SRSCRO March 2022 Update

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, invests over $1 trillion in infrastructure, ranging from traditional road and bridge projects to broadband access and investments in energy infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) cut is $62 billion directed to invest in energy infrastructure rehabilitation projects, research and development, and market support.

To put the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in perspective, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- commonly called the “stimulus” -- was designed to spur economic growth while creating new jobs and saving existing ones. Through the Recovery Act, DOE invested more than $31 billion (half of the new infrastructure bill). During that time, the Office of Environmental Management (EM) received $6 billion in the Recovery Act funding to accelerate cleanup.

Over the next five years, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will stand up 60 new DOE programs, including 16 demonstration and 32 deployment programs, and expand funding for 12 existing Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RDD&D) programs. Unlike spending bills in the past (i.e., 2009 Stimulus) that have focused on short-term results, the new infrastructure law is a long-term investment in our nation’s competitiveness. That means programs in the bill will operate on differing timelines.

The new funding will be delivered through a combination of formula funds to states and competitively awarded grant funding to states, cities, tribal, and other local partners. Some will be a competitive selection process that will begin with a request for information while others will be through existing formula and application processes. More details on application requirements and instructions will become available as these various programs are stood up.

Most of the programs in the bill will operate over a five- to ten-year timeline to provide states, cities, and localities the ongoing support they need to deliver these transformative projects for their communities. DOE envisions creative partnerships for states, communities, and industry.

We better get ready! Regardless of how you slice it up, that’s a lot of money to spend in the next five years. Worthy projects need to be identified, accounting/audit/project management resources established, and partnerships formed. Currently, DOE has a link available to learn more - https://www.energy.gov/bil/bipartisan-infrastructure-law-programs. There is also a table on the webpage that identifies the current DOE Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program & Funding Opportunity Announcements and timelines.

Misinformation and Fake News

Be careful believing everything reported in the news media about the evolving nuclear events in Ukraine related to the takeover of the commercial nuclear reactors. There is lots of fake news on the internet and major news outlets about these incidents. It is up to each of us to discern facts from fiction. As noted in the graphic, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institution has the depicted infographic which offers advice on how to spot it.

I have attempted in this article to provide some clarity and have included excerpts from articles and opinion pieces from the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the Nuclear Engineering International which covers the civil nuclear power industry in news, in-depth technical articles, and informed opinion. Read the links below to be better informed.

https://neutronbytes.com/2022/03/06/news-media-and-evolving-nuclear-events-in-ukraine/

The American Nuclear Society’s Rapid Response Taskforce network of experts is monitoring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war’s nuclear safety and security implications. They are in close communication with nuclear colleagues around the world and with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The ANS urges all interested parties to consult the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency for up-to-date information.

In the neutronbyte link, ANS notes when an incident occurs like the recent one involving Russian forces shelling a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the news media reacts with great ferocity. They often equate the incident to possible consequences which occurred at Chernobyl or Fukushima. ANS states the two events could not have been more different, but this is what comes from short attention spans and even shorter news media headlines. While worst case scenarios under such circumstances are entirely plausible, it is important to emphasize that plant operators have equipment and procedures available to mitigate damages.

https://www.neimagazine.com/opinion/opinionnuclear-energy-caught-in-the-crossfire-9538296/

In this opinion piece, Jeremy Gordon, an independent communication consultant with 18 years of experience in the international energy industry, states the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has taken the nuclear industry into uncharted territory. It is the first time a country with nuclear power plants has been invaded. It is the first time a nuclear power plant has been attacked. And it is the first time public fear of nuclear has been used by both sides to rally support. For different reasons, both Ukraine and Russia have consciously chosen to make nuclear energy itself a battlefield.

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: “Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broken out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl!”

Despite everything that happened, safety was never significantly degraded at Chernobyl or at Zaporizizhia, which continues power generation in uneasy and unsatisfactory mode of compromise between Energoatom staff (the State nuclear operator) and Russian forces.

There has so far been no significant damage to nuclear plants in Ukraine and only marginal reductions to nuclear safety. But the first two weeks of fighting have already made clear that Russia ignores the rules of war and that both countries’ governments are prepared to spread disinformation about nuclear when they think they will get an advantage.

$5 Million Milestone

The first Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers (WORC) $5M grant was recently completed. WORC is the name for a five-year grant program awarded to the SRSCRO by the Department of Energy - Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), with subawards going to local partners: Aiken Technical College, University of South Carolina (USC) Aiken and USC Salkehatchie in South Carolina, and Augusta Technical College and Augusta University in Georgia.

WORC funding directly supported:

· 1,309 scholarships in nuclear-industry fields of study

· Updated technology for rural regions

· Tutoring and coaching for students

· WorkKeys preparation and testing

· Student research opportunities

· Laptop computers for virtual coursework

· Classroom supplies and training equipment

Over 178 WORC scholarship students were selected for SRS intern positions and over 131 WORC students are working in full-time positions at SRS. New programs are also in place because of WORC including the USC Aiken Summer Scholars Institute and the USC Salkehatchie 2+2 Industrial Process Engineering program.

WORC activities are continuing through 2026 because of two additional $5M grant awards. Learn more here.

In This Issue

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act

Misinformation &

Fake News

$5 Million Milestone

Spotlight

Expos Power Up

Regional career pathways were on full display this month. On March 8, parents and students from Georgia and South Carolina flocked to the Columbia County Exhibition Center for the Columbia County Career & College Expo. Hundreds more from Aiken, Edgefield and Barnwell, SC gathered at the USC Aiken Convocation Center on March 15 for the Power Up Your Future experience.

Both events featured college and employer representatives, breakout sessions, hands-on activities, and prizes.

The SRSCRO attended too, informing the community about WORC grant scholarships and STEM career fields.

Old Farmers' Almanac

Fun Facts

The Old Farmer’s Almanac was first published in 1792, making it North America’s oldest continuously-published periodical of all time. It’s been publishing issues for almost 230 years. It offers readers a trademark blend of long-range weather predictions, humor, fun facts, and valuable advice on gardening, cooking, fishing, conservation, and much more. Here are some fun facts from it:

A Grumble and a Rumble: Do you have a belly ache? Bad weather could be coming - indigestion was once said to precede storms!

Sowing the Seeds of Flight: Medieval magicians believed that putting celery seeds in their shoes would enable them to fly.

Leave It to Beaver: Beavers don’t worry about having pearly white teeth: their front teeth are naturally orange!

Pseudo Suds: When is a soap not really a soap? When it’s a detergent! Unlike traditional soap, detergent does not contain animal fat.

Smelly Remedies: For itchy insect bites, a slice of raw onion may be the fix. Onions contain sulfur and flavonoids, which can help stop itching and heal bites!

What Time Is It? Towers, water bowls, and candles have all been used as clocks to keep track of time.

Cricket Anatomy: A cricket’s ears are located on its front legs!

Improve your Memory: According to folklore, wear a sprig of rosemary in your hair to improve your memory!

March Weather: March brings rain and mud! Sprinkle salt on carpets to dry out muddy footprints before vacuuming.

March Weather: March comes in with adders’ heads and goes out with peacocks’ tails.

March Weather: Thunder in spring, Cold will bring.

March Weather: So many mists in March you see, so many frosts in May will be.

When the Old Farmer's Almanac was born, George Washington was in the White House, George III sat on the British throne and there were hundreds of almanacs published in the 14 United States.

During World War II, the U.S. government speculated that the Germans were using The Old Farmer’s Almanac for weather forecasts, which meant that the book was indirectly supplying information to the enemy.

In 2004, the FBI warned police departments to be on alert for people carrying almanacs, which could be used to plan a terrorist attack.

Also available is an Old Farmers Almanac for Kids, released every other year, for children 8 and older, and an accompanying website,

www.almanac4kids.com.

Almanacs were designed to give their readers an insight into the whims of Mother Nature. Phases of the moon, the time of the tides and astrological charts were typical almanac fare. Next to the Bible, an almanac was considered a necessity in every American home.

Another historical event in the 1850s gave an added boost to the Old Farmer's Almanac. In 1858 an Illinois lawyer and sometime politician named Abraham Lincoln was defending a client in a murder case. The argument of the prosecution hung on the fact that on the night of Aug. 29, 1857, the defendant had, by moonlight, used a slingshot to kill the victim.

Lincoln whipped out his copy of the Old Farmer's Almanac and proved, using its tables, that there was not enough moonlight that night for anyone, however skilled, to see what he was hitting with a slingshot. No crime had been committed, Lincoln claimed. The jury found the defendant innocent and the Old Farmers Almanac had yet another legend to its name.

The 2022 SRSCRO meeting schedule is available here.

Closing Thoughts

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock. -- Ben Hecht

A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad. -- Bob Edwards

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

A committee can make a decision that is dumber than any of its members. -- David Coblitz

Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain. -- John F. Kennedy

Ability will never catch up with the demand for it. -- Malcolm Forbes

To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer. -- Farmers' Almanac

Contact Information

SRSCRO, PO Box 696, Aiken, SC 29802

Staff:

Rick McLeod | President/CEO | 803.508.7402

Mindy Mets | Director of Regional Workforce Programs |803.508.7403

Amy Merry | Administrative & Business Manger | 803.508.7401

Kim Saxon | Assistant Coordinator | 803.508.7656

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