Nashville, TN | November 19-21, 2019
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the 18th annual Intergovernmental Meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy on Nuclear Waste Cleanup. This meeting brought together the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Department of Environmental Management and six intergovernmental groups involved in cleanup of defense related nuclear waste, to discuss priorities and strategies for managing and storing defense nuclear waste and for remediation of production sites.
NGA leads the Federal Facilities Task Force, a group of governor’s appointees from a dozen states tasked with collaborating, regulating, and working with DOE to ensure that DOE is accounting for state perspectives in its defense nuclear waste cleanup activities.
NGA also convenes the planning committee with state, local, and tribal leaders, known as the Combined Intergovernmental Working Group (CIWG). The CIWG includes:
- Energy Communities Alliance (ECA)
- Environmental Council of the States (ECOS)
- National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)
- National Conference of State Legislatures Nuclear Legislative Working Group (NCSL NLWG)
- National Governors Association Federal Facilities Task Force (NGA FFTF)
- State and Tribal Government Working Group (STGWG)
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM)
AGENDA
Wednesday, November 20
Registration and Breakfast
Welcome and Tribal Invocation
- Speakers:
- Dan Lauf, Program Director, National Governors Association
- David W. Salyers PE, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Ron Woody, County Executive, Roane County, Tennessee
- Brandt Petrasek, Tribal Program Manager, DOE-EM
Program Update and Environmental Management Priorities at the U.S. Department of Energy
- Introduction:
- The Honorable Rebecca Casper, Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Speaker:
- William “Ike” White, Senior Advisor for Environmental Management to the Under Secretary of Science
- Q&A with Site Managers:
- Jay Mullis, Manager, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
- Brian Vance, Manager, DOE Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office
- Jack Zimmerman, Manager, Idaho Cleanup Project
- Doug Hintze, Manager, Los Alamos Field Office
- Robert Edwards, Manager, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office
30 Years of the Environmental Management Program
- Moderator:
- David Borak, DOE-EM Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) Designated Federal Officer
- Speakers:
- Dan Miller, Assistant Attorney General, State of Colorado
- Mark Whitney, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nuclear & Environment, AECOM
- John Heaton, Energy Development Coordinator, City of Carlsbad, New Mexico
- Dino Chavarria, Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs, Santa Clara Pueblo
- Video Resource: DOE Office of Environmental Management Story
Engaging Multiple DOE Landlords: Land transfers and Long-term Stewardship at sites with Ongoing Missions
- Moderator:
- David Abelson, EM Advisory Board (EMAB) Board Member
- Nevada Case Study Speakers:
- Scott Wade, Senior Advisor, NNSA, Nevada Field Office
- Rob Boehlecke, Program Manager, Nevada Program
- Tracy Atkins, Program Manager, DOE LM
- Darrell Lacy, Planning Director, Nye County, Nevada
- Richard Arnold, Spokesperson for the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California
- Chris Andres, Chief, Bureau of Federal Facilities, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
Lunch Presentation: Congressional Update
- Introduction:
- Seth Kirshenberg, Executive Director, Energy Communities Alliance
- Speaker:
- Melissa Burnison, Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, DOE
Topic-Specific Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1: High Level Waste Implementation
- Facilitators:
- Kara Colton, Director of Nuclear Policy, Energy Communities Alliance
- Kristy Hartman, Program Director, National Conference of State Legislatures
- Speaker:
- Jamie Joyce, General Engineer, DOE-EM
Breakout Session 2: How and When to Convey your Budget Priorities
- Facilitators: Bevin Buchheister, Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association
- Pam Larsen, Executive Director, Hanford Communities
- Speakers:
- Steve Trischman, Director of Budget and Planning, DOE-EM
- David Borak, DOE-EM Site-Specific Advisory Board Designated Federal Officer
- Dylan Kama, Program Manager, Energy Communities Alliance
- Alex Smith, Nuclear Waste Program Manager, Washington Department of Ecology
Breakout Session 3: Recording and Applying Lessons Learned and Best Practices with the Goal of Saving Time and Money on Cleanup Operations
- Facilitators:
- Brian Begley, FFA Manager, Kentucky Energy & Environment Cabinet
- Carolyn Hanson, Deputy Director, Environmental Council of the States
- Speaker:
- Jeff Griffin, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, DOE-EM
Breakout Session 4: Cultural Resources and Historic Preservation
- Facilitators:
- Mindy Bridges, State and Tribal Government Working Group
- Amy Fitzgerald, Energy Communities Alliance
- Speakers:
- Brandt Petrasek, Tribal Program Manager, DOE-EM
- Raymond Martinez, Tribal Councilmember and Environmental Director, Pueblo de San Ildefonso
- Sam Cohen, Government Affairs Officer and Legal Officer, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
- David Adler, Director of Quality and Mission Support Division, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
Aging Infrastructure at Environmental Management Sites
- Moderator:
- Mark Watson, City Manager, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Speakers:
- Brian Vance, Manager, DOE Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office
- Jim McConnell, Associate Administrator for Safety, Infrastructure and Operations, DOE-NNSA
- Todd Shrader, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
DOE’s End State Contracting Initiative: Understanding Opportunities and Impacts
- Moderator:
- Sharon Brown, Washington State Senator, 8th Legislative District
- Speakers:
- Norbert Doyle, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting), DOE-EM
- Rick McLeod, President and CEO, Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization
- Raymond Martinez, Tribal Councilmember and Environmental Director, Pueblo de San Ildefonso
- Alex Smith, Nuclear Waste Program Manager, Washington Department of Ecology
Thursday, November 21
Registration and Breakfast
Understanding Oversight of DOE Cleanup Operations
- Opening Remarks and Moderator:
- Todd Shrader, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
- Panelists:
- Steven R. Stout, Senior Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Darrell G. Early, Deputy Attorney General, Chief of the Natural Resources Division, Office of the Idaho Attorney General
- Caroline Cress, Assistant Attorney General, Ecology Division, Washington State Attorney General’s Office
- Greg Gervais, Acting Director, EPA OLEM Federal Facilities, Restoration and Reuse Office
Promoting Meaningful Action and Progress to Advance STEM and Workforce Development
- Moderator:
- Dr. Bruce Borchers, Superintendent, Oak Ridge Schools
- Speakers:
- Melinda Higgins, Nuclear Energy Tribal STEM Advisor, DOE Office of Nuclear Energy
- Amy Lientz, Director, Supply Chain Energy Industry, Idaho National Laboratory
- Mark Martinez, President, Mission Support & Test Services, LLC
- Deb Bowen, Executive Director, Washington State STEM Education Foundation
Emergency Planning and Response for Weather Events
- Moderator:
- Matthew Johnson, Attorney, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
- Speakers:
- Paul Duffy, Vice President, Neptune and Company
- Harry Burgess, County Manager, Los Alamos County, New Mexico
- Doug Hintze, Manager, Los Alamos Field Office, DOE-EM
- Jack Zimmerman, Manager, Idaho Cleanup Project
Intergovernmental Groups—Next Steps and Joint Activities
- Moderator:
- Bevin Buchheister, Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association
