What Do Yucca Mountain and Dracula Have in Common? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board denied DOE's move to withdraw the licensing application for the Yucca Mountain site on June 29. In its order, this legal panel ruled Energy Secretary Steven Chu, an appointee of the Obama Administration, doesn't have the authority to pull the plug on a process that Congress started when it passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982. This decision prompted 91 members of Congress to urge the Department of Energy to immediately halt work to dismantle the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository. The July 6 letter argued the department "has overstepped its bounds and has ignored congressional intent without peer review or proper scientific documentation in its actions regarding Yucca Mountain". They are asking the department to halt the Yucca site's shuttering until a pending federal lawsuit filed by the states of Washington and South Carolina, among others, has been decided. This bipartisan letter was signed by 24 senators and 67 representatives. SC and GA officials signing the letter included, Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Representatives John M. Jr. Spratt (D-SC), James Clyburn (D-SC), Lincoln Davis (D-GA), Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Henry Brown (R-SC), Bob Inglis (R-SC), Paul Broun (R-GA), John Linder (R-GA), Jack Kingston (R-GA). For a copy of the letter and for more information contact Rick McLeod.
|
 BRC - RSVP
The SRSCRO made a formal request for the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on America's Nuclear Future to hold its September 2010 meeting in the CSRA. A letter from David Jameson, SRSCRO Chair, was sent June 24, 2010. The SRSCRO invitation was supported by a Congressional Delegation letter sent on July 8, 2010, from Representative Barrow (D-GA), Representative Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Representative Paul Broun (R-GA), and Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC). In the letter, the Congressmen state: "We believe a visit to this region will positively enrich your review of policies for managing the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including all alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian spent nuclear fuel and defense high-level waste". Stay tuned for RSVP. For copies of the letters and for additional information contact Rick McLeod.
|
TREAT Workshop
Middle and high school science teachers from seventeen Georgia and South Carolina schools will participate in the 2010 TREAT (Teaching Radiation, Energy and Technology) workshop July 27-29. The Nuclear Workforce Initiative (NWI) K-12 Committee has worked with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and Savannah State University to expand this opportunity for more teachers within our region. Teachers will participate in hands-on laboratory activities suitable for use in their classrooms. Information about nuclear career skill preparation and regional opportunities for students will be included. The workshop is funded by the Department of Energy and conducted at the University of South Carolina-Aiken. For more information contact Mindy Mets.
|
SRSCRO Disagrees with Option in NNSA Contract
 In the last issue of The Bridge, the SRSCRO described the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) decision to merge the operating contracts for the Y12 National Security Complex near Knoxville, TN and the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, TX. As part of this solicitation, this new contract will include an option for phasing in the Savannah River Site (SRS) Tritium Operations. This means the potential for a new management and operation contractor for the SRS Tritium Operations. The SRSCRO has formally requested that NNSA consider removing this option as part of the contract merger. In a June 29, 2010 letter to the NNSA Contracting Officer, the SRSCRO states "Our community has supported missions at SRS for over 50 years - a testament to SRS' outstanding record of safety, performance, compliance and contribution to our region and state. We plan to continue this support. However, supporting the option of phasing in the SR Tritium Operations as part of the contract merger would not be in the community's or SRS' best interest". To get a copy of the letter and for more information, please contact Rick McLeod.
|
|
|
|
SRSCRO Spotlight |
SRSCRO Vice Chair Dr. Marc Miller
Dean of the
Hull College
of Business
Augusta State University  Dr. Marc Miller has been a SRSCRO Board member since 2006. In addition to being the current vice chair of the Executive Committee, he is also serving at the SRSCRO Nuclear Workforce Task Force.
Marc is the Dean of the Hull College of Business of the Augusta State University (ASU) He received his BBA and MBA from Augusta College, and his Ph.D. in Information Systems from Auburn University. He was with the State University of West Georgia for seven years before coming home to ASU. Marc's research interests include Technology Acceptance Models, End User Learning, and Online Learning.
Marc is very involved with organizations that have a strong impact on our community such as the Salvation Army, the Junior Achievement of Georgia Organization, Leadership Augusta, and the Wounded Warriors Organization. He is also an active member with the Augusta Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Georgia. Marc also sits on the board for various committees at ASU including the President's Cabinet Committee, the Executive Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, and Emeriti Association to name a few.
Marc is happily married to Linda Susan. He is also the proud father of Alec, a freshman at ASU and a 5-year-old daughter, Nancy. His hobbies include golf and sailing.
|
|
