NCSL Winter Meeting of the Nuclear Legislative Workgroup

The meeting brought together legislators, tribal leaders and other stakeholders from across the country who play a role in the clean-up of the nation's nuclear sites, host nuclear facilities or are affected by the transportation of nuclear materials. Participants had the opportunity to learn about important nuclear waste management issues, gather updates from the U.S. Department of Energy and share information with one another.

Dec. 12-14, 2012
Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel
New Orleans, La.
Intergovernmental Meeting with the United States Department of Energy

Day 1| Day 2 | Day 3

Dec. 12, 2012

• Delegate Sally Jameson, Maryland (Chair)
• Scott Hendrick, NCSL
• Brandt Petrasek, DOE-EM
• Elizabeth Schmitt, DOE-EM

Update from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Earl Easton from U.S. NRC discussed recent decisions regarding operations and waste storage at U.S. nuclear power plants.

• View PowerPoint Presentation.

Environmental Management Outreach Efforts
Paul Seidler, Director of External Affairs for DOE-EM, presented on the new public engagement programs offered by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management.

The Nuclear Legislative Working Group (NLWG) heard updates from several DOE Environmental Management (DOE-EM) sites, including:

• Bryan Bower, West Valley Demonstration Project
• Matt McCormick and Stacy Charbonneau, Hanford
• Scott Wade,  Nevada Test Site
• Jim Cooper, Idaho National Laboratory
• George Rael, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• David Moody, Savannah River Site, and
• William Murphie, Portsmouth and Paducah Projects.
•  

• View PowerPoint Presentation.

Update from DOE’s Offices of Nuclear Energy
Liz Ramsay from DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy discussed developments in nuclear research and technology. 

• View PowerPoint Presentation.

Dec. 13, 2012

• Andrew Kambour, NGA and Brandt Petrasek, DOE-EM
• Tribal Invocation

Presentation of Intergovernmental Group Priorities

• Matthew Jones, ECOS

• Introduction of speaker: Mayor Tom Beehan, City of Oak Ridge
• Q&A Moderator: Brian Hembacher, California Office of the Attorney General

During this session, members of each of the groups, plus DOE, participated in a conversation highlighting successful examples of collaboration among state, tribal, local and federal officials to ensure that cleanup is conducted in a safe and compliant fashion even in the face of decreasing cleanup budgets at individual sites. Participants discussed with each other and with the audience how different strategies have worked (or not worked) at different sites, where opportunities exist for improving coordination and how others might learn from these examples.

•  Moderator: Councilmember Robert Thompson, Richland, Wash.

• Gabe Bohnee, Nez Perce Tribe
• Jose Franco, manager, DOE Carlsbad Field Office
• Bill Murphie, manager, Portsmouth-Paducah Project Office
• Steven Stout, Tennessee

• Discussion Leader: Ken Niles, Oregon

• David Moody, manager, DOE Savannah River Site (to be confirmed)
• Rick McLeod, SRS Community Reuse Organization

• How EM makes site-specific budget decisions
• Assessing life-cycle cost impacts of specific budget decisions
• Out-year budget planning

• Discussion Leader:  Pam Larsen, Hanford Communities

• Matt McCormick, manager, DOE Richland Field Office
• Roger Petrie, Tennessee

Wrap-up and Instructions for Next Day

Paula Cotter, NAAG and Kristen Ellis, DOE-EM

Dec. 14, 2012

• Brooke Oleen, NCSL and David Borak, DOE-EM

• Neile Miller, principal deputy administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

• Presentation Speaker: Frank Marcinowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management, DOE-EM
• Discussion Leader: Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Manager

• Sue Cange, Deputy Assistant Manager for Environmental Management, DOE Oak Ridge Office
• George Rael, Assistant Manager for National Security Missions, NNSA/DOE Los  Alamos Site Office
• Scott Wade, Assistant Manager for Environmental Management, Nevada Nuclear Security Site

• Relationship between disposition of waste and other nuclear materials present at sites, including assessing risks and optimizing the management of both waste and nuclear materials.
• Long-term plans for waste operations at WIPP, NNSS, and commercial sites
• Growth in on-site disposal sites.

This session allowed each of the intergovernmental groups and DOE to have an open discussion regarding a path forward for high-level radioactive waste and how it affects states, tribes, and local governments across the entire complex. Topics covered in the conversation included: coordination among levels of government around HLW treatment, storage, and disposal decisions; transportation; and the commingling of defense waste and commercial spent fuel. 

• Discussion Leader: Andy Fitz, Washington State Office of the Attorney General

• Stacy Charboneau, Deputy Manager, DOE Office of River Protection
• Roxanne Lara, Commissioner, Eddy County (NM)
• Willie Preacher, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
• Shelly Wilson, South Carolina
• Delegate Sally Y. Jameson, Maryland

Wrap-up / Plenary Session Adjourns

• Andrew Kambour, NGA and Allison Doman, ECA