NCSL's Nuclear Legislative Working Group (NLWG) held its first in-person meeting in over two years in Oak Ridge, Tenn., from June 21-23. The meeting included tours of several nuclear facilities nearby, including the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The meeting also included sessions on nuclear energy and the cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex relevant to state legislators and the missions of the U.S. Department of Energy's Offices of Nuclear Energy (NE) and Environmental Management (EM).
June 21, 2022
Y-12 National Security Complex
The group began the day early with a trip to the U.S. Department of Energy’s New Hope Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where EM and NNSA staff welcomed members and provided overviews of the site and its various missions.
Tours: Y-12 National Security Complex
NLWG members participated in a tour of NNSA’s Y-12 National Security Complex.
The Y‑12 National Security Complex is a premier manufacturing facility dedicated to making our nation and the world a safer place and plays a vital role in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Security Enterprise.
Y‑12 helps ensure a safe and effective U.S. nuclear weapons deterrent. They also retrieve and store nuclear materials, fuel the nation’s naval reactors, and perform complementary work for other government and private-sector entities.
Since 1943, Y‑12 has played a key role in strengthening our country’s national security and reducing the global threat from weapons of mass destruction.
Y‑12 has evolved to become the complex the nation looks to for support in protecting America's future, developing innovative solutions in manufacturing technologies, prototyping, safeguards and security, technical computing and environmental stewardship.
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
NLWG members traveled by bus to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn. Watts Bar is located on 1,700 acres on the northern end of the Chickamauga Reservoir near Spring City, in East Tennessee. Each unit produces about 1,150 megawatts of electricity—enough to service 650,000 homes—without creating any carbon emissions.
TVA’s Vision for the Future of Nuclear
TVA representatives provided an overview of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant—which was the last commercial nuclear reactor to come online in the 20th Century in the U.S., and the only commercial nuclear reactor to come online so far in the 21st Century. TVA will also speak to the federal utility’s “New Nuclear Program,” a new initiative to explore advanced nuclear technologies as a core component of TVA’s decarbonization efforts.
Tours: Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
NLWG members had the opportunity to tour the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, including the turbine deck, switch yard, cooling towers, and observation deck.
June 22, 2022
The group traveled by bus to the offices of United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), the primary contractor for EM’s mission in Oak Ridge, for sessions.
NLWG Business Meeting
Welcoming remarks from NLWG Co-Chairs:
- Illinois Sen. Mattie Hunter
- Tennessee Rep. John Ragan
NCSL staff remarks, including NLWG updates and major state legislative developments related to nuclear.
Roundtable Discussion
NLWG members and other participants had the opportunity to introduce themselves and discussed relevant legislation and other recent nuclear developments in their state
Communities Beyond Cleanup: Planning for a Diverse Economic Future
Communities that are tied to EM’s cleanup mission are faced with the challenge of looking beyond the cleanup work to envision a future with expanded opportunities and economic drivers. This session explored the work taking place in several communities that have identified ways to envision a strong, stable future beyond the cleanup mission.
- Amy Fitzgerald, government affairs and information services director, city of Oak Ridge | Presentation
- Kevin Ironside, reindustrialization program manager, East Tennessee Technology Park, UCOR | Presentation
Climate Risk and Resilience Across the EM Complex
This session explored how EM is working to enhance the resilience and safety of its operations across the complex as it faces growing threats from extreme weather events. DOE developed a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan in 2021, which aims to manage the short- and long-term term effects of climate change across the department’s operations. The sensitive nature of EM’s cleanup mission makes it particularly important for maintaining environmental and human health.
- Betsy Forinash, deputy assistant secretary for waste and materials management, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (virtual) | Presentation
DOE’s Office of Environmental Management: Updates and Accomplishments
This chat and listening session included an opportunity for EM officials to sit down with NLWG members to discuss progress made over the past couple of years, major accomplishments and the office’s priorities moving forward. This session offeredr NLWG members an opportunity to engage with EM leaders on a variety of issues relevant to our members and their constituents.
- Joceline Nahigian, director of the Office of Intergovernmental & Stakeholder Programs, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (virtual) | No Presentation
- Betsy Forinash, deputy assistant secretary for waste and materials management, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (virtual) | Presentation
Tours: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The group traveled by bus to ORNL.
NLWG members participated in a tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The tour covered ORNL research projects, including advanced reactor and nuclear fuel technologies, that are being conducted at the national laboratory.
June 23, 2022
Coal to Nuclear: The Concept and the Policy
In recent years, states with economies historically tied to the coal industry—including Indiana, Montana, West Virginia and Wyoming—have begun to consider and enact legislation that would incentivize or facilitate the siting of small modular reactors at retired coal units. Federal legislation has also been proposed that would prioritize the siting of new nuclear facilities near communities affected by the closure of coal facilities. This session looked at research that has explored this topic, how these transitions could play out for communities and some of the primary issues driving state and utility interest.
- Chris Vlahoplus, professor of the practice, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina | Presentation
- Chuck Tack, vice president – Nuclear Operations, PacifiCorp | Presentation
The Waste Strategy: Interim Storage and Consent-Based Siting
This session looked at recent developments around the storage of spent commercial nuclear fuel, including industry efforts to develop two consolidated interim storage facilities and DOE’s initiative to restart the consent-based siting process.
- Natalia Saraeva, senior advisor (detail appointee), Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy | Presentation
- Everett Redmond, senior technical advisor, New Reactor & Advanced Technology, Nuclear Energy Institute | Presentation
DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy: Updates and Accomplishments
This chat and listening session included an opportunity for NE officials to sit down with NLWG members to discuss recent initiatives, major accomplishments, and the office’s priorities moving forward. This session was relatively informal and offered NLWG members an opportunity to engage with NE leaders on a variety of issues relevant to their constituents.
- Billy Valderrama, senior advisor, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy | No Presentation
Commercializing Advanced Nuclear: What’s It Gonna Take?
This session explores the financing, technological and supply chain challenges the advanced nuclear industry needs to solve before the next generation of nuclear reactors can contribute to U.S. energy needs. It also considered the ways that industry and government are working to bridge the existing gaps to facilitate the rapid deployment of these advanced technologies by the end of the decade.
- Everett Redmond, senior technical advisor, New Reactor & Advanced Technology, Nuclear Energy Institute | Presentation
- Jeremy Busby, director, Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Presentation
- Peter Pappano, president, TRISO-X | Presentation
Meeting Adjourned