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 Some 50 local citizens gathered at the Aiken Technical College Amphitheater April 17 to hear top Department of Energy officials from Savannah River Site (SRS) provide an overview of DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) program and site missions. Those in attendance heard a description of the federal budget process and a discussion about the SRS budget environment and planned accomplishments for fiscal years 2014-2015. Also presented was a SRS lifecycle (fiscal year 2013 and beyond) planning schedule. This schedule depicted the end of EM Mission at SRS in 2042.
It was noted that the Environmental Management portfolio is one of our nation's largest liabilities - DOE-SR managers stressed that they have a responsibility to relieve future generations of this environmental and financial liability. Furthermore, they noted the work is urgent and essential to the health and economic vitality of our communities and the nation, and positions our Sites for future missions and use. The current mission is not discretionary - it is a federal obligation to address the cold war environmental legacy cleanup and honor its regulatory commitments, they stated.
 The overall theme was SRS delivers! Several slides in the presentation noted the significant progress and demonstrated value SRS has made for the American Taxpayer in the past several years in reducing risks and the overall liability. Based upon the approval of the FY 2014 Omnibus package, SRS has a total of $1,255 billion to make these accomplishments happen in FY14.
As noted, there is still a lot to accomplish and the FY 2015 budget picture is not known. In the next several months, we should hear if there will be direct appropriations or a Continuing Resolution to the upcoming budget. The ultimate answer will have major implications on the continued progress made at SRS. The event was hosted by the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO). A copy of the presentation can be found here and on the SRSCRO website.
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More MOX
 On behalf of South Carolina, Attorney General Alan Wilson filed additional court papers on April 14, 2014, asking a federal judge to rule in the state's favor in its original lawsuit and asked for a decision without a trial. The State contends that there is no genuine dispute of any material fact and it is entitled to judgment granting the relief sought in the Complaint as a matter of law.
The recent filing continue to argue that the proposal to place the Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX) in "cold standby" is unconstitutional, accusing the administration of using money Congress set aside for building MOX to shut it down. In essence, Wilson has argued, the proposed suspension is the administration's way of stopping the program, which Congress has declined to defund. Federal officials have until May 1 to respond to South Carolina's motion.
On April 7, 2014, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) sent another letter to the Savannah River Site (SRS) about additional potential incoming plutonium shipments to the site. The initial letter was sent on March 21, 2014, after DHEC learned about the potential "cold standby" of the MOX facility. In the original letter, DHEC questioned if the project is not moving forward, the technologically feasible options for the material scheduled to be processed at MOX appear to be either disposal or accumulation before disposal. Given this new information, DHEC felt DOE should clarify the waste status of the plutonium and plutonium mixtures at Savannah River Site and describe how the material will be handled going forward.
In the second letter, DHEC noted that SRS may be the intended receiving facility for future quantities of plutonium and, because the MOX facility may not be completed, these materials may ultimately be disposed. Similar to the original letter, DHEC told DOE that it should make a waste status determination on any such materials intended for SRS prior to receipt at SRS. Should any potential plutonium shipment meet the definition of a mixed waste, regulatory and permit requirements would apply.
Local elected officials continue to weigh in on the issue of MOX. Fred Cavanaugh, Mayor of Aiken, SC, sent a letter on March 31, 2014, supporting a previous letter sent from the surrounding 5-county councils. The Mayor noted that very little mention and consideration has been expressed over the promises made by DOE to remove plutonium from our communities. He noted the cost overruns are important to all taxpayers but emphasized how important it is for DOE to meet its obligations and remove excess US weapons-grade plutonium by permanently destroying it through the MOX project as quickly as possible.
 In a Senate appropriations subcommittee on April 9, 2014, DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz told the Senators the "extremely tight budgets," made DOE put the MOX project on hold while it evaluates alternatives. Lawmakers blasted DOE for potentially breaking a nuclear non-proliferation treaty with Russia. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said (click here for video) Congress already has appropriated millions of dollars for the project. He also said there is no other plan to dispose of the plutonium. In addition, Subcommittee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called the MOX cuts "unacceptable" and said DOE "should anticipate some changes" as its appropriations bill proceeds. Moniz said the standby decision doesn't end the project.
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WIPP Re-Entry
 The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a deep geologic repository for permanent disposal of a specific type of waste that is the byproduct of the nation's nuclear defense program. The WIPP site, located in southeast New Mexico about 26 miles from Carlsbad, was constructed in the 1980s for disposal of defense-generated TRU waste. The underground repository is carved out of a 2,000-foot-thick salt bed formed 250 million years ago. TRU waste is disposed of 2,150-feet underground in rooms mined from the salt bed.
 WIPP is the nation's only repository for the disposal of nuclear waste known as transuranic, or TRU, waste. It consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements. Disposal of transuranic waste is critical to the cleanup of Cold War nuclear production sites like SRS. Waste from DOE sites around the country is sent to WIPP for permanent disposal.
Two isolated events took place at WIPP in February. On February 5, a salt haul truck caught fire. Workers were evacuated and the underground portion of WIPP was shut down. Several workers were treated for smoke inhalation, but no injuries occurred.
Nine days later, late in the evening of February 14, a second unrelated event occurred when a continuous air monitor (CAM) alarmed during the night shift. The continuous air monitor measured airborne radioactivity close to the operating location where waste was being emplaced. Ventilation air is pulled from the underground repository by huge fans on the surface. This exhaust consists of unfiltered clean air. Ultimately, 13 employees received a dose of this low level radioactivity.
 On April, 3, the first worker re-entry into the WIPP underground was performed since the release, monitoring and surveys revealed no contamination in the immediate area. The WIPP investigation is broken into three phases, and the third and final phase began on April 12 where crews made their way toward the suspected source of the radiation leak. Two teams went back underground on April 16, 2014, going the farthest they have gone into the facility since the February leak. They are checking on contamination, air quality, and the stability of the mine. WIPP managers believe the Feb. 14 radiation leak may have stemmed from either panel six, nearly filled with waste, or panel seven, which recently began receiving waste. "The more they went into panel 7, the more it started becoming more widespread," said WIPP deputy recovery manager Tammy Reynolds, referring to the latest re-entry. "They were picking up contamination more frequent." Officials believe they're close to determining the cause of February's radiation leak.
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SRSCRO Spotlight
Reagan Williams
Founding Partner
of
Parley Marketing Partners
Parlay Political and
GovComms
A Texas native, Reagan Williams is a PR and communications consultant with deep roots in Georgia.
Reagan is a founding partner of Parlay Marketing Partners, a PR and marketing agency; Parlay Political, a political consulting firm; and GovComms, a government communications agency. With extensive experience in managing national media campaigns and targeted local advertising, Reagan has worked with organizations from Fortune 500 corporations to small businesses, non-profits and political campaigns. Current clients include GA House Speaker David Ralston, GA Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and GA Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, as well as many corporate clients including the Atlanta Braves and various government agencies across Georgia. Reagan serves as Political Director for the Ralston Conservative Leadership Fund.
Reagan previously worked as an aide to US Congressman Paul Broun and has worked with and advised more than a dozen local, state and federal campaigns. His work also includes time as Public Information Officer and Director of Investor Relations for Amstar Financial Holdings Inc., a global finance corporation in Houston, TX. Reagan resides in Augusta, GA with his wife and two children. He is a member of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee, the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization Board of Directors, the Community Foundation of the CSRA Grants Committee, and a former board member of the Greater Augusta Arts Council. Reagan joined the SRSCRO Board of Directors in January 2014 appointed by U.S. Congressman Broun. |
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