A conversation with Vincent Ialenti, anthropologist and former Senior Program Manager in the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, about recent major nuclear waste policy shifts, including the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus model, the return of spent fuel reprocessing and recycling, and how communities consent to host.
Read and Download TranscriptA hybrid joint discussion with the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel (CEP) featuring nuclear experts Allison Macfarlane and Lake Barrett, co-authors of the "Path Forward" report, along with Tom Isaacs, Independent Strategic Advisor to SCE for Nuclear Waste, about solving the U.S. nuclear waste challenge and the path forward.
Read and Download TranscriptA group discussion with Brad Sperber, Tom Webler, and Roy Payne on their work as part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Collaboration-Based Siting Consortia. Drawing on their experience, they shared insights into how communities make decisions around complex infrastructure projects and how they can be empowered to participate meaningfully in a site selection process.
Read and Download TranscriptA discussion with Fereshteh Bunk, Operations Associate for Mothers for Nuclear, on community feedback gathered through their partnership with one of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Collaboration-Based Siting Consortia, North Carolina State University. Bunk shared insights on how to structure effective collaboration, communication, and build trust in the siting of federal storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.
Read and Download TranscriptA conversation with Rod Baltzer, Chief Executive Officer of Deep Isolation and Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council’s (USNIC) Back-End Working Group, about USNIC's policy paper: Transforming the Back End of the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle.
Read and Download TranscriptA discussion featuring Dr. Sven Bader, a technical consultant with Orano Federal Services, about Orano’s French and U.S. spent fuel reprocessing and recycling activities, as well as the status of the French repository program.
Read and Download TranscriptA conversation with Energy Communities Alliance’s (ECA) Director of Nuclear Programs, Kara Colton, on ECA’s participation as one of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Collaboration-Based Siting Consortia. Colton shared more about their focus on facilitating deeper engagement and building capacity in communities interested in collaboration-based siting.
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A discussion with Lisa Frizzell, Vice President of Communications for Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization, about Canada’s process to identify an informed and willing host community for the country’s spent fuel repository and the selection of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace.
Read and Download TranscriptA joint discussion with the SONGS Community Engagement Panel (CEP) and Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) about the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2024, which Levin introduced with Representative August Pfluger (R-TX). This proposed legislation aimed to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to help secure offsite storage and disposal solutions for spent fuel stranded across the nation.
Read and Download TranscriptA joint hybrid meeting with the SONGS Community Engagement Panel (CEP) featuring the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Paul Murray. Murray provided insight on consent-based siting of consolidated interim storage facilities as part of a broader federal spent fuel management program.
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A conversation with officials from Finland and Sweden, Vesa Lakaniemi and Jacob Spangenberg, on their interest in hosting a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel in their communities.
Read and Download TranscriptA discussion featuring nuclear industry leaders Katrina McMurrian, Rod McCullum, and Tom Isaacs on shifting influences and the evolving narrative around the U.S. spent nuclear fuel program, including how the prospect of reprocessing may reframe perceptions about spent fuel.
Read and Download TranscriptA joint discussion with the SONGS Community Engagement Panel (CEP) on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) funding opportunity to support community engagement on consent-based siting of consolidated interim spent fuel storage facilities.
Read and Download TranscriptA conversation with nuclear waste leaders from around the world, including Lisa Frizzell from Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization; Claes Thegerström, former President of the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co.; and Mika Pohjonen, Managing Director of Posiva Solutions Oy, implementer of Finland’s Onkalo repository. The discussion provides insight on international best practices to develop repositories for spent nuclear fuel, including siting, design, and construction.
Read and Download TranscriptA discussion featuring the Department of Energy’s (DOE) former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition, Dr. Kim Petry, about DOE’s funding opportunity, consent-based siting process for consolidated interim storage, and other developments in the spent fuel space.
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