ANSR Grant Awarded
 The Department of Energy has awarded $994,000 to continue nuclear industry-related education and training program development and implementation in the SRSCRO region. Nearly 300 college students are enrolled in degree programs that have been developed through the grant program called Advancing Nuclear Skills Regionally (ANSR). This award marks the fourth year for the collaborative program with a total of $3.8 M in funding. The SRSCRO administers the grant involving Aiken Technical College, Augusta Technical College, Georgia Regents University (GRU), University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) and University of South Carolina Salkehatchie.
 ANSR programs are designed to meet a variety of nuclear-related workforce development needs in the region. Each program is characterized by direct links to the nuclear industry. ANSR programs have been developed by involving advisory boards with members from the government and commercial sectors who provide guidance on program content as related to real industry requirements. Courses are designed to address the needs of non-traditional students, and scholarships are offered for most programs.
ANSR is producing results by expanding educational opportunities for our local citizens. For example:
- USCA students enrolled in the Environmental Remediation and Restoration Program are involved with undergraduate research, and those studies have expanded to internships in the radioecology program at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
- Nuclear Science scholars from GRU are involved in collaborative research studying environmental radiation with scientists from the Savannah River National Laboratory and GRU faculty members. GRU students are also involved with research related to nuclear science and medicine.
- A new Chemical Technology program began in 2013 at Augusta Technical College. Students are developing competencies in general, organic, analytical, and nuclear chemistry through laboratory experience and supporting theory.
- The new Nuclear Quality Systems program at Aiken Technical College is designed to prepare students to function as a quality assurance professional or quality control inspector role; both careers are in demand throughout the nuclear industry.
- At USC Salkehatchie, a new Introduction to Engineering class has been offered. Also, nearly 900 students have already participated in science camps during the summer through the ANSR program initiative.
The Department of Energy awards grants for similar educational programs in New Mexico and Washington State.
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Consumers Win "Nuclear Lottery Ticket"
 On May 16, 2014, electricity consumers became $750 million dollars richer but don't expect a check in the mail. Consumers will see this windfall in their electric bills because the 0.1-cent charge imposed on each nuclear-generated kilowatt-hour of power, for the first time, goes to zero. This fee has been collected since 1983 and was designated to pay for a final resting place for the nation's nuclear waste. But when the Obama administration claimed Yucca Mountain was not the answer, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the industry group, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), sued to get DOE to stop collecting the fee until a repository program was running again.
Back in 2010, the two groups sued the DOE for the collection of a "legally defective" fee for nuclear waste disposal, which they said totaled nearly $750 million a year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in November 2013 found for the two groups when it ruled in NARUC v. DOE that, so long as the federal government has no viable alternative to Yucca Mountain as a repository for nuclear waste, nuclear power ratepayers should not be charged the annual fee to cover the cost of that disposal. But 90 days of continuous congressional session had to elapse first, that clock expired on May 16, 2014.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the Nuclear Waste Fund has about $34 billion remaining and annual interest income is accruing at the rate of about $1.3 billion. South Carolinians have paid $1.32 billion into the fund while Georgians have paid $733 million, for a State by State comparison click here.
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STEM Career Connections
 | | 2013 Workforce Day |
Just as the school year is winding down, enthusiasm is building up for the STEM Career Connections regional event planned for October 23, 2014. The event is being coordinated through the SRSCRO and is based on the highly successful Workforce Development Day held last year. Many local employers want interested students to know about their career opportunities and the best way to prepare for them.
 | | 2013 Workforce Day |
STEM Career Connections is designed to connect local employers and regional high school students who are considering career pathways that involve Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills. Attendees are already making reservations to attend.
Contact Mindy.Mets@srscro.org for more information and to participate in the discussion about "hot" career topics in our region.
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Cat Litter - WIPP - SRS Assistance
 The Department of Energy and its contractors have been searching for answers about what caused the radiation release at WIPP back in February. In its only publicized theory, DOE suggested earlier in May that untreated nitrate salts may have combined with "cellulosic material" - in this case, a new organic cat litter used as an absorbent - to cause a reaction that may have released intense heat.
 Inspection teams trying to determine what caused a radiation release have spotted melted plastic and rubber on some drums and boxes of waste. They were able to take photographs of the melted material during their most recent trip into WIPP. Recovery officials say the melted material indicates there was some kind of heat generated in the room where the waste is stored.
 In addition to the trips into WIPP, planning continues on the replacement of filters in the Underground Ventilation System at WIPP. Differential pressure and radiological and contamination monitoring show the filter system is still performing as designed. WIPP employees are expected to make additional entries into the underground facility prior to filter replacements. As a safety precaution, no entries can be made while the filter replacement is in progress.
Equipment to support the filter change-out arrived at WIPP last week from the Savannah River Site (SRS). SRS is providing equipment and personnel to assist with the filter change out since the activity has never been performed at WIPP. Prior to the February 14 radiological event, the filter banks had never been used, except during preventative maintenance evolutions.
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SRSCRO Spotlight
U.S. Congressman
Representative Paul C. Broun, Jr. was elected in July of 2007 to serve the Tenth District of Georgia. Since his arrival in Congress, he has been appointed to the House Homeland Security Committee, the House Committee on Natural Resources, and currently serves as Chairman of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee for the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Dr. Broun grew up in Athens, Georgia where he attended Athens High School and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1967 with a B.S. in Chemistry. In 1971, he received his Medical Doctor degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. An internship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon and a residency at University Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama followed. Dr. Broun served in the military as a jet engine mechanic in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserves and later received a commission as a medical officer in the U. S. Navy. For most of his career, Dr. Broun has practiced general medicine and, in 2002, he went out on his own, establishing a unique practice of full-time house calls. Dr. Broun enjoys the freedom of practicing medicine without bureaucratic encumbrances and has used his experience to introduce commonsense solutions to our nation's health care financing crisis. Dr. Broun's first exposure to politics came at the age of sixteen, when his father won a seat in the Georgia State Senate. Paul Broun Sr. represented the Athens area as a State Senator for 38 years. Later, Paul Jr. himself would become involved politically; first as a volunteer lobbyist for Safari Club International, a pro-hunting and conservation organization, then as a conservative Republican United States Representative. Dr. Broun participates in many diverse organizations and activities ranging from politics and religion to cooking and sports, including: the National Rifle Association, Gideons International, Rotary International, Trout Unlimited, Gun Owners of America and University of Georgia President's Club. He was the founding President of the Georgia Republican Assembly, and President of the Georgia Sport Shooting Association (the NRA state affiliate). Dr. Broun is an avid outdoorsman, having a passion for conservation, hunting, fishing, and Second Amendment rights. Dr. Broun has been married to his wife Niki since 1985 and has two grown daughters, a son and two grandchildren. The Brouns are members of Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, where Dr. Broun formerly served as an AWANA children's ministry leader. He is active in the Gideon ministry and, in 2004, he participated in a mission trip to Iraq. As the 113th Congress moves forward, look for Dr. Broun to lead the charge for fiscal responsibility as he works to cut wasteful government spending, remove burdensome and unconstitutional mandates, and restores a constitutionally-limited government. (Source: Congressman Broun's Web Site at http://broun.house.gov/ ) SRSCRO Board Member Reagan Williams has been appointed by Congressman Broun. |
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