November 15–17, 2017 | San Antonio, TX
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the 16th annual Intergovernmental Meeting. This meeting brought together the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Department of Environmental Management with stakeholders 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. Participating intergovernmental groups included:
- Energy Communities Alliance (ECA)
- Environmental Council of the States (ECOS)
- National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)
- National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)
- National Governors Association (NGA)
- State and Tribal Government Working Group (STGWG)
Agenda
Presentations
November 15, 2017
Orientation for New Meeting Participants
Speakers:
- Brandt A. Petrasek, director environmental management tribal affairs, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- Ken Niles, assistant director, Oregon Department of Energy
- Pam Larsen, executive director, Hanford Communities
Welcome and Invocation
Speakers:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy and Transportation Division, NGA Center
- Doug Little, deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental and external affairs, U.S. Department of Energy
- Tribal invocation
Environmental Management Program Update: Instilling a Sense of Urgency in Cleanup Decisions
Introduction:
- Steve Young, mayor, City of Kennewick, Washington
Speaker:
- Jim Owendoff, acting assistant secretary, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
Update on Site Priorities Across the DOE Complex
Introduction:
- Ron Woody, county executive Roane County, Tennessee
Speaker:
- Stacy Charboneau, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
Site-Specific Breakout Session: Identifying Priorities to Move Cleanup Forward at Each Emergency Management Site
- Idaho National Lab
- Nevada National Security Site
- Oak Ridge
- Paducah and Portsmouth
- Savannah River
- West Valley, Missouri, Texas and Others
- Hanford
- Los Alamos and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
Lunch Presentation: Long-Term Stewardship and Legacy Management
Moderator:
- Matt Johnson, program manager, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Speaker:
- Carmelo Melendez, director, Office of Legacy Management
Breakout Session Report-Out and Next Steps
Moderators:
- Sue Gander, division director, Environment, Energy and Transportation Division, NGA Center
- Seth Kirshenberg, executive director, Energy Communities Alliance
Social Media, Communications and Site Emergency Response
Moderator:
- Ken Niles, assistant director, Oregon Department of Energy
Speakers:
- Doug Shoop, manager, Richland Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Kristen Ellis, director, Office of External Affairs, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- Karima Holmes, director, Washington, DC Office of Unified Communications
Facilitating Waste Disposal to Move Cleanup Forward
Moderator:
- Kara Colton, director of Nuclear Energy Policies, Energy Communities Alliance
Speakers:
- Betsy Forinash, director, National TRU Program, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- Rick McLeod, president and CEO, SRS Community Reuse Organization
- David Reeploeg, vice president for federal programs, TRIDEC
November 17, 2017
Environmental Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration: the Big Picture
Speaker:
- Seth Kirshenberg, executive director, Energy Communities Alliance
Panel Discussion: Strategies for Managing Infrastructure and Excess Facilities
Moderator:
- Jay Mullis, manager, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
Speakers:
- Doug Shoop, manager, Richland Operations Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Mark Watson, city manager, City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Don Siron, assistant bureau chief, Bureau of Land and Waste Management, South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control
Discussion of WIPP: Update on Shipments, Schedule and Future Plans
Moderator:
- Cathrynn Brown, representative, New Mexico House of Representatives
Speakers:
- Todd Shrader, field office manager, Carlsbad
- Susan Burke, INL coordinator, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
- Butch Tongate, cabinet secretary, New Mexico Environment Department
Intergovernmental Groups: Next Steps and Joint Activities
Moderator:
- Carolyn Hanson, deputy director, Environmental Council of the States
