DC Visit with Other DOE Communities
 At the invitation of the Energy Communities Alliance representatives from Aiken County and the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) joined several other DOE communities for meetings in Washington, DC on June 23, 2014. In addition to a meeting with DOE Secretary Ernie Moniz, the group met with recently confirmed Administrator of NNSA General Frank Klotz and the management team at DOE-EM. Discussions were also held with representatives from the Office of Management and Budget and staff members from both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
The common theme voiced in these meetings by all in attendance was that local communities can be an asset to helping these various agencies with accomplishing its mission. The local communities and governments want the missions to be successful. However, the mission needs to be clear and consistent. To ensure success, local communities and governments need to be involved early in the decision-making process. When officials from the various headquarters offices visit the local sites, they should be meeting with local officials. It was stressed that too often the local community leaders hear about such meetings after the fact. At the very least, local community leaders should be notified about the visits but more preferably an invitation to meet should be extended.
In addition, funding across the board was an issue. Funding is needed to not only meet cleanup milestones but to maintain and improve deteriorating infrastructure and accomplish deferred maintenance projects. Those in attendance also spoke to the concerns about reduced funding and its impact on cleanup milestones and relationships with state regulators. On a local front, our representatives discussed the problematic MOX mission, the potential extension of liquid waste tank closures and missed milestones, and the need for infrastructure improvements to support future missions like processing foreign nuclear material.
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New Energy Career Program
Nearly 36% of the energy industry's skilled technicians and engineers may need to be replaced in the next five years according to a survey by the Center for Energy Workforce Development. The new workers are needed due to retirements and attrition. Students at Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (TCM) School are already exploring these energy industry opportunities through a partnership with Georgia Energy and Industrial Construction Consortium (GEICC) and TCM.
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TCM Energy Pathway students visit Augusta Technical College.
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"TCM is the first high school in Georgia to teach the new Energy Systems Pathway," said Debra Howell, Georgia Power Workforce Development Manager, during the June 18th regional GEICC meeting. Debra also serves as the GEICC Education Policy Committee Chair. In order to be recognized as a completer of the Energy Systems Pathway, students must finish three sequenced courses - Foundations of Energy, Energy & Power, and Energy Systems Applications. In addition, students will complete an Energy Systems Internship or an Energy Pathways Capstone project. Students also have an opportunity for Dual Enrollment for college credit at Augusta Technical College.
Mr. Marion Cosper, Energy Systems and Electronics Instructor, is conducting the Energy Systems Pathway program at TCM that will serve as a model for other high school programs across the state of Georgia. But, as Debra Howell pointed out, "The program information is available for any school, including those in South Carolina, with a utility industry partner involved."
Members of GEICC include the SRSCRO and representatives from other corporations, industry professionals and municipal groups across the state of Georgia. The consortium is committed to partnerships that are developing solutions to address the need for a qualified, diverse workforce for the energy industry.
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NEEN
 The SRSCRO's regional approach to nuclear workforce development was highlighted at the National Energy Education Network (NEEN) meeting held in Kansas City, MO on June 18. At the meeting, Mindy Mets, SRSCRO Nuclear Workforce Initiative Program Manager, participated in a panel discussion on "Successes in Recruiting Targeted Populations into Education." Topics presented included the region's Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Programs developed at Aiken Technical College and Augusta Technical College. The Advancing Nuclear Skills Regionally (ANSR) grant program was also discussed because of the unique collaboration of five colleges across two states in partnership with the Department of Energy. Other successful workforce preparation and awareness programs throughout the SRSCRO region such as the NWI� Academies, Teacher Workshops and Nuclear Science Week events were part of the panel presentation to the national audience of educators and energy-industry employers.
Promising workforce development practices were the focus of the NEEN meeting held annually by the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), a non-profit consortium of electric, natural gas and nuclear utilities and their associations. CEWD recognizes the complex nature of developing highly skilled workers and is actively addressing gaps in the energy workforce pipeline.
CEWD has identified a five-year-need for 76,500 skilled workers for the non-nuclear energy industry alone. Nuclear industry workforce demands are increasing along with those of other advanced technology industries. Programs like those recognized in the SRSCRO region are growing across the country to address future needs for a workforce proficient in STEM skills.
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Environmental Assessment - German HEU Fuel
On June 24, 2014, DOE held a public meeting in North Augusta to discuss the proposed German Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel project and to receive comments on DOE's proposed scope of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this project. It is estimated that 75-100 people attended the public meeting. Of those in attendance, about 30 individuals made public statements. There was an equal balance between those in favor and those in opposition with many of those opposed to the project coming from outside the local area. DOE intends to prepare an EA in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality and DOE NEPA implementing regulations. The EA will to analyze the potential environmental impacts of a proposal to accept, process, and disposition used nuclear fuel from Germany containing approximately 900 kilograms (kg) of HEU from the United States. The used nuclear fuel is composed of kernels containing thorium and U.S.-origin HEU embedded in thousands of small graphite spheres. The United States provided the HEU to Germany between 1965 and 1988.
 The uranium fueled kernel or pebble are about the size of tennis balls. Each pebble contains about HEU in 10,000 to 15,000 tiny grains of sand-like or BB-like microsphere coated particles each with its own a hard silicon carbide shell. These microspheres are embedded in a graphite matrix material.
The Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) position was one of cautious optimism. We believe the Savannah River Site (SRS) has the capability to safely handle and process the German HEU and we believe the involvement of the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and its research and investigation efforts will be of great value to the viability of the program. However, as pointed out in our written comment letter, we believe there are several unresolved technical issues and several unknown community impacts that need to be evaluated. Relative to community impacts, we believe the current scope of the EA is severely deficient in addressing those impacts. It is imperative that the EA scope include a thorough socioeconomic analysis. There is still time to voice your opinion. The public has until July 21, 2014, to submit comments. Following this public scoping period and after consideration of all comments received during scoping, DOE will prepare a Draft German HEU Fuel EA. DOE will announce its availability to the public for comment, provide a public comment period, and conduct a public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EA. All comments submitted on the Draft EA during the public comment period will be considered and addressed in the Final German HEU Fuel EA. The public can submit comments via email to Drew.Grainger@srs.gov or through mail to Drew Grainger, NEPA Compliance Officer German HEU Fuel Environmental Assessment U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box A, Aiken, South Carolina 29801.
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SRSCRO Spotlight
U.S. Congressman
From his involvement as a Teenage Republican at the High School of Charleston in 1962 to his current work in Congress, Congressman Joe Wilson has led a life dedicated to public service. Addison (Joe) Graves Wilson was born on July 31, 1947, in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from the High School of Charleston, he received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and completed his law degree at the University of South Carolina. A real estate attorney by trade, Joe was a founding partner of the West Columbia law firm Kirkland, Wilson, Moore, Taylor & Thomas. His career in public service officially began when he served on the staffs of South Carolina legends Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence. As part of the visionary Ronald Reagan administration, Joe was Deputy General Counsel to the United States Department of Energy Secretary and former South Carolina Governor, Jim Edwards. Throughout his life, Joe has also had a tremendous passion to serve his country as a member of the United States Armed Forces. After serving in the United States Army Reserves from 1972-1975, he also served in the South Carolina Army National Guard. In the summer of 2003, Joe retired as a Colonel, having served as a Staff Judge Advocate assigned to the 218th Mechanized Infantry Brigade. At the time, he was the only active Guard member serving in Congress. Before being elected to the United States Congress in 2001, Joe served seventeen years, with perfect attendance, in the South Carolina State Senate where he was elected Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, the first Republican Chairman since Reconstruction. Today, Joe serves on the House Armed Services Committee - where he is honored to be the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel - the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was appointed by the Republican Leader to the highly influential Republican Policy Committee and works as an Assistant Republican Whip. He is Co-Chair of the Composites Caucus, the Bulgaria Caucus, the Kurdistan Caucus, and the Americans Abroad Caucus. He has also serves on the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. While serving the Second Congressional District of South Carolina, Joe is committed to promoting peace through a strong national defense, decreasing taxes for all Americans, and limiting the size of the federal government. Joe is married to Roxanne Dusenbury McCrory Wilson, who continues to offer him strength and support in his every endeavor. They are the parents of four sons, all of whom serve in the U.S. military, and the proud grandparents of four boys and three girls. Alan, his oldest son, is a Major in the Army National Guard who proudly served for a year in Iraq; Addison is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a physician who served a tour of duty in Iraq; Julian is a Captain in the South Carolina Army National Guard who served on a peacekeeping tour in Egypt; and Hunter is a Second Lieutenant in the South Carolina Army National Guard who recently graduated from the Engineer Officer's Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, MO in September 2012. Their four sons are all Eagle Scouts. (Source: Congressman Wilson's Web Site at http://joewilson.house.gov) SRSCRO Board Members Danny Black, Sandra Jordan, and Susan Winsor have been appointed by Congressman Wilson. |
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