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NSW Is Coming!
 Nuclear Science Week is coming soon! Visit our website to see updates on activities planned for October. Our posters have arrived and will be distributed to schools in the region.
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SRS Tank Closure Status
 SRS waste tanks have provided over 50 years of safe storage for nuclear waste. These tanks include four designs, all consisting of a steel tank within a concrete vault. The Tank Farms at SRS have received over 150 million gallons of waste from 1954 to the present. This waste was stored throughout the past 60 years at various times in 51 waste tanks; 22 tanks in F Tank Farm and 29 in the H Tank Farm. There have been six of 51 waste tanks closed at SRS - two in 1997 and since 2009; four additional tanks have been closed. Having reduced the volume of waste via evaporation and dispositioned waste via vitrification (glass logs) and saltstone, about 37 million gallons of waste containing approximately 287 million curies of radioactivity currently reside inside in the remaining 45 waste tanks. The Site's goal is to eventually close all waste tanks. There are two more waste tanks on the current schedule to close soon. The two additional tanks (Tanks 12H and 16H) were slated to be closed by the end of September 2015. In a letter to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IV, SRS asked both agencies for an extension of 15 months, until December 31, 2016 to close these two tanks. The extension, as exerted by SRS, was a result in part to reduced federal funding which further pushed back the timeline to clean, process, and close the storage tanks. DHEC in an August 29, 2014 letter notified the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that its request to extend the closure date of the Savannah River Site facility has been denied. Upon sending the letter, DHEC released the following statement: "The liquid radioactive and toxic waste in aging tanks at Savannah River Site is currently one of the greatest environmental threats to the State of South Carolina. By not accepting the DOE's request to extend the closure date for two tanks, we are holding the agency accountable to its responsibility of meeting its timeline and supporting risk reduction." EPA, in its August 29, 2014 letter, also denied the 15 month extension. However, EPA did offer options they thought were more reasonable and ones they would consider. They proposed no more than 30 days for Tank 16H and no more than 7 months for Tank 12H. More than likely, the three parties will continue negotiations toward a workable solution before any legal action takes place. As the most recent (September 18, 2014) letter states, DOE has requested that SCDHEC, EPA, and DOE enter an informal phase of the dispute resolution process. But such negotiations will need to be on the fast track. Earlier this year, SCDHEC Director Catherine Templeton threatened to fine DOE $193 million for failure to close the agreed upon tanks. It certainly would be much better for all concern to see such taxpayer funds spent on actually closing the waste tanks than on legal expenses and fines.
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Yucca Mountain Inch by Inch
 Back in September 2013, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy forced the NRC to provide monthly status reports outlining actions and expenditures the NRC would be taking regarding the Yucca license review. This was a result of the August 13, 2013, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued decision in the case In re Aiken County directing the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to "promptly continue with the legally mandated licensing process" for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) application to construct a geologic repository for high-level waste at Yucca Mountain, NV.  The NRC promptly began taking steps to comply with the court's direction following the issuance of the decision. On November 18, 2013, the Commission approved a Memorandum and Order, which set a course of action for the Yucca Mountain licensing process that is consistent with the Appeals Court decision and with the resources available. They also began to issue the monthly status reports. The NRC staff in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, with the support of the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, continues to make appropriate progress toward completing the four remaining volumes of the safety evaluation report (SER). Completion of the SER is scheduled to take approximately 12 months, ending in January 2015. To date, no unforeseen technical or process issues have arisen that would affect the completion date. SER activities are proceeding within the September 2013 budget estimate of $8.3 million. The total cost estimate for the work described in the monthly status report as of July 31, 2014, is now projected to be approximately $10 million.
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 On September 10, 2014, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee confirmed two nominees for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Jeffery Baran and Stephen Burns, by votes of 11-6 and 11-7. The full Senate voted just six days later, on September 16, 2014, to confirm the nominations. Jeffrey Baran was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 44. Stephen Burns won slightly more support, with a 60-40 vote. Both votes fell generally along party lines. Mr. Baran has had more than 10 years of experience working on nuclear energy issues in the House, including in his current role as Staff Director for Energy and Environment on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Over the past three decades, Mr. Burns has served in many roles at NRC, most recently as General Counsel from 2009 to 2012. Baran and Burns will fill spots left open by NRC Commissioners George Apostolakis and Bill Magwood.
During the initial Committee deliberations, Senate Republicans accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of trying to micromanage nominations to critical agencies tasked with overseeing the grid and energy infrastructure and asked the two Obama nominees for assurances they would not bend to the senator's political will. The nominees vowed to act independently.
Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, citing news reports, said Reid appears to be trying to install his own picks at the NRC, which oversees the country's approximately 100 reactors, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an agency that oversees pipelines and the U.S. electric grid.
Although the NRC is an independent agency, the speedy pace for Burns and Baran stands in stark contrast with Obama's political appointees elsewhere in the federal government. For example, it was reported this month that Monica Regalbuto's nomination to serve as the next Assistant Energy Secretary for Environmental Management has hit a roadblock in the Senate because of one lawmaker's concerns over DOE's uranium transfer policies.
They will have significant input on future commercial nuclear power plant licensing and construction, on continued construction of MOX and licensing, and on the path forward regarding the Yucca Mountain license review and SER (see story above).
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SRSCRO Spotlight
SRSCRO
Strategic Alliances
and
Partnerships
Savannah River National Laboratory
(SRNL)
The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is the applied research and development laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS). The Laboratory was established in 1951, initially to provide technology research and development support for the startup and operation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. Over the decades, it developed into an internationally-recognized laboratory, with outstanding expertise in hydrogen technology, materials science, environmental research, robotics engineering, analytical chemistry, hazardous material stabilization, and technologies for non-proliferation and national security.
The laboratory applies state-of-the-art science to provide practical, high-value, cost-effective solutions to complex technical problems. The laboratory earns its world-class reputation because of its talented people and their unwavering commitment to safety, security and quality in the delivery of technology solutions that work. In 2004, the Secretary of Energy designated it, the Savannah River National Laboratory, the country's newest National Laboratory.
SRNL applies this same commitment to solving the complex problems of the times, such as the detection of weapons of mass destruction, the cleanup of contaminated groundwater and soils, the development of hydrogen as an energy source, the need for a viable national defense, and the safe management of hazardous materials. Building on over 50 years of technological achievement and a framework of vital core competencies, the laboratory continues to identify, develop and deploy innovative technologies to meet the needs of a variety of customers across the nation.
 During his late July visit to South Carolina, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz offered his perspective on a number of issues, including the Savannah River National Laboratory - Moniz called SRNL "a lab that I rely on very heavily." Click here to see some of what the Secretary had to say about the region's National Laboratory. http://srnl.doe.gov/news/video.htm |
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Facts & Truths
What is the clear difference between a fact and a truth?
Fact is basically something that exists, or is present in reality. Hence, these are things that can be seen visually, and these are the things that can actually be verified. Facts are objective matters rather than subjective ones.
Truth can be described as the true state of a certain matter, may it be a person, a place, a thing or an event. It is what a person has come to believe. If he believes that something is true, then it is true. It also answers the questions of what's really happening.
Facts can also answer the 'where,' 'when' and 'how' questions, whereas truths answer the 'why' question.
September Fact:  Throughout its long history of granting tours to diverse groups and elected officials, SRS set a new record in Fiscal Year 2014. This year, the Savannah River Site was responsible for planning, organizing and leading 233 Mission Related and 22 Public Tours (255 Total Number of Tours) hosting 3060 visitors.
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