depleted uranium because the energy department agreed to conduct a statewide environmental impact statement before accepting new waste there. The review would take too long, probably at least a year, she said.
Disposal of the Savannah River Site waste is being funded through federal stimulus money, which is intended to quickly spur the economy.
The first shipments of depleted uranium were scheduled to leave South Carolina for Utah this month but the move was opposed by an environmental group and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
Depleted uranium is different from other waste disposed at EnergySolutions Inc.'s facility 70 miles west of Salt Lake City because it becomes more radioactive over time, for up to 1 million years. The material is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process used to make nuclear weapons in the Cold War era.
EnergySolutions operates the country's largest and only privately owned low-level radioactive waste disposal site.
DOE; Staffing woes frustrate stimulus disbursement -- IG
Katherine Ling, E&E reporter /314 words/9 December 2009/Greenwire/GRWR/English/© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The Energy Department's ability to hire, train and retain a sufficient number of employees to disburse and monitor the almost $33 billion in stimulus funds remains a problem, DOE's inspector general said in a report released today.
The report found program staffing inadequate to ensure stimulus funds could be distributed in a timely manner and monitored for abuse or fraud. DOE has awarded almost $19 billion so far, of which $1.6 billion has been spent.
"While we recognize that it takes time to address inadequate staffing levels, we believe that this will continue to be a challenge encountered by most programs in the foreseeable future," the report says. "The effort to date has strained existing resources. As has been widely acknowledged, any effort to disburse massive additional funding and to expeditiously initiate and complete projects increases the risk of fraud, waste and abuse," it says.
The report acknowledged that DOE has made some progress in identifying risks and preparing mitigation plans by establishing the Risk Management Office within the Chief Financial Office. DOE also reported that programs are set to submit staffing requirement plans in January and have hired some contractors and reallocated personnel.
The report also recommends that performance measures be tied to accomplishing goals. "In this way, contractors' performance on Recovery Act projects may directly affect the fees they can earn," the report says.
DOE should also give extra scrutiny to larger projects -- for example, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) projects for coal-fired power plants -- that include multiple partners, the report says. "Given the complexity and substantial costs of these projects, business arrangements between teaming partners should be subject to extensive coordination and rigorous Department review," it says.
DOE management generally concurred with the report's findings.
The Energy Department's ability to hire, train and retain a sufficient number of employees to disburse and monitor the almost $33 billion in stimulus funds remains a problem, DOE's inspector general said in a report released today.
The report found program staffing inadequate to ensure stimulus funds could be distributed in a timely manner and monitored for abuse or fraud. DOE has awarded almost $19 billion so far, of which $1.6 billion has been spent.
"While we recognize that it takes time to address inadequate staffing levels, we believe that this will continue to be a challenge encountered by most programs in the foreseeable future," the report says. "The effort to date has strained existing resources. As has been widely acknowledged, any effort to disburse massive additional funding and to expeditiously initiate and complete projects increases the risk of fraud, waste and abuse," it says.
The report acknowledged that DOE has made some progress in identifying risks and preparing mitigation plans by establishing the Risk Management Office within the Chief Financial Office. DOE also reported that programs are set to submit staffing requirement plans in January and have hired some contractors and reallocated personnel.
The report also recommends that performance measures be tied to accomplishing goals. "In this way, contractors' performance on Recovery Act projects may directly affect the fees they can earn," the report says.
DOE should also give extra scrutiny to larger projects -- for example, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) projects for coal-fired power plants -- that include multiple partners, the report says. "Given the complexity and substantial costs of these projects, business arrangements between teaming partners should be subject to extensive coordination and rigorous Department review," it says.
DOE management generally concurred with the report's findings.
Domenici Nuclear Waste Proposal Would Likely Draw State Opposition
1111 words/ 9 December 2009/ Energy Washington Week/ IEPA/ Vol. 6, No. 49/ English/Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
A proposal put forth last week by former Senate energy committee chief Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) for the U.S. to adopt nuclear waste recycling in light of the Yucca Mountain repository's demise as a waste management option has stirred discussion among lawmakers and others but if it is taken seriously will almost certainly encounter state utility regulators' resistance because it would entail diverting money from the $23 billion nuclear waste fund to build a recycling pilot plant and would abrogate DOE's obligations under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to transport and store the waste, according to industry sources.
The proposal was put forward by Domenici -- now a senior fellow with the influential Bipartisan Policy Center think tank -- in a Dec. 1 speech at an event sponsored by the U.S. Energy Association (USEA), a group of private and public energy officials, and has attracted attention among parties interested in nuclear policy. Domenici's proposal comes amid continued DOE inaction on Energy Secretary Steven Chu's announced intention to establish a "blue ribbon panel" to design a path forward on waste disposal now that the Obama administration has said the site DOE designated for storing high-level waste under the nuclear waste law -- Nevada's Yucca Mountain -- is no longer an option. For several months DOE has said that the formation of the blue ribbon panel is imminent.
A senior official with Areva, the French-based nuclear power company and one of the world's leading proponents of nuclear waste recycling, although interested in Domenici's proposal, sees significant hurdles in negotiating around the nuclear waste law unless a recycling program can ensure the removal of the waste by the government. The states are not likely to endorse the use of two decades of ratepayer fee collections plus earned interest to invest in what would essentially be a research and development program that would not fulfill DOE's obligations under the law, says the source.
A proposal put forth last week by former Senate energy committee chief Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) for the U.S. to adopt nuclear waste recycling in light of the Yucca Mountain repository's demise as a waste management option has stirred discussion among lawmakers and others but if it is taken seriously will almost certainly encounter state utility regulators' resistance because it would entail diverting money from the $23 billion nuclear waste fund to build a recycling pilot plant and would abrogate DOE's obligations under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to transport and store the waste, according to industry sources.
The proposal was put forward by Domenici -- now a senior fellow with the influential Bipartisan Policy Center think tank -- in a Dec. 1 speech at an event sponsored by the U.S. Energy Association (USEA), a group of private and public energy officials, and has attracted attention among parties interested in nuclear policy. Domenici's proposal comes amid continued DOE inaction on Energy Secretary Steven Chu's announced intention to establish a "blue ribbon panel" to design a path forward on waste disposal now that the Obama administration has said the site DOE designated for storing high-level waste under the nuclear waste law -- Nevada's Yucca Mountain -- is no longer an option. For several months DOE has said that the formation of the blue ribbon panel is imminent.
A senior official with Areva, the French-based nuclear power company and one of the world's leading proponents of nuclear waste recycling, although interested in Domenici's proposal, sees significant hurdles in negotiating around the nuclear waste law unless a recycling program can ensure the removal of the waste by the government. The states are not likely to endorse the use of two decades of ratepayer fee collections plus earned interest to invest in what would essentially be a research and development program that would not fulfill DOE's obligations under the law, says the source.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Office of Waste Processing Technical Exchange May 2009
The presentation videos and slides are available at the following website.
http://srnl.doe.gov/owp_techex09/denver_webcast/presentations.htm
Poster presentations from the meeting are available at:
http://srnl.doe.gov/owp_techex09/denver_webcast/posters.htm
General Information about the meeting below.
Over the past seven years, personnel from the three sites, Savannah River/Hanford/Idaho along with others receiving funding from the Office of Environmental Management have met to exchange recent results of on-going field operations and technology development. The purpose of this exchange is to provide a forum for discussion of each Site’s efforts to accelerate cleanup operations. Keys to success and lessons learned are openly exchanged in a manner to allow for open discussion between operations, engineering and scientists to accelerate transition of technologies from concepts to field implementation.
Technical issues will include:
• Waste Retrieval
• Waste Form Development
• Pretreatment
• Facility Readiness and Startup
• Performance Assessment
• Tank Farm Operational Improvements
• Advance Stabilization
Special Features
• Technical presentations
• Technical Sessions (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
• Technical poster session (Wednesday)
• ON-DEMAND Web Cast of recorded Technical Sessions
http://srnl.doe.gov/owp_techex09/denver_webcast/presentations.htm
Poster presentations from the meeting are available at:
http://srnl.doe.gov/owp_techex09/denver_webcast/posters.htm
General Information about the meeting below.
Over the past seven years, personnel from the three sites, Savannah River/Hanford/Idaho along with others receiving funding from the Office of Environmental Management have met to exchange recent results of on-going field operations and technology development. The purpose of this exchange is to provide a forum for discussion of each Site’s efforts to accelerate cleanup operations. Keys to success and lessons learned are openly exchanged in a manner to allow for open discussion between operations, engineering and scientists to accelerate transition of technologies from concepts to field implementation.
Technical issues will include:
• Waste Retrieval
• Waste Form Development
• Pretreatment
• Facility Readiness and Startup
• Performance Assessment
• Tank Farm Operational Improvements
• Advance Stabilization
Special Features
• Technical presentations
• Technical Sessions (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
• Technical poster session (Wednesday)
• ON-DEMAND Web Cast of recorded Technical Sessions
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Experts Urge New Accounts for Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
1095 words/1 December 2009/ENP Newswire/ENPNEW/English/(c) 2009, Electronic News Publishing. All Rights Reserved. /Release date - 30112009
With no long-term plan yet in sight for managing the more than 58,000 tons of highly radioactive spent fuel piling up at the nation’s nuclear reactors, a group of experts is urging the creation of escrow accounts for utilities to draw on as they store spent fuel on-site in large casks.
In effect, the group is calling on Congress and the U.S. government to recognize what already is happening-the storage of large amounts of spent fuel at reactor sites-and to come up with financial mechanisms to help ensure that the waste is kept secure for decades to come.
The expert group was organized by the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the cooperation of the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy.
Under the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the United States government was supposed to take title to the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and eventually dispose of it in a deep underground repository. The federal government has been collecting 1/10th of a cent on every kilowatt-hour of power generated by nuclear plants as a Nuclear Waste Fund to pay for the eventual shipping and burial of the spent fuel.
But the government failed to take title to the fuel in 1998 as scheduled and is unlikely to do so any time soon. The Obama administration recently eliminated further funding for the planned federal disposal site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and licensing of the project is virtually stalled.
The $23 billion currently in the Nuclear Waste Fund is not available to utilities for on-site storage of reactor waste. Given the impasse over long-term disposal of spent fuel, the expert group has concluded that the U.S. government should start placing spent fuel management charges into regulated escrow accounts that would be attached to each commercial nuclear plant. That money could then be used to help pay the cost of on-site storage of spent fuel in dry casks and the subsequent removal and management of the casks.
Clifford E. Singer, a professor in the department of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at the University of Illinois, discussed the group’s report, ‘‘Plan D’ for Spent Nuclear Fuel,’ at a 16 November Capitol Hill briefing for congressional staff and others.
With no long-term plan yet in sight for managing the more than 58,000 tons of highly radioactive spent fuel piling up at the nation’s nuclear reactors, a group of experts is urging the creation of escrow accounts for utilities to draw on as they store spent fuel on-site in large casks.
In effect, the group is calling on Congress and the U.S. government to recognize what already is happening-the storage of large amounts of spent fuel at reactor sites-and to come up with financial mechanisms to help ensure that the waste is kept secure for decades to come.
The expert group was organized by the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the cooperation of the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy.
Under the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the United States government was supposed to take title to the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and eventually dispose of it in a deep underground repository. The federal government has been collecting 1/10th of a cent on every kilowatt-hour of power generated by nuclear plants as a Nuclear Waste Fund to pay for the eventual shipping and burial of the spent fuel.
But the government failed to take title to the fuel in 1998 as scheduled and is unlikely to do so any time soon. The Obama administration recently eliminated further funding for the planned federal disposal site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and licensing of the project is virtually stalled.
The $23 billion currently in the Nuclear Waste Fund is not available to utilities for on-site storage of reactor waste. Given the impasse over long-term disposal of spent fuel, the expert group has concluded that the U.S. government should start placing spent fuel management charges into regulated escrow accounts that would be attached to each commercial nuclear plant. That money could then be used to help pay the cost of on-site storage of spent fuel in dry casks and the subsequent removal and management of the casks.
Clifford E. Singer, a professor in the department of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at the University of Illinois, discussed the group’s report, ‘‘Plan D’ for Spent Nuclear Fuel,’ at a 16 November Capitol Hill briefing for congressional staff and others.
Former Senator Pete Domenici Delivers Speech on Future of Global Nuclear Energy
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Senator Pete Domenici today delivered a speech outlining a 21st century framework for global nuclear power at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the United States Energy Association hosted the presentation by former Senator Domenici, now a Senior Fellow at the BPC.
In his speech, Senator Domenici argued that America's nuclear renaissance has stalled and, as a result, the United States is lagging in the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies. Senator Domenici called for effective implementation of the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005 provisions to support nuclear growth in the U.S.
Senator Domenici also emphasized the need to chart a strategic path forward for domestic waste in order to meaningfully participate in the management of used nuclear fuel. He argued that the U.S. must take the lead in addressing the growing global challenges of waste management and non-proliferation.
In his speech, Senator Domenici argued that America's nuclear renaissance has stalled and, as a result, the United States is lagging in the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies. Senator Domenici called for effective implementation of the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005 provisions to support nuclear growth in the U.S.
Senator Domenici also emphasized the need to chart a strategic path forward for domestic waste in order to meaningfully participate in the management of used nuclear fuel. He argued that the U.S. must take the lead in addressing the growing global challenges of waste management and non-proliferation.
Yucca Mountain Nuclear Disposal Site Is Dead, Says Longtime Advocate
December 2, 2009/ By PETER BEHR of ClimateWire
Former Sen. Pete Domenici, a longtime advocate of nuclear power, said yesterday that it is time to give up attempts to create a permanent disposal site for the nation's nuclear waste fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. He urged the Obama administration to move ahead with a planned blue-ribbon commission to find an alternative.
"We need to be realistic here," the former New Mexico Republican legislator said in a speech in Washington. "Yucca Mountain, once chosen as the site for permanent disposal of nuclear waste, is dead."
President Obama has cut off Energy Department funding for the Yucca Mountain project, following through on a campaign commitment to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the project's powerful and implacable opponent.
DOE declined to comment last week on reports that the department would withdraw the project's permit application at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But DOE spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said that "the president and Secretary [Steven] Chu have made it clear that nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain is not an option, period."
Former Sen. Pete Domenici, a longtime advocate of nuclear power, said yesterday that it is time to give up attempts to create a permanent disposal site for the nation's nuclear waste fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. He urged the Obama administration to move ahead with a planned blue-ribbon commission to find an alternative.
"We need to be realistic here," the former New Mexico Republican legislator said in a speech in Washington. "Yucca Mountain, once chosen as the site for permanent disposal of nuclear waste, is dead."
President Obama has cut off Energy Department funding for the Yucca Mountain project, following through on a campaign commitment to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the project's powerful and implacable opponent.
DOE declined to comment last week on reports that the department would withdraw the project's permit application at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But DOE spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said that "the president and Secretary [Steven] Chu have made it clear that nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain is not an option, period."
DOE Moving To Pull Yucca License Application—Sources
December 2, 2009, The Energy Daily/BY JEFF BEATTIE
Sources say the Energy Department may move as early as Friday or Monday to withdraw the Yucca Mountain license application currently before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a move that would appear to permanently bury the project.
Sources say DOE may submit a “motion to withdraw” the license application and announce the move at about the same time it names a long-awaited blue-ribbon panel to explore alternative plans for managing the nation’s high-level nuclear waste.
By announcing the expert panel in conjunction with withdrawing the Yucca license application, sources speculate, DOE could say it is still meeting its legal obligations to pursue solutions to the nation’s radioactive waste problem even while ending work on Yucca, which has been the planned disposal repository for U.S nuclear waste for more than 20 years.
Sources say the Energy Department may move as early as Friday or Monday to withdraw the Yucca Mountain license application currently before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a move that would appear to permanently bury the project.
Sources say DOE may submit a “motion to withdraw” the license application and announce the move at about the same time it names a long-awaited blue-ribbon panel to explore alternative plans for managing the nation’s high-level nuclear waste.
By announcing the expert panel in conjunction with withdrawing the Yucca license application, sources speculate, DOE could say it is still meeting its legal obligations to pursue solutions to the nation’s radioactive waste problem even while ending work on Yucca, which has been the planned disposal repository for U.S nuclear waste for more than 20 years.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Energy Secretary Chu and SC and GA Congressional Leadership Break Ground on New Renewable Energy Facility at SRS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/(202) 586-4940 November 30, 2009/ (803) 952-7697
Aiken, SC – (November 30) Today Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was joined by South Carolina and Georgia Congressional delegation members to break ground on a new renewable energy fueled facility at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The new Biomass Cogeneration Facility replaces a deteriorating, inefficient coal powerhouse and oil-fired boilers at a savings of approximately $35 million a year in energy and operation and maintenance costs and reduces air emissions, including 100,000 tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions.
“"By investing in energy efficiency, we are creating good jobs that can’t be outsourced. This project will employ 800 workers during construction and about 25 people during permanent operations,” said Secretary Chu in addressing an audience of over 150 stakeholders and employees during the groundbreaking ceremony at SRS. “The money from those paychecks will go straight back into the local economy and drive even more economic recovery.” Joining Secretary Chu for the ceremonial groundbreaking were: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (RSC); House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC); U.S. Representative Gresham Barrett (R-SC); U.S. Representative John Barrow (D-GA); U.S. Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC); DOE-Savannah River Manager Jeffrey Allison; DOE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Dae Chung; and Ameresco President and CEO George Sakerallis.
Under the Department’s largest ever Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), DOE contracted with Ameresco Federal Solutions, Inc. (Ameresco) to finance, design, construct, operate, maintain and fuel the new biomass facility over the term of the 20-year contract valued at $795 million.
Aiken, SC – (November 30) Today Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was joined by South Carolina and Georgia Congressional delegation members to break ground on a new renewable energy fueled facility at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The new Biomass Cogeneration Facility replaces a deteriorating, inefficient coal powerhouse and oil-fired boilers at a savings of approximately $35 million a year in energy and operation and maintenance costs and reduces air emissions, including 100,000 tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions.
“"By investing in energy efficiency, we are creating good jobs that can’t be outsourced. This project will employ 800 workers during construction and about 25 people during permanent operations,” said Secretary Chu in addressing an audience of over 150 stakeholders and employees during the groundbreaking ceremony at SRS. “The money from those paychecks will go straight back into the local economy and drive even more economic recovery.” Joining Secretary Chu for the ceremonial groundbreaking were: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (RSC); House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC); U.S. Representative Gresham Barrett (R-SC); U.S. Representative John Barrow (D-GA); U.S. Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC); DOE-Savannah River Manager Jeffrey Allison; DOE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Dae Chung; and Ameresco President and CEO George Sakerallis.
Under the Department’s largest ever Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), DOE contracted with Ameresco Federal Solutions, Inc. (Ameresco) to finance, design, construct, operate, maintain and fuel the new biomass facility over the term of the 20-year contract valued at $795 million.
Nuclear hearing delay sought
Keith Rogers /843 words/23 November 2009/The Las Vegas Review-Journal/LVGS/1B/English/© 2009 The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
By KEITH ROGERS/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In a surprise move, the nuclear power industry's lobbying arm has asked regulators to suspend hearings on a license to bury tens of thousands of tons of highly radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain.
The proposal by the Nuclear Energy Institute takes a step back from a 20-year goal to reach the first year of the hearing process. Institute officials say the move is necessary to make wise use of funds left in a Yucca Mountain budget slashed severely by the Obama administration.
Nevada opponents contend that suspending the hearings would hamper their efforts to achieve victory early in the process by denying the state an opportunity to offer evidence against the license application that shows the site is not suitable and the repository's design is fatally flawed.
In essence, energy lobbyists want to shift the process to one focused on safety research by the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which critics say is an end run attempt to get those agencies to sign off on a license approval for the repository without input by Yucca foes that would come during licensing hearings.
Citing an internal Energy Department memorandum that calls for ending the agency's defense of the license next month, officials for the institute suggest using the money instead for completing a review of safety issues about the planned repository site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
By KEITH ROGERS/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In a surprise move, the nuclear power industry's lobbying arm has asked regulators to suspend hearings on a license to bury tens of thousands of tons of highly radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain.
The proposal by the Nuclear Energy Institute takes a step back from a 20-year goal to reach the first year of the hearing process. Institute officials say the move is necessary to make wise use of funds left in a Yucca Mountain budget slashed severely by the Obama administration.
Nevada opponents contend that suspending the hearings would hamper their efforts to achieve victory early in the process by denying the state an opportunity to offer evidence against the license application that shows the site is not suitable and the repository's design is fatally flawed.
In essence, energy lobbyists want to shift the process to one focused on safety research by the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which critics say is an end run attempt to get those agencies to sign off on a license approval for the repository without input by Yucca foes that would come during licensing hearings.
Citing an internal Energy Department memorandum that calls for ending the agency's defense of the license next month, officials for the institute suggest using the money instead for completing a review of safety issues about the planned repository site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
11/20/2009 - EM Update Newsletter - Issue 9
http://www.em.doe.gov/pdfs/11-20-09%20EM%20Update%20Newsletter.pdf
In This Issue
Portsmouth Visit ..........................1
All-Hands on Reorganization ......1
In B rief .........................................1
People ..........................................
All-Hands Meeting Set on EM Reorganization
Assistant Secretary Triay will conduct an “all hands” meeting for all EM employees on Tuesday, December 1, to introduce the members of her new leadership team, share her vision of EM’s “Journey to Excellence” and outline the next steps for implementing EM’s reorganization and its new business model. The two-hour session will also include remarks from Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dae Chung and Merle Sykes and Frank Marcinowski, the acting Chief Business and Technical Offi cers for EM. Barry Clark and Carolyn Haylock, the presidents of National Treasury Employees Union Chapters 213 and 228, respectively, will also speak. The meeting will take place via a video conference linking headquarters to 21 EM field offi ces. An audio hookup will also be available for those offi ces without video capability.
The first hour of the session will consist of remarks from Triay and other speakers. The second hour will be devoted to answering questions from EM employees. EM’s reorganization and new business model have been in development since last summer. The headquarters portion of the reorganization took effect last month after it had obtained all needed reviews and approvals. Its key features include a major shift in relationships between the fi eld and headquarters provides more operating authority to managers in the field, revamped roles and responsibilities for EM’s Deputy Assistant Secretaries and the creation of the Chief Business and Technical Offi cer positions.
Full implementation of the reorganization and the new business model will require setting the criteria EM must meet to become a highperforming organization, completing site and headquarters self-assessments and, ultimately, establishing a new organization-wide baseline for measuring EM’s future performance in areas such as project, contract and financial management, health and safety and quality assurance.
In This Issue
Portsmouth Visit ..........................1
All-Hands on Reorganization ......1
In B rief .........................................1
People ..........................................
All-Hands Meeting Set on EM Reorganization
Assistant Secretary Triay will conduct an “all hands” meeting for all EM employees on Tuesday, December 1, to introduce the members of her new leadership team, share her vision of EM’s “Journey to Excellence” and outline the next steps for implementing EM’s reorganization and its new business model. The two-hour session will also include remarks from Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dae Chung and Merle Sykes and Frank Marcinowski, the acting Chief Business and Technical Offi cers for EM. Barry Clark and Carolyn Haylock, the presidents of National Treasury Employees Union Chapters 213 and 228, respectively, will also speak. The meeting will take place via a video conference linking headquarters to 21 EM field offi ces. An audio hookup will also be available for those offi ces without video capability.
The first hour of the session will consist of remarks from Triay and other speakers. The second hour will be devoted to answering questions from EM employees. EM’s reorganization and new business model have been in development since last summer. The headquarters portion of the reorganization took effect last month after it had obtained all needed reviews and approvals. Its key features include a major shift in relationships between the fi eld and headquarters provides more operating authority to managers in the field, revamped roles and responsibilities for EM’s Deputy Assistant Secretaries and the creation of the Chief Business and Technical Offi cer positions.
Full implementation of the reorganization and the new business model will require setting the criteria EM must meet to become a highperforming organization, completing site and headquarters self-assessments and, ultimately, establishing a new organization-wide baseline for measuring EM’s future performance in areas such as project, contract and financial management, health and safety and quality assurance.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Republicans react to leaked plans to end Yucca nuke waste project
432 words/18 November 2009/Platts Commodity News/PLATT/English/Copyright 2009. Platts. All Rights Reserved. /Washington (Platts)--18Nov2009/254 pm EST/1954 GMT
Republicans on Wednesday criticized the US Department of Energy's apparent plan to kill the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository proposal by slashing its budget, stopping all licensing activities in December and shifting already-appropriated funds to other programs.
The plans were revealed in a leaked October 23 draft memo from DOE Chief Financial Officer Steve Isakowitz outlining the department's fiscal year 2011 budget request for the Yucca Mountain repository, located about 100 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Republican Representatives Joe Barton of Texas and Greg Walden of Oregon said abandoning the Yucca Mountain license application would waste $6 billion in taxpayer money already spent on the project.
"Secretary Chu could set back the US nuclear waste disposal program for decades, cost US taxpayers potentially billions of dollars, and unfortunately be the most significant decision of his tenure," said Barton, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a statement.
Republicans on Wednesday criticized the US Department of Energy's apparent plan to kill the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository proposal by slashing its budget, stopping all licensing activities in December and shifting already-appropriated funds to other programs.
The plans were revealed in a leaked October 23 draft memo from DOE Chief Financial Officer Steve Isakowitz outlining the department's fiscal year 2011 budget request for the Yucca Mountain repository, located about 100 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Republican Representatives Joe Barton of Texas and Greg Walden of Oregon said abandoning the Yucca Mountain license application would waste $6 billion in taxpayer money already spent on the project.
"Secretary Chu could set back the US nuclear waste disposal program for decades, cost US taxpayers potentially billions of dollars, and unfortunately be the most significant decision of his tenure," said Barton, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a statement.
Scientists convene at SRS ecology lab this week
The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. /McClatchy-Tribune Regional News/319 words/17 November 2009/KRTAG
English/Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Nov. 17--Scientists and scholars from seven National Environmental Research Parks will gather at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Conference Center in New Ellenton, S.C. on Thursday and Friday to discuss issues including climate change and its impacts, data collection and coordination across sites, environmental stewardship and new ideas about public education and outreach.
SREL will be hosting the workshop for representatives from all seven environmental research park sites: Los Alamos (New Mexico), Hanford (Washington), Nevada, Oak Ridge (Tennessee), Fermilab (Illinois), Idaho, and Savannah River.
The first day of the workshop will involve a limited group of NERP representatives, including officials from the Savannah River Site, who will discuss research aspects at the various NERP sites. During the Friday workshop, representatives will discuss NERPs' interaction with the public. Topics will include formulation of a Department of Energy data collection network, future NERP workshops and publications and education and outreach initiatives at NERPs.
English/Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Nov. 17--Scientists and scholars from seven National Environmental Research Parks will gather at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Conference Center in New Ellenton, S.C. on Thursday and Friday to discuss issues including climate change and its impacts, data collection and coordination across sites, environmental stewardship and new ideas about public education and outreach.
SREL will be hosting the workshop for representatives from all seven environmental research park sites: Los Alamos (New Mexico), Hanford (Washington), Nevada, Oak Ridge (Tennessee), Fermilab (Illinois), Idaho, and Savannah River.
The first day of the workshop will involve a limited group of NERP representatives, including officials from the Savannah River Site, who will discuss research aspects at the various NERP sites. During the Friday workshop, representatives will discuss NERPs' interaction with the public. Topics will include formulation of a Department of Energy data collection network, future NERP workshops and publications and education and outreach initiatives at NERPs.
Where to Now in Solving Nuclear Waste Problem?
Tim BROWN /606 words/16 November 2009/Manawatu Standard/TEVEST/11/English/© 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Despite our searches, we have yet to find a power source that does not have a downside. Even renewable resources such as wind, sun and water all have costs in some form. There are no free lunches in the power-supply business.
Nuclear power has been used successfully for many years in many parts of the world.
Britain's plants have been operating without problems for more than 55 years. There have been only two major accidents, at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
Public pressure caused the closure of four plants in Italy and that resulted in Italy being held to ransom for power by Russia. An Italian nuclear engineer reliably advises me that the new reactors are environmentally friendly. That, however, is not the problem. Nuclear waste remains for a long time, up to 100,000 years.
Despite our searches, we have yet to find a power source that does not have a downside. Even renewable resources such as wind, sun and water all have costs in some form. There are no free lunches in the power-supply business.
Nuclear power has been used successfully for many years in many parts of the world.
Britain's plants have been operating without problems for more than 55 years. There have been only two major accidents, at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
Public pressure caused the closure of four plants in Italy and that resulted in Italy being held to ransom for power by Russia. An Italian nuclear engineer reliably advises me that the new reactors are environmentally friendly. That, however, is not the problem. Nuclear waste remains for a long time, up to 100,000 years.
Seattle crowd opposes Hanford cleanup delays
By JOHN STANG / SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF/1230 words/16 November 2009/SeattlePI.com/SEPI/
English/© 2009 Hearst Communications Inc., Hearst Newspapers Division. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights reserved.
A tentative agreement to stretch out the timetable to convert the Hanford nuclear reservation's worst radioactive wastes into more benign glass drew little support at a Seattle meeting last Thursday.
If adopted, the agreement would delay start-up of a massive waste- glassification complex from 2011 to 2019. And completion of the glassification would shift from 2028 to 2047.
The agreement -- actually a negotiated settlement to a state lawsuit against the federal Department of Energy -- also gives a federal judge the power to enforce the new schedule if the feds balk at it in the future.
The feds and state have been holding public hearings on the proposed agreement around Washington. In a few weeks, the state and feds will use the public feedback to figure out if the tentative agreement should be changed. About 110 people showed up at a Thursday hearing at the Quality Inn near the Seattle Center. Most, if not all, opposed the proposed delays.
English/© 2009 Hearst Communications Inc., Hearst Newspapers Division. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights reserved.
A tentative agreement to stretch out the timetable to convert the Hanford nuclear reservation's worst radioactive wastes into more benign glass drew little support at a Seattle meeting last Thursday.
If adopted, the agreement would delay start-up of a massive waste- glassification complex from 2011 to 2019. And completion of the glassification would shift from 2028 to 2047.
The agreement -- actually a negotiated settlement to a state lawsuit against the federal Department of Energy -- also gives a federal judge the power to enforce the new schedule if the feds balk at it in the future.
The feds and state have been holding public hearings on the proposed agreement around Washington. In a few weeks, the state and feds will use the public feedback to figure out if the tentative agreement should be changed. About 110 people showed up at a Thursday hearing at the Quality Inn near the Seattle Center. Most, if not all, opposed the proposed delays.
Ocean of radiation hiding; Nevada water still reeling from nuclear tests
Ralph Vartabedian /552 words/13 November 2009/Record Searchlight/RCSRCH/B4/English/© 2009 Record Searchlight. All rights reserved.
YUCCA FLAT, Nev. - A sea of ancient water tainted by the Cold War is creeping deep under the volcanic peaks, dry lake beds and pinyon pine forests covering a vast tract of Nevada.
Over 41 years, the federal government detonated 921 nuclear warheads underground at the Nevada Test Site, 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Each explosion deposited a toxic load of radioactivity into the ground and directly into aquifers.
When testing ended in 1992, the U.S. Energy Department estimated that more than 300 million curies of radiation had been left behind, making the site one of the most radioactively contaminated places in the nation.
During the era of weapons testing, Nevada embraced its role almost like a patriotic duty. There seemed to be no better use for an empty desert. But today, as Nevada faces a water crisis and a population boom, state officials are taking a new measure of the damage.
They successfully pressured federal officials for a fresh environmental assessment of the 1,375-square-mile test site, a step toward a potential demand for monetary compensation, replacement of the lost water or a massive cleanup.
YUCCA FLAT, Nev. - A sea of ancient water tainted by the Cold War is creeping deep under the volcanic peaks, dry lake beds and pinyon pine forests covering a vast tract of Nevada.
Over 41 years, the federal government detonated 921 nuclear warheads underground at the Nevada Test Site, 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Each explosion deposited a toxic load of radioactivity into the ground and directly into aquifers.
When testing ended in 1992, the U.S. Energy Department estimated that more than 300 million curies of radiation had been left behind, making the site one of the most radioactively contaminated places in the nation.
During the era of weapons testing, Nevada embraced its role almost like a patriotic duty. There seemed to be no better use for an empty desert. But today, as Nevada faces a water crisis and a population boom, state officials are taking a new measure of the damage.
They successfully pressured federal officials for a fresh environmental assessment of the 1,375-square-mile test site, a step toward a potential demand for monetary compensation, replacement of the lost water or a massive cleanup.
A mountain of a problem
537 words/13 November 2009/Augusta Chronicle/AGCR/All/A6/English/© 2009 Augusta Chronicle. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
No one signed up for this.
While the federal government does its best to get into an area it doesn't belong - your health care - it is retreating from one of its most solemn and necessary national security obligations: storage of nuclear waste.
Now, after the investment of more than 20 years, some $13 billion - and study after study, expert after expert - the Obama administration has decided the federal government won't have a national nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
Scientists long ago studied several dozen possible sites for a nuclear waste repository and decided on Yucca Mountain - largely because it is geologically the safest site.
It is also a national security issue, in that Yucca would have provided one secure location for storage of nuclear waste, instead of dozens of sites throughout the states.
But perhaps to assuage Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada - who is facing a tough re-election battle next year - the Obama administration has announced it is abandoning Yucca.
There are a great number of problems with that - not the least of which is the fact that the country has no Plan B.
No one signed up for this.
While the federal government does its best to get into an area it doesn't belong - your health care - it is retreating from one of its most solemn and necessary national security obligations: storage of nuclear waste.
Now, after the investment of more than 20 years, some $13 billion - and study after study, expert after expert - the Obama administration has decided the federal government won't have a national nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
Scientists long ago studied several dozen possible sites for a nuclear waste repository and decided on Yucca Mountain - largely because it is geologically the safest site.
It is also a national security issue, in that Yucca would have provided one secure location for storage of nuclear waste, instead of dozens of sites throughout the states.
But perhaps to assuage Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada - who is facing a tough re-election battle next year - the Obama administration has announced it is abandoning Yucca.
There are a great number of problems with that - not the least of which is the fact that the country has no Plan B.
Secretary Chu Announces Determination of No Adverse Material Impact for Uranium Transfer to Fund Portsmouth Cleanup
357 words/12 November 2009/Department of Energy Documents/DOEDOC/English/© 2009 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. /Public Affairs Department/(202) 586-4940 ... Thursday, November 12, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary Chu announced today that the Department of Energy has issued a final determination and market impact study for the proposed uranium transfer to fund accelerated cleanup activities at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, which will create between 800 to 1,000 new jobs for the community. The market review and determination confirms that the proposed transfer of uranium will not have an adverse material impact on the domestic uranium industries.
Under the determination, DOE's Office of Environmental Management will be able to transfer as much as 300 metric tons of uranium per quarter in calendar years 2009 and 2010 for cleanup at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, so long as the total transfer during that period does not exceed 1,125 metric tons of uranium. The uranium transfers will be consistent with the policies reflected in the Department's Excess Uranium Management Plan and will comply with all applicable laws to ensure minimal impact on the domestic uranium market. The Department believes that the proposed uranium transfer would raise $150-$200 million per year.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary Chu announced today that the Department of Energy has issued a final determination and market impact study for the proposed uranium transfer to fund accelerated cleanup activities at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, which will create between 800 to 1,000 new jobs for the community. The market review and determination confirms that the proposed transfer of uranium will not have an adverse material impact on the domestic uranium industries.
Under the determination, DOE's Office of Environmental Management will be able to transfer as much as 300 metric tons of uranium per quarter in calendar years 2009 and 2010 for cleanup at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, so long as the total transfer during that period does not exceed 1,125 metric tons of uranium. The uranium transfers will be consistent with the policies reflected in the Department's Excess Uranium Management Plan and will comply with all applicable laws to ensure minimal impact on the domestic uranium market. The Department believes that the proposed uranium transfer would raise $150-$200 million per year.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Life after Yucca Mountain; Report: Energy Department on verge of abandoning nuke dump application
360 words/11 November 2009/Las Vegas Sun/LVSN/News4/English/Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun. All Rights Reserved.
We have cheered the Obama administrationÕs decision to eventually shutter the ill-conceived Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project by starving it of federal funding. Nonetheless, our optimism has been tempered because the Energy Department still has a pending license application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a permanent dump for the nationÕs high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
What we eagerly await is the day when the Energy Department abandons the application so that the idea of forcing a potentially deadly nuke waste dump, on a state that does not want it, is buried for good.
That day could come as early as next month, according to The Energy Daily, which frequently writes on nuclear power issues. The publication, citing internal Energy Department documents, reported Monday on its Web site that the agency plans to abandon the license request in December as part of its fiscal 2011 budget. The story also noted that the only money the agency is seeking for Yucca Mountain that year is for the purpose of closing the project. If that is the case, we can hardly wait.
We have cheered the Obama administrationÕs decision to eventually shutter the ill-conceived Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project by starving it of federal funding. Nonetheless, our optimism has been tempered because the Energy Department still has a pending license application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a permanent dump for the nationÕs high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
What we eagerly await is the day when the Energy Department abandons the application so that the idea of forcing a potentially deadly nuke waste dump, on a state that does not want it, is buried for good.
That day could come as early as next month, according to The Energy Daily, which frequently writes on nuclear power issues. The publication, citing internal Energy Department documents, reported Monday on its Web site that the agency plans to abandon the license request in December as part of its fiscal 2011 budget. The story also noted that the only money the agency is seeking for Yucca Mountain that year is for the purpose of closing the project. If that is the case, we can hardly wait.
Yucca critic wants clarity
Keith Rogers /450 words/11 November 2009/The Las Vegas Review-Journal/LVGS/5B/English/© 2009 The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
/By KEITH ROGERS/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL//
A Department of Energy memo that calls for ending next month the pursuit of a license for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository has the state's leading project opponent wondering whether federal budget officers mistakenly wrote "December 2009" instead of December 2010.
"Somewhere in the memo, it did say they plan to stop licensing in December '09, which doesn't make much sense to me, considering the president just signed the legislation ... funding it until Sept. 30," said Yucca Mountain opponent Bruce Breslow, executive director of the state Agency for Nuclear Projects.
"The best guess I have is it's a typo that should have said 2010," he told Nevada's Nuclear Projects Commission on Tuesday.
/By KEITH ROGERS/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL//
A Department of Energy memo that calls for ending next month the pursuit of a license for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository has the state's leading project opponent wondering whether federal budget officers mistakenly wrote "December 2009" instead of December 2010.
"Somewhere in the memo, it did say they plan to stop licensing in December '09, which doesn't make much sense to me, considering the president just signed the legislation ... funding it until Sept. 30," said Yucca Mountain opponent Bruce Breslow, executive director of the state Agency for Nuclear Projects.
"The best guess I have is it's a typo that should have said 2010," he told Nevada's Nuclear Projects Commission on Tuesday.
DOE ponders options, cost of K-25 cleanup
11 November 2009/The Knoxville News Sentinel/KXVL/Copyright 2009 Scripps Howard Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nobody is saying how much money it’s going to cost or when exactly it’s going to get finished, but Bechtel Jacobs Co. has presented the Department of Energy with a bunch of options — 22, all told — for completing the demolition of the massive K-25 building in Oak Ridge.
“Each one has a different price tag, or each one takes a longer or shorter time,” Joe Nemec, president of Bechtel Jacobs, DOE’s cleanup manager, said of the various plans.
The complicating issue is the presence of radioactive technetium-99, which was introduced into the uraniumenrichment processes decades ago and requires special treatment. The amounts of Tc-99 are relatively small, but the material is highly radioactive and mobile in the environment. Therefore, debris that’s contaminated with technetium won’t qualify for disposal at DOE’s Oak Ridge nuclear landfill and must be sent to the Nevada Test Site for disposal in the desert.
Nobody is saying how much money it’s going to cost or when exactly it’s going to get finished, but Bechtel Jacobs Co. has presented the Department of Energy with a bunch of options — 22, all told — for completing the demolition of the massive K-25 building in Oak Ridge.
“Each one has a different price tag, or each one takes a longer or shorter time,” Joe Nemec, president of Bechtel Jacobs, DOE’s cleanup manager, said of the various plans.
The complicating issue is the presence of radioactive technetium-99, which was introduced into the uraniumenrichment processes decades ago and requires special treatment. The amounts of Tc-99 are relatively small, but the material is highly radioactive and mobile in the environment. Therefore, debris that’s contaminated with technetium won’t qualify for disposal at DOE’s Oak Ridge nuclear landfill and must be sent to the Nevada Test Site for disposal in the desert.
BRIEF: Energy Daily: DOE abandoning Yucca Mountain plans
By Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review-Journal /McClatchy-Tribune Regional News/151 words/10 November 2009/Las Vegas Review-Journal (MCT)/KRTLV/English/Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Nov. 10--Internal Department of Energy budget documents obtained by a Washington, D.C.-area trade publication show the department is abandoning its effort to license the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," according to the budget request cited by the publication, The Energy Daily.
The Energy Department has submitted its plans to build the repository in Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was expected to take three to four years to complete that review.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
Nov. 10--Internal Department of Energy budget documents obtained by a Washington, D.C.-area trade publication show the department is abandoning its effort to license the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," according to the budget request cited by the publication, The Energy Daily.
The Energy Department has submitted its plans to build the repository in Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was expected to take three to four years to complete that review.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Memo casts doubt on license for Yucca repository: Budget documents suggest Obama administration might be ending effort
Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review-Journal /McClatchy-Tribune Regional News/751 words/10 November 2009/Las Vegas Review-Journal (MCT)/KRTLV/English/Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Nov. 10--The Obama administration intends to stop the pursuit of a license for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in December, according to internal budget documents from the Department of Energy.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," said a draft Program Decision Memorandum that was attached to an Oct. 23 memo from DOE Chief Financial Officer Steve Isakowitz.
The documents obtained by the Review-Journal said that decisions for a revised 2011 budget request "are draft until signed by the deputy secretary. ... We do not expect the information to change."
Pre-hearings began this year in Las Vegas on whether to build a maze of tunnels inside Yucca Mountain to store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive spent reactor fuel and defense waste. The location is about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
On Monday, DOE spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller declined to say whether the memos actually mean the federal agency is going to withdraw its Yucca Mountain license application.
Doing so without having an alternative site selected or having a commission in place to chart the future of the nuclear waste program could spur more lawsuits from the nuclear industry over the government's failure to take possession of the waste as called for in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and its amendments.
In an e-mail, Mueller said that "the administration's position on Yucca Mountain has not changed."
She wrote that "the president and Secretary (Steven) Chu have made it clear that nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain is not an option, period."
Nov. 10--The Obama administration intends to stop the pursuit of a license for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in December, according to internal budget documents from the Department of Energy.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," said a draft Program Decision Memorandum that was attached to an Oct. 23 memo from DOE Chief Financial Officer Steve Isakowitz.
The documents obtained by the Review-Journal said that decisions for a revised 2011 budget request "are draft until signed by the deputy secretary. ... We do not expect the information to change."
Pre-hearings began this year in Las Vegas on whether to build a maze of tunnels inside Yucca Mountain to store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive spent reactor fuel and defense waste. The location is about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
On Monday, DOE spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller declined to say whether the memos actually mean the federal agency is going to withdraw its Yucca Mountain license application.
Doing so without having an alternative site selected or having a commission in place to chart the future of the nuclear waste program could spur more lawsuits from the nuclear industry over the government's failure to take possession of the waste as called for in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and its amendments.
In an e-mail, Mueller said that "the administration's position on Yucca Mountain has not changed."
She wrote that "the president and Secretary (Steven) Chu have made it clear that nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain is not an option, period."
Different disposal plan may be needed
By Rob Pavey, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. /McClatchy-Tribune Regional News/594 words/10 November 2009/The Augusta Chronicle (MCT)/KRTAG/English/Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Nov. 10--If the nation's primary option for permanent disposal of nuclear waste doesn't materialize, communities across South Carolina and Georgia must mobilize to determine a path for its nuclear waste, according to an economic development group hoping to stir more interest in the topic.
Savannah River Site's Community Reuse Organization, in a paper unveiled Monday, calls for more dialogue and interest in a topic its vice chairman, David Jameson, believes will have lingering implications for the Aiken-Augusta community.
"The government's about-face on this critical issue leaves state and local leaders with more questions than answers," he said in a statement Monday. "The Federal government has broken faith with communities across the nation. It has violated its promise to provide permanent storage of nuclear waste. As a result, we must come to terms with our own lingering -- perhaps permanent -- role as caretaker for a large part of the nation's highly radioactive defense waste."
Nov. 10--If the nation's primary option for permanent disposal of nuclear waste doesn't materialize, communities across South Carolina and Georgia must mobilize to determine a path for its nuclear waste, according to an economic development group hoping to stir more interest in the topic.
Savannah River Site's Community Reuse Organization, in a paper unveiled Monday, calls for more dialogue and interest in a topic its vice chairman, David Jameson, believes will have lingering implications for the Aiken-Augusta community.
"The government's about-face on this critical issue leaves state and local leaders with more questions than answers," he said in a statement Monday. "The Federal government has broken faith with communities across the nation. It has violated its promise to provide permanent storage of nuclear waste. As a result, we must come to terms with our own lingering -- perhaps permanent -- role as caretaker for a large part of the nation's highly radioactive defense waste."
Board says to empty tanks more quickly
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/893 words/9 November 2009/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/B1
\English\c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
More aggressive deadlines for emptying radioactive waste from leakprone underground tanks should be included in a proposed settlement agreement, the Hanford Advisory Board says.
That was one of several recommendations the board made last week concerning a proposed agreement between the Department of Energy and the state of Washington that would end a lawsuit brought by the state.
The board continues its opposition to further consideration of bulk vitrification for supplemental treatment of low activity radioactive waste. It also continues to press for the start of treatment of low activity waste at the main vitrification plant under construction, the Waste Treatment Plant, before the entire plant is ready to operate.
In addition the board earlier had advised that a cost and schedule outlook for remaining environmental cleanup work be completed before the state agreed to changes in legal deadlines. But when members were asked if that was a deal breaker for them, they said no.
\English\c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
More aggressive deadlines for emptying radioactive waste from leakprone underground tanks should be included in a proposed settlement agreement, the Hanford Advisory Board says.
That was one of several recommendations the board made last week concerning a proposed agreement between the Department of Energy and the state of Washington that would end a lawsuit brought by the state.
The board continues its opposition to further consideration of bulk vitrification for supplemental treatment of low activity radioactive waste. It also continues to press for the start of treatment of low activity waste at the main vitrification plant under construction, the Waste Treatment Plant, before the entire plant is ready to operate.
In addition the board earlier had advised that a cost and schedule outlook for remaining environmental cleanup work be completed before the state agreed to changes in legal deadlines. But when members were asked if that was a deal breaker for them, they said no.
There is love for nuke dumps
By NICK CALACOURAS /320 words/8 November 2009/Northern Territory News/Sunday Territorian/NORTHT/1English/Copyright 2009 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved
RESIDENTS in Sweden actually fought to have a nuclear waste dump in their town, according to an environmental scientist.
Darwin-based environmental scientist Pamela Jones recently returned from a tour of the two nuclear waste dumps in the Swedish towns of Forsmark and Osterhamn -- similar to the facility expected to be built in the Territory.
She said the people in these municipalities voted on the issue before it was built -- and 80 per cent were in favour of the facility.
``The closer to the facility, the higher the vote was in favour of it,'' she said. ``They wanted to be close to this facility.''
RESIDENTS in Sweden actually fought to have a nuclear waste dump in their town, according to an environmental scientist.
Darwin-based environmental scientist Pamela Jones recently returned from a tour of the two nuclear waste dumps in the Swedish towns of Forsmark and Osterhamn -- similar to the facility expected to be built in the Territory.
She said the people in these municipalities voted on the issue before it was built -- and 80 per cent were in favour of the facility.
``The closer to the facility, the higher the vote was in favour of it,'' she said. ``They wanted to be close to this facility.''
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Power for U.S. From Russia’s Old Nuclear Weapons
November 10, 2009/By ANDREW E. KRAMER
MOSCOW — What’s powering your home appliances?
For about 10 percent of electricity in the United States, it’s fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, including Russian ones.
“It’s a great, easy source” of fuel, said Marina V. Alekseyenkova, an analyst at Renaissance Capital and an expert in the Russian nuclear industry that has profited from the arrangement since the end of the cold war.
But if more diluted weapons-grade uranium isn’t secured soon, the pipeline could run dry, with ramifications for consumers, as well as some American utilities and their Russian suppliers.
Already nervous about a supply gap, utilities operating America’s 104 nuclear reactors are paying as much attention to President Obama’s efforts to conclude a new arms treaty as the Nobel Peace Prize committee did.
MOSCOW — What’s powering your home appliances?
For about 10 percent of electricity in the United States, it’s fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, including Russian ones.
“It’s a great, easy source” of fuel, said Marina V. Alekseyenkova, an analyst at Renaissance Capital and an expert in the Russian nuclear industry that has profited from the arrangement since the end of the cold war.
But if more diluted weapons-grade uranium isn’t secured soon, the pipeline could run dry, with ramifications for consumers, as well as some American utilities and their Russian suppliers.
Already nervous about a supply gap, utilities operating America’s 104 nuclear reactors are paying as much attention to President Obama’s efforts to conclude a new arms treaty as the Nobel Peace Prize committee did.
New Nuclear Power Plants Will Spur U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/ Nuclear Energy Institute / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/ November 10, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Increased use of nuclear energy to meet rising electricity demand with a clean-air energy source will provide a major boost to the American economy, an industry infrastructure expert told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today.
“Congress has set a high bar in climate change legislative proposals and must have a significant contribution from nuclear energy—the largest source of carbon-free electricity—to achieve its goals. New nuclear power plants also will serve other national imperatives, as construction of new plants will create tens of thousands of jobs in project development, construction, operations and manufacturing,” said Carol Berrigan, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s senior director of industry infrastructure.
Berrigan pointed out that nuclear energy provides 72 percent of the U.S. electricity supply that comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases or other controlled air pollutants. The 104 reactors operating in 31 states also generate substantial economic value. In 2008, companies in the nuclear energy industry procured more than $14 billion in materials, fuel and services from more than 22,500 domestic suppliers in all 50 states.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Increased use of nuclear energy to meet rising electricity demand with a clean-air energy source will provide a major boost to the American economy, an industry infrastructure expert told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today.
“Congress has set a high bar in climate change legislative proposals and must have a significant contribution from nuclear energy—the largest source of carbon-free electricity—to achieve its goals. New nuclear power plants also will serve other national imperatives, as construction of new plants will create tens of thousands of jobs in project development, construction, operations and manufacturing,” said Carol Berrigan, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s senior director of industry infrastructure.
Berrigan pointed out that nuclear energy provides 72 percent of the U.S. electricity supply that comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases or other controlled air pollutants. The 104 reactors operating in 31 states also generate substantial economic value. In 2008, companies in the nuclear energy industry procured more than $14 billion in materials, fuel and services from more than 22,500 domestic suppliers in all 50 states.
Energy Daily: DOE abandoning Yucca Mountain plans
By KEITH ROGERS/ LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Internal Department of Energy budget documents obtained by a Washington, D.C.-area trade publication show the department is abandoning its effort to license the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," according to the budget request cited by the publication, The Energy Daily.
The Energy Department has submitted its plans to build the repository in Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was expected to take three to four years to complete that review. Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
Internal Department of Energy budget documents obtained by a Washington, D.C.-area trade publication show the department is abandoning its effort to license the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
"All license defense activities will be terminated in December 2009," according to the budget request cited by the publication, The Energy Daily.
The Energy Department has submitted its plans to build the repository in Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It was expected to take three to four years to complete that review. Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
Different disposal plan may be needed
By Rob Pavey, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. / McClatchy-Tribune Regional News/ 594 words/ 10 November 2009/ The Augusta Chronicle (MCT)
Nov. 10--If the nation's primary option for permanent disposal of nuclear waste doesn't materialize, communities across South Carolina and Georgia must mobilize to determine a path for its nuclear waste, according to an economic development group hoping to stir more interest in the topic.
Savannah River Site's Community Reuse Organization, in a paper unveiled Monday, calls for more dialogue and interest in a topic its vice chairman, David Jameson, believes will have lingering implications for the Aiken-Augusta community.
"The government's about-face on this critical issue leaves state and local leaders with more questions than answers," he said in a statement Monday. "The Federal government has broken faith with communities across the nation. It has violated its promise to provide permanent storage of nuclear waste. As a result, we must come to terms with our own lingering -- perhaps permanent -- role as caretaker for a large part of the nation's highly radioactive defense waste."
Nov. 10--If the nation's primary option for permanent disposal of nuclear waste doesn't materialize, communities across South Carolina and Georgia must mobilize to determine a path for its nuclear waste, according to an economic development group hoping to stir more interest in the topic.
Savannah River Site's Community Reuse Organization, in a paper unveiled Monday, calls for more dialogue and interest in a topic its vice chairman, David Jameson, believes will have lingering implications for the Aiken-Augusta community.
"The government's about-face on this critical issue leaves state and local leaders with more questions than answers," he said in a statement Monday. "The Federal government has broken faith with communities across the nation. It has violated its promise to provide permanent storage of nuclear waste. As a result, we must come to terms with our own lingering -- perhaps permanent -- role as caretaker for a large part of the nation's highly radioactive defense waste."
Why the U.S. Needs Nuclear Power
By Aris Candris /945 words/9 November 2009/The Wall Street Journal/(Copyright (c) 2009, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
As America climbs out of one of its worst recessions in decades, we must keep in mind that long-term economic growth requires an abundant, affordable supply of electricity.
By 2030, electricity demand in the U.S. is expected to grow by 21% from its current level, according to the U.S. Energy Administration. To meet our needs we have several options.
One is to increase our dependence on fossil energy sources. Unfortunately, this will only add to the environmental burden caused by burning carbon-based fuels. Another option, the Obama administration's goal, is to increase the supply of energy sources that reduce the country's carbon footprint. These sources include solar, wind, hydro, biofuels and geothermal energy, as well as new domestic sources of natural gas, which burns cleaner than oil or coal.
As America climbs out of one of its worst recessions in decades, we must keep in mind that long-term economic growth requires an abundant, affordable supply of electricity.
By 2030, electricity demand in the U.S. is expected to grow by 21% from its current level, according to the U.S. Energy Administration. To meet our needs we have several options.
One is to increase our dependence on fossil energy sources. Unfortunately, this will only add to the environmental burden caused by burning carbon-based fuels. Another option, the Obama administration's goal, is to increase the supply of energy sources that reduce the country's carbon footprint. These sources include solar, wind, hydro, biofuels and geothermal energy, as well as new domestic sources of natural gas, which burns cleaner than oil or coal.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Idaho’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project
With funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho Site is shipping radioactive waste years ahead of schedule.
The site committed to shipping 1,300 cubic meters of low level waste (LLW) and mixed low level waste (MLLW) out of Idaho and retrieving 1,200 cubic meters of stored transuranic (TRU) waste.
In addition to the shipping and retrieval goals, the AMWTP will support the treatment of problematic sludge waste and the shipment of 21 legacy concrete vaults to the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility for permanent disposal.
The site committed to shipping 1,300 cubic meters of low level waste (LLW) and mixed low level waste (MLLW) out of Idaho and retrieving 1,200 cubic meters of stored transuranic (TRU) waste.
In addition to the shipping and retrieval goals, the AMWTP will support the treatment of problematic sludge waste and the shipment of 21 legacy concrete vaults to the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility for permanent disposal.
WIPP receives 8,000th waste shipment
132 words/5 November 2009/16:22/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - The federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico has received its 8,000th shipment of transuranic waste.
The shipment arrived at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Wednesday. It came from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office, Dave Moody, says reaching this milestone is a testament to the department's commitment to cleaning up and reducing the nation's nuclear waste footprint.
Officials say that hours after the 8,000th shipment rolled in, WIPP received its 300th shipment of remote-handled transuranic waste from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in California.
The waste consists of tools, rags, protective clothing, sludge, soil and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - The federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico has received its 8,000th shipment of transuranic waste.
The shipment arrived at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Wednesday. It came from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office, Dave Moody, says reaching this milestone is a testament to the department's commitment to cleaning up and reducing the nation's nuclear waste footprint.
Officials say that hours after the 8,000th shipment rolled in, WIPP received its 300th shipment of remote-handled transuranic waste from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in California.
The waste consists of tools, rags, protective clothing, sludge, soil and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NRC ANNOUNCES SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGES
No. 09-181 / November 4, 2009
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced several senior leadership changes that include new heads of the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), Office of Enforcement and Office of Investigations.
James T. Wiggins, previously Deputy Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), is the new head of NSIR. Wiggins is a long-time NRC employee who previously served as the Deputy Regional Administrator for Region I, in Pennsylvania, and as Deputy Director of the Office of Research. He received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University.
Roy P. Zimmerman, who previously headed NSIR, is the new head of Enforcement. Zimmerman is also a long-time NRC employee who has held a variety of positions in headquarters, including senior positions in NRR and the Office of Research and positions in two NRC regional offices. Zimmerman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine (Mechanical) Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Cheryl L. McCrary, currently the Deputy Director of the Office of Investigations, has been promoted to head that office. McCrary’s more than 25-year federal law enforcement career includes positions with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Secret Service, and the NRC’s Office of the Inspector General. She also headed the NRC’s Region II Investigations Field Office in Atlanta. McCrary received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University at Northridge and is a graduate of the 2008 SES Candidate Development Program.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced several senior leadership changes that include new heads of the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), Office of Enforcement and Office of Investigations.
James T. Wiggins, previously Deputy Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), is the new head of NSIR. Wiggins is a long-time NRC employee who previously served as the Deputy Regional Administrator for Region I, in Pennsylvania, and as Deputy Director of the Office of Research. He received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University.
Roy P. Zimmerman, who previously headed NSIR, is the new head of Enforcement. Zimmerman is also a long-time NRC employee who has held a variety of positions in headquarters, including senior positions in NRR and the Office of Research and positions in two NRC regional offices. Zimmerman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine (Mechanical) Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Cheryl L. McCrary, currently the Deputy Director of the Office of Investigations, has been promoted to head that office. McCrary’s more than 25-year federal law enforcement career includes positions with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Secret Service, and the NRC’s Office of the Inspector General. She also headed the NRC’s Region II Investigations Field Office in Atlanta. McCrary received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University at Northridge and is a graduate of the 2008 SES Candidate Development Program.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Work on largest vit plant building continues
Work has begun on the interior fittings of the Hanford vitrification plant’s largest building as it continues to rise. The Pretreatment Facility, which will stand 120 feet high, is now at 77 feet high in places and continues to rise steadily as concrete and steel are installed.
The facility will be used to separate radioactive waste now held in underground tanks into high level and low activity waste streams for separate treatment for final disposal. It’s the largest building planned on the vit plant’s 65-acre campus and measures 540 feet long and 215 feet wide.
“Up until now, we’ve primarily concentrated on the exterior structural framework of the facility,” said Leon Lamm, area project manager for the Pretreatment Facility, in a statement. “Now we are integrating efforts to install commodities inside the building.”
The facility will be used to separate radioactive waste now held in underground tanks into high level and low activity waste streams for separate treatment for final disposal. It’s the largest building planned on the vit plant’s 65-acre campus and measures 540 feet long and 215 feet wide.
“Up until now, we’ve primarily concentrated on the exterior structural framework of the facility,” said Leon Lamm, area project manager for the Pretreatment Facility, in a statement. “Now we are integrating efforts to install commodities inside the building.”
Faces of the Recovery Act: Jobs at Savannah River Site
YOUTUBE Video From: US Department of Energy October 30, 2009
Bill to ban nuclear waste imports advances in House
By JOAN LOWY /Associated Press Writer/389 words/3 November 2009/13:18/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A House panel on Tuesday voted to block the importation of foreign nuclear waste into the United States in response to a Salt Lake City company's plan to bury low-level radioactive waste from Italy at a site in Utah.
The Energy and Commerce Committee's energy subcommittee approved by a voice vote a bill sponsored by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah; Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.; and Lee Terry, R-Neb. to prohibit the importation of low-level radioactive waste unless it originated here or served a strategic national purpose as determined by the president.
A companion version of the bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
At issue is 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy that a U.S. company, EnergySolutions Inc., wants to process in Tennessee before disposing of the remaining 1,600 tons at a private site about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City. It's the largest amount of low-level radioactive waste the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ever been asked to allow into the country.
A commission official told lawmakers last month that the commission doesn't have the authority to turn down an import request as long as the proposal meets safety and security regulations.
Without legislation to prevent importation of waste, the U.S. risks becoming the world's nuclear dumping ground, said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the panel's chairman.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A House panel on Tuesday voted to block the importation of foreign nuclear waste into the United States in response to a Salt Lake City company's plan to bury low-level radioactive waste from Italy at a site in Utah.
The Energy and Commerce Committee's energy subcommittee approved by a voice vote a bill sponsored by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah; Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.; and Lee Terry, R-Neb. to prohibit the importation of low-level radioactive waste unless it originated here or served a strategic national purpose as determined by the president.
A companion version of the bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
At issue is 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy that a U.S. company, EnergySolutions Inc., wants to process in Tennessee before disposing of the remaining 1,600 tons at a private site about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City. It's the largest amount of low-level radioactive waste the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ever been asked to allow into the country.
A commission official told lawmakers last month that the commission doesn't have the authority to turn down an import request as long as the proposal meets safety and security regulations.
Without legislation to prevent importation of waste, the U.S. risks becoming the world's nuclear dumping ground, said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the panel's chairman.
Nuclear Engineering; Study results from S. Levy and colleagues in the area of nuclear engineering published
Nuclear Engineering; Study results from S. Levy and colleagues in the area of nuclear engineering published
617 words/3 November 2009/Science Letter/SCLT/52/English/(c) Copyright 2009 Science Letter via NewsRx.com
2009 NOV 4 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research published in the journal Nuclear Engineering and Design, "Interim, centralized, engineered (dry cask) storage facilities for USA light water power reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) should be implemented to complement and to offer much needed flexibility while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is funded to complete its evaluation of the Yucca Mountain License and to subject it to public hearings. The interim sites should use the credo reproduced in Table 1 [Bunn, M., 2001."
617 words/3 November 2009/Science Letter/SCLT/52/English/(c) Copyright 2009 Science Letter via NewsRx.com
2009 NOV 4 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research published in the journal Nuclear Engineering and Design, "Interim, centralized, engineered (dry cask) storage facilities for USA light water power reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) should be implemented to complement and to offer much needed flexibility while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is funded to complete its evaluation of the Yucca Mountain License and to subject it to public hearings. The interim sites should use the credo reproduced in Table 1 [Bunn, M., 2001."
Updated: Secretary Chu Announcement of $151 Million in ARPA-E Grants
Updated: Secretary Chu Announcement of $151 Million in ARPA-E Grants
26 October 2009, Department of Energy Documents/ © 2009 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc./ Public Affairs Department/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Secretary Chu Announcement of $151 Million in ARPA-E Grants
(San Francisco, Calif.) - Today, Secretary Chu announced the first $151 million in grant funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy. Secretary Chu made the announcement at the headquarters of Google Inc. in Mountain View, California. Below are his remarks:
Sometimes a great idea can change the world.
The transistor made possible modern computers, the internet, and Silicon Valley. The hybrid strains of wheat and the Green Revolution helped us feed a growing planet. Linking our computers together through the Internet unleashed an Information Age - in no small part because of the great ideas that have come out of Google.
We are here today because this place reminds us that, occasionally, radical innovation can alter the landscape of an entire industry. And we're here to announce a portfolio of bold new research projects, any one of which could do for energy what Google did for the Internet.
I'm pleased to announce the first $151 million in funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy. ARPA-E was funded for the first time in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pursue truly transformational solutions to the energy problem.
26 October 2009, Department of Energy Documents/ © 2009 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc./ Public Affairs Department/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Secretary Chu Announcement of $151 Million in ARPA-E Grants
(San Francisco, Calif.) - Today, Secretary Chu announced the first $151 million in grant funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy. Secretary Chu made the announcement at the headquarters of Google Inc. in Mountain View, California. Below are his remarks:
Sometimes a great idea can change the world.
The transistor made possible modern computers, the internet, and Silicon Valley. The hybrid strains of wheat and the Green Revolution helped us feed a growing planet. Linking our computers together through the Internet unleashed an Information Age - in no small part because of the great ideas that have come out of Google.
We are here today because this place reminds us that, occasionally, radical innovation can alter the landscape of an entire industry. And we're here to announce a portfolio of bold new research projects, any one of which could do for energy what Google did for the Internet.
I'm pleased to announce the first $151 million in funding through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy. ARPA-E was funded for the first time in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pursue truly transformational solutions to the energy problem.
EPA STAFF, ACTIVISTS RAISE FEARS OVER NUCLEAR WASTE PANEL NOMINEE
EPA STAFF, ACTIVISTS RAISE FEARS OVER NUCLEAR WASTE PANEL NOMINEE
2 November 2009
Superfund Report, SUFR, Vol. 23, No. 22
Copyright (c) 2009 Inside Washington Publishers. All Rights Reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.InsideEPA.com.
EPA staff and activists are raising concerns over President Obama's nomination of Jessie Roberson to join a panel overseeing the Energy Department's (DOE) nuclear waste cleanup program, noting Roberson was head of the same program at the Bush DOE and often clashed with EPA and others on controversial cleanup policies.
The White House Oct. 14 announced Roberson's nomination to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), an independent federal agency that provides safety oversight of the former nuclear weapons manufacturing sites DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for cleaning up. Roberson served as head of the EM office during former President George W. Bush's first term in office.
The Obama administration announcement touts Roberson's experience as an industry consultant -- including a stint as director of nuclear regulatory programs for the Exelon Corporation -- but does not mention her often controversial tenure as Bush EM assistant secretary, where she clashed with EPA, Congress and tribes.
2 November 2009
Superfund Report, SUFR, Vol. 23, No. 22
Copyright (c) 2009 Inside Washington Publishers. All Rights Reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.InsideEPA.com.
EPA staff and activists are raising concerns over President Obama's nomination of Jessie Roberson to join a panel overseeing the Energy Department's (DOE) nuclear waste cleanup program, noting Roberson was head of the same program at the Bush DOE and often clashed with EPA and others on controversial cleanup policies.
The White House Oct. 14 announced Roberson's nomination to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), an independent federal agency that provides safety oversight of the former nuclear weapons manufacturing sites DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for cleaning up. Roberson served as head of the EM office during former President George W. Bush's first term in office.
The Obama administration announcement touts Roberson's experience as an industry consultant -- including a stint as director of nuclear regulatory programs for the Exelon Corporation -- but does not mention her often controversial tenure as Bush EM assistant secretary, where she clashed with EPA, Congress and tribes.
HAZARDOUS WASTE; Los Alamos has trouble containing all its waste
HAZARDOUS WASTE; Los Alamos has trouble containing all its waste
239 words
2 November 2009
Greenwire
GRWR
English
© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the homes of the nation's nuclear weapons industry, has had trouble containing all of its waste, some of which has percolated through the region's fractured geology toward some drinking water sources.
This waste is not a health threat, officials say, though monitoring of water runoff in canyons that feed into the Rio Grande has found, at times, elevated concentrations of a rocket fuel ingredient and various radioactive byproducts of nuclear fission.
"We are seeing no human or ecological risk," said Danny Katzman, director of the lab's water stewardship program. "We won't be surprised on occasion to see a higher-than-normal reading. But those higher values last for 40 minutes during a flood, and maybe two hours out of a year."
239 words
2 November 2009
Greenwire
GRWR
English
© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the homes of the nation's nuclear weapons industry, has had trouble containing all of its waste, some of which has percolated through the region's fractured geology toward some drinking water sources.
This waste is not a health threat, officials say, though monitoring of water runoff in canyons that feed into the Rio Grande has found, at times, elevated concentrations of a rocket fuel ingredient and various radioactive byproducts of nuclear fission.
"We are seeing no human or ecological risk," said Danny Katzman, director of the lab's water stewardship program. "We won't be surprised on occasion to see a higher-than-normal reading. But those higher values last for 40 minutes during a flood, and maybe two hours out of a year."
Changing Climate: RiskMetrics Grabs KLD, Beefs Up Analysis of Environmental Risks from
Changing Climate: Risk Metrics Grabs KLD, Beefs Up Analysis of Environmental Risksfrom WSJ.com: Environmental Capital by Keith Johnson
Here’s a sign that whatever happens in the U.S. or overseas with climate-change gymnastics, big investors are taking the issue seriously.
RiskMetrics Group, the big risk-analysis firm, just snapped up KLD Research, which specializes in environmental, social, and governance issues for investors. That basically means that RiskMetrics’ traditional approach to figuring out what risks hang over companies—from exchange rates to commodity prices–will now include plenty of emphasis on environmental issues, including climate change.
The tie-up comes as many institutional investors are increasingly pressing big companies to be more forthright about their exposure to potential risks (and opportunities) from climate change. Witness the growth of Ceres.
And it comes just after the Securities and Exchange Commission made it easier for shareholders to ask companies about social and environmental risks—including climate change.
Here’s a sign that whatever happens in the U.S. or overseas with climate-change gymnastics, big investors are taking the issue seriously.
RiskMetrics Group, the big risk-analysis firm, just snapped up KLD Research, which specializes in environmental, social, and governance issues for investors. That basically means that RiskMetrics’ traditional approach to figuring out what risks hang over companies—from exchange rates to commodity prices–will now include plenty of emphasis on environmental issues, including climate change.
The tie-up comes as many institutional investors are increasingly pressing big companies to be more forthright about their exposure to potential risks (and opportunities) from climate change. Witness the growth of Ceres.
And it comes just after the Securities and Exchange Commission made it easier for shareholders to ask companies about social and environmental risks—including climate change.
MARK PETERS NAMED ARGONNE'S NEW DEPUTY LAB DIRECTOR FOR PROGRAMS
MARK PETERS NAMED ARGONNE'S NEW DEPUTY LAB DIRECTOR FOR PROGRAMS
2 November 2009, States News Service, SNS
(c) 2009 States News Service
The following information was released by Argonne National Laboratory:
Mark Peters was recently appointed deputy director for programs for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. Peters assumed his duties as one of the top administrators at the laboratory Sunday.
"I've had the opportunity in the last year to work closely with Mark during the development of the lab's energy strategy," Argonne Director Eric Isaacs said. "Mark's unique viewpoint and skill set will complement those of the entire executive management team. Moreover, his technical background, experience and energy will be a tremendous asset to Argonne, especially as he leads the development of the lab's long- and short-term strategic plans for science and technology."
In his new role, Peters, 45, will work closely with Argonne scientists, engineers, senior management and UChicago Argonne, LLC, which manages the lab for DOE; serve on the lab's policy-making bodies; and oversee and direct Argonne's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to ensure the highest-potential and highest-quality proposals are funded.
2 November 2009, States News Service, SNS
(c) 2009 States News Service
The following information was released by Argonne National Laboratory:
Mark Peters was recently appointed deputy director for programs for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. Peters assumed his duties as one of the top administrators at the laboratory Sunday.
"I've had the opportunity in the last year to work closely with Mark during the development of the lab's energy strategy," Argonne Director Eric Isaacs said. "Mark's unique viewpoint and skill set will complement those of the entire executive management team. Moreover, his technical background, experience and energy will be a tremendous asset to Argonne, especially as he leads the development of the lab's long- and short-term strategic plans for science and technology."
In his new role, Peters, 45, will work closely with Argonne scientists, engineers, senior management and UChicago Argonne, LLC, which manages the lab for DOE; serve on the lab's policy-making bodies; and oversee and direct Argonne's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to ensure the highest-potential and highest-quality proposals are funded.
Why the World May Turn to Nuclear Power
Why the World May Turn to Nuclear Power
Richard Stieglitz; Rick Docksai
1 November 2009, Futurist, IACA, 16, Volume 43; Issue 6; ISSN: 00163317
© 2009 Futurist. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Demand for fossil fuels may decline, but demand for electric power will soar. Nuclear power, resisted by many, may provide a long-term solution, and it has come a long way since Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
Within the next 10 years, the world's major economies will choose nuclear power as the clean, high-capacity baseload (i.e., primary) electricity. Nuclear power is experiencing a worldwide rebirth, with 12 countries building 45 new reactors. Nuclear power currently generates 16% of the world's electricity, but by 2030 it will approach 30%.
The global warming situation is dire, and fossil fuels are a major cause: 90% of carbon-dioxide pollution comes from the fossil fuels that generate electricity and provide transportation. Solar energy and wind power are attractive, clean energy sources and will proliferate, but a high-capacity baseload energy is vital: The wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine all the time. Countries are already choosing nuclear as a substitute for the fossil-fueled power plants that intensify the destructive climate changes related to global warming. They will continue to do so as years progress.
Richard Stieglitz; Rick Docksai
1 November 2009, Futurist, IACA, 16, Volume 43; Issue 6; ISSN: 00163317
© 2009 Futurist. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Demand for fossil fuels may decline, but demand for electric power will soar. Nuclear power, resisted by many, may provide a long-term solution, and it has come a long way since Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
Within the next 10 years, the world's major economies will choose nuclear power as the clean, high-capacity baseload (i.e., primary) electricity. Nuclear power is experiencing a worldwide rebirth, with 12 countries building 45 new reactors. Nuclear power currently generates 16% of the world's electricity, but by 2030 it will approach 30%.
The global warming situation is dire, and fossil fuels are a major cause: 90% of carbon-dioxide pollution comes from the fossil fuels that generate electricity and provide transportation. Solar energy and wind power are attractive, clean energy sources and will proliferate, but a high-capacity baseload energy is vital: The wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine all the time. Countries are already choosing nuclear as a substitute for the fossil-fueled power plants that intensify the destructive climate changes related to global warming. They will continue to do so as years progress.
RECOGNIZING NUCLEAR WORKERS
RECOGNIZING NUCLEAR WORKERS
30 October 2009
US Fed News
Copyright 2009. HT Media Limited. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. (3rd CD), issued the following news release:
The Nuclear Worker Day of Remembrance Resolution, designating October 30, 2009, to be a national day of remembrance passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Congressman Zach Wamp cosponsored the legislation to honor the thousands of men and women who supported the nation's nuclear efforts during the Cold War.
"Many of our citizens have been called upon to serve our country in tanks, airplanes, ships and submarines. Others were in plants and factories serving our country in a different venue, but one that was just as patriotic and sacrificial," said Congressman Wamp. "On October 30, people will come together across the country to remember and honor all those who worked to create the deterrent that made the world safer."
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has played a critical role in the defense of our country from the Manhattan Project forward. From 1942, almost three-quarters of a million people have worked in the nuclear industry. Thousands of those workers became ill as a result of exposure to toxic substances or chemicals during their work at a Department of Energy facility.
30 October 2009
US Fed News
Copyright 2009. HT Media Limited. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. (3rd CD), issued the following news release:
The Nuclear Worker Day of Remembrance Resolution, designating October 30, 2009, to be a national day of remembrance passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Congressman Zach Wamp cosponsored the legislation to honor the thousands of men and women who supported the nation's nuclear efforts during the Cold War.
"Many of our citizens have been called upon to serve our country in tanks, airplanes, ships and submarines. Others were in plants and factories serving our country in a different venue, but one that was just as patriotic and sacrificial," said Congressman Wamp. "On October 30, people will come together across the country to remember and honor all those who worked to create the deterrent that made the world safer."
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has played a critical role in the defense of our country from the Manhattan Project forward. From 1942, almost three-quarters of a million people have worked in the nuclear industry. Thousands of those workers became ill as a result of exposure to toxic substances or chemicals during their work at a Department of Energy facility.
Moratorium on waste imports has questions
Moratorium on waste imports has questions
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
30 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
English
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
Concerns were raised about whether the state can make the federal government stick to its moratorium on importing certain radioactive wastes to the Hanford nuclear reservation at a public hearing Thursday night in Richland.
About 40 people attended the hearing on a proposed settlement agreement reached by the state of Washington and the Department of Energy to resolve a lawsuit brought by the state against DOE almost a year ago. The state sued after it became clear DOE could not meet legal deadlines in the Tri-Party Agreement to empty leak-prone underground tanks of radioactive waste and treat the waste.
The proposed settlement agreement would extend deadlines to dates DOE and the state say are realistic. And in one concession for doing that, the state won a commitment from DOE not to import several types of waste to Hanford until the vitrification plant is fully operational to treat the waste. That’s scheduled for 2022.
While new environmental cleanup deadlines could be enforced either by a federal court order under a consent decree or through the Tri-Party Agreement, neither would cover the moratorium on importing waste to Hanford.
The Department of Justice has given its word in a letter to the state that wastes DOE already had decided to send to Hanford would not be sent at least while the moratorium is in effect. That includes low-level radioactive waste, some of it mixed with hazardous chemicals, that was to be buried in Hanford landfills. It also includes transuranic waste, typically waste contaminated with plutonium, and transuranic waste mixed with hazardous chemicals that were to be stored at Hanford.
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
30 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
English
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
Concerns were raised about whether the state can make the federal government stick to its moratorium on importing certain radioactive wastes to the Hanford nuclear reservation at a public hearing Thursday night in Richland.
About 40 people attended the hearing on a proposed settlement agreement reached by the state of Washington and the Department of Energy to resolve a lawsuit brought by the state against DOE almost a year ago. The state sued after it became clear DOE could not meet legal deadlines in the Tri-Party Agreement to empty leak-prone underground tanks of radioactive waste and treat the waste.
The proposed settlement agreement would extend deadlines to dates DOE and the state say are realistic. And in one concession for doing that, the state won a commitment from DOE not to import several types of waste to Hanford until the vitrification plant is fully operational to treat the waste. That’s scheduled for 2022.
While new environmental cleanup deadlines could be enforced either by a federal court order under a consent decree or through the Tri-Party Agreement, neither would cover the moratorium on importing waste to Hanford.
The Department of Justice has given its word in a letter to the state that wastes DOE already had decided to send to Hanford would not be sent at least while the moratorium is in effect. That includes low-level radioactive waste, some of it mixed with hazardous chemicals, that was to be buried in Hanford landfills. It also includes transuranic waste, typically waste contaminated with plutonium, and transuranic waste mixed with hazardous chemicals that were to be stored at Hanford.
More Hanford workers could be compensated
More Hanford workers could be compensated
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
29 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
Less than 10 percent of former Hanford construction workers who likely would qualify for compensation for illnesses have applied to a federal program, said a Building Trades National Medical Screening Program official.
Representatives of the program held a meeting in Pasco on Wednesday night to discuss the screening and a Department of Labor program that provides compensation for Hanford workers who developed illnesses because of exposure to radiation or hazardous chemicals at the nuclear reservation. Nearly 100 attended.
As many as 25,000 former Hanford building trades workers may have developed illnesses covered by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, said Knut Ringen, principal investigator for the building trades screening program. But he estimated that less than 10 percent of those have applied.
The compensation program pays $150,000 in compensation for cancers likely caused by radiation exposure and up to $250,000 for wage loss and impairment caused by exposure to toxic substances, which could include radiation, chemicals, solvents, acids and metals. Medical expenses are covered, and if workers have died, their survivors may be eligible for compensation.
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
29 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
Less than 10 percent of former Hanford construction workers who likely would qualify for compensation for illnesses have applied to a federal program, said a Building Trades National Medical Screening Program official.
Representatives of the program held a meeting in Pasco on Wednesday night to discuss the screening and a Department of Labor program that provides compensation for Hanford workers who developed illnesses because of exposure to radiation or hazardous chemicals at the nuclear reservation. Nearly 100 attended.
As many as 25,000 former Hanford building trades workers may have developed illnesses covered by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, said Knut Ringen, principal investigator for the building trades screening program. But he estimated that less than 10 percent of those have applied.
The compensation program pays $150,000 in compensation for cancers likely caused by radiation exposure and up to $250,000 for wage loss and impairment caused by exposure to toxic substances, which could include radiation, chemicals, solvents, acids and metals. Medical expenses are covered, and if workers have died, their survivors may be eligible for compensation.
Tribe needs nuclear waste solution
Tribe needs nuclear waste solution
Indian Country Today, Oneida, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
28 October 2009
Indian Country Today (MCT)
Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Oct. 28--RED WING, Minn. -- The Prairie Island Indian Community called on President Barack Obama to follow the law and deliver on the federal government's decades-old mandate and promise to establish a permanent repository for the nation's commercial nuclear waste.
The tribe's urging comes after Congress approved the FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill which cuts funding for the proposed national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., to record low levels. High-level, radioactive nuclear waste from the nation's nuclear power plants is currently accumulating at "temporary" storage sites in 39 different states, including Minnesota. The Prairie Island Indian Community, near Red Wing, Minn., is located less than 600 yards from a nuclear power plant and nuclear waste storage site operated by Xcel Energy.
Indian Country Today, Oneida, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
28 October 2009
Indian Country Today (MCT)
Distributed by McClatchy - Tribune Information Services
Oct. 28--RED WING, Minn. -- The Prairie Island Indian Community called on President Barack Obama to follow the law and deliver on the federal government's decades-old mandate and promise to establish a permanent repository for the nation's commercial nuclear waste.
The tribe's urging comes after Congress approved the FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill which cuts funding for the proposed national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., to record low levels. High-level, radioactive nuclear waste from the nation's nuclear power plants is currently accumulating at "temporary" storage sites in 39 different states, including Minnesota. The Prairie Island Indian Community, near Red Wing, Minn., is located less than 600 yards from a nuclear power plant and nuclear waste storage site operated by Xcel Energy.
Moratorium on shipping radioactive waste to Hanford broadened
Moratorium on shipping radioactive waste to Hanford broadened
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
Cary Annette
28 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
The Department of Energy is adding another type of radioactive waste to those that won’t be sent to Hanford until the vitrification plant is fully operational.
Tuesday, DOE prepared a statement saying that even though its agreement with Washington and Oregon did not cover greater-than-class-C low-level radioactive waste, “this waste will not be imported to Hanford for the duration of the moratorium that defers the importation of waste to Hanford.”
Greater-than-class-C low, or GTCC, waste is more radioactive than the waste Hanford now is burying in its landfill for radioactive waste, the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.
As part of a proposed settlement with the states over a lawsuit brought against DOE, DOE had agreed to recommend in a draft environmental study not to import certain kinds of waste to Hanford until the vit plant is operating to treat high level radioactive tank waste. That’s expected to be about 2022. Federal law requires the environmental study before a final decision on the moratorium is made.
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer
Cary Annette
28 October 2009
Tri-City Herald
(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
The Department of Energy is adding another type of radioactive waste to those that won’t be sent to Hanford until the vitrification plant is fully operational.
Tuesday, DOE prepared a statement saying that even though its agreement with Washington and Oregon did not cover greater-than-class-C low-level radioactive waste, “this waste will not be imported to Hanford for the duration of the moratorium that defers the importation of waste to Hanford.”
Greater-than-class-C low, or GTCC, waste is more radioactive than the waste Hanford now is burying in its landfill for radioactive waste, the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.
As part of a proposed settlement with the states over a lawsuit brought against DOE, DOE had agreed to recommend in a draft environmental study not to import certain kinds of waste to Hanford until the vit plant is operating to treat high level radioactive tank waste. That’s expected to be about 2022. Federal law requires the environmental study before a final decision on the moratorium is made.
Industry Fears DOE Nuclear Waste Panel Might Exclude Company Experts
Industry Fears DOE Nuclear Waste Panel Might Exclude Company Experts
28 October 2009
Energy Washington Week, IEPA, Vol. 6, No. 43
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
Amid growing nuclear power industry expectations that DOE could be planning an imminent announcement of its long-anticipated "blue ribbon" panel on the future of nuclear waste storage, possibly as soon as the end of this month, the industry is apprehensive because so far they have no indications from DOE that the department's panel will include industry representatives.
The industry sees the resolution of waste storage issues as essential in planning for new nuclear power plants and thus is eagerly awaiting forward movement on the long-delayed DOE panel of experts. At the same time, the industry wants a place on the panel and has sent the names of possible industry experts who could serve, but has not received any reply from DOE. In addition, says a source with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), DOE has distanced itself from industry and has not responded to NEI invitations to meet.
NEI, state and other industry sources have been pressing DOE for months to give some indication as to when the panel will be formed. They have monitored press accounts in which DOE officials and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have said the announcement will be soon, but have seen months go by without action. The NEI source says that they are definitely hearing something from administration channels -- although the source could not elaborate -- that something may actually occur "soon," despite the inaction following previous rumors of a DOE announcement.
28 October 2009
Energy Washington Week, IEPA, Vol. 6, No. 43
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
Amid growing nuclear power industry expectations that DOE could be planning an imminent announcement of its long-anticipated "blue ribbon" panel on the future of nuclear waste storage, possibly as soon as the end of this month, the industry is apprehensive because so far they have no indications from DOE that the department's panel will include industry representatives.
The industry sees the resolution of waste storage issues as essential in planning for new nuclear power plants and thus is eagerly awaiting forward movement on the long-delayed DOE panel of experts. At the same time, the industry wants a place on the panel and has sent the names of possible industry experts who could serve, but has not received any reply from DOE. In addition, says a source with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), DOE has distanced itself from industry and has not responded to NEI invitations to meet.
NEI, state and other industry sources have been pressing DOE for months to give some indication as to when the panel will be formed. They have monitored press accounts in which DOE officials and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have said the announcement will be soon, but have seen months go by without action. The NEI source says that they are definitely hearing something from administration channels -- although the source could not elaborate -- that something may actually occur "soon," despite the inaction following previous rumors of a DOE announcement.
GAO NUCLEAR WASTE RECOMMENDATIONS PROMPT FEARS OF PRECEDENT
GAO NUCLEAR WASTE RECOMMENDATIONS PROMPT FEARS OF PRECEDENT
27 October 2009
Defense Environment Alert
DEFA, Vol. 17, No. 22
Copyright (c) 2009 Inside Washington Publishers. All Rights Reserved. Also available in print and online as part of http://www.insideepa.com/.
Environmentalists are expressing concerns over recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations for the Department of Energy (DOE) to reevaluate whether the planned scope of a key nuclear waste cleanup is necessary and required by law, saying it could set a negative precedent for radioactive cleanups around the country.
But DOE is disputing certain aspects of GAO's recommendations, a move that is stopping the suggestions from prompting immediate concerns among EPA and state regulators, one source familiar with the issue says.
At issue is a Sept. 30 report GAO issued relative to the Hanford site, a former Manhattan Project nuclear weapons facility in Washington state that is considered one of the largest nuclear waste cleanup sites in the world. The site's cleanup has been plagued by years of delays, cost overruns and disputes between DOE, regulators and environmentalists. The report, titled Uncertainties and Questions about Costs and Risks Persist with DOE's Tank Waste Cleanup Strategy at Hanford, deals primarily with DOE's efforts to clean up hundreds of leaking underground nuclear waste storage tanks.
27 October 2009
Defense Environment Alert
DEFA, Vol. 17, No. 22
Copyright (c) 2009 Inside Washington Publishers. All Rights Reserved. Also available in print and online as part of http://www.insideepa.com/.
Environmentalists are expressing concerns over recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations for the Department of Energy (DOE) to reevaluate whether the planned scope of a key nuclear waste cleanup is necessary and required by law, saying it could set a negative precedent for radioactive cleanups around the country.
But DOE is disputing certain aspects of GAO's recommendations, a move that is stopping the suggestions from prompting immediate concerns among EPA and state regulators, one source familiar with the issue says.
At issue is a Sept. 30 report GAO issued relative to the Hanford site, a former Manhattan Project nuclear weapons facility in Washington state that is considered one of the largest nuclear waste cleanup sites in the world. The site's cleanup has been plagued by years of delays, cost overruns and disputes between DOE, regulators and environmentalists. The report, titled Uncertainties and Questions about Costs and Risks Persist with DOE's Tank Waste Cleanup Strategy at Hanford, deals primarily with DOE's efforts to clean up hundreds of leaking underground nuclear waste storage tanks.
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