SRSCRO March 2021 Update

Sixty Year-Old is Still Useful (and Needed)

This is good news for some of us!

The Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) approved the release of a Supplement Analysis (SA) and signed an Amended Record of Decision (AROD) for the safe and timely disposition of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) fuel using the electrolytic dissolver in H-Canyon at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Back in February 2016, NNSA signed a contract with JAEA to disposition FCA fuel as part of the non-proliferation program.

The JAEA FCA material was shipped to the Savannah River Site in 2016 for disposition. The AROD enables NNSA to demonstrate steps toward dispositioning weapons-usable plutonium in a safe and timely manner. The AROD was published in the Federal Register on March 8, 2021.

Even at 60 plus years old, H-Canyon is a unique national resource. It is the only facility which can process research reactor spent nuclear fuel, surplus highly enriched uranium and scrap plutonium for beneficial reuse and waste disposition. The facility also has an important role in developing and evaluating research and deployment options for the ‘back end’ of the nation’s nuclear fuel cycle. H-Canyon was constructed in the early 1950s and began operations in 1955. The building is called a canyon because of its long rectangular shape and two continuous trenches that contain the process vessels. It is approximately 1,000 feet long (over three football fields).

Certainly, it is better to process the fuel than just store it at SRS. It was not that long ago that the Department of Energy (DOE) was considering placing H Canyon in a stand-by status; thereby putting this important facility on a slippery slope toward potential permanent shutdown. Yet again, here is a critical existing mission where the facility can be utilized. Yes, it is “old” but H-Canyon is a DOE-wide and national asset supporting multiple programs, and DOE needs to take a holistic "corporate-wide" view for maintaining its capabilities. Keeping H-Canyon in an operational status - fully funded and fully staffed - until the SRS inventory of research reactor fuels has been fully dispositioned is important until something “younger” and just as capable is in operation.

Earmarks Comeback

Federal funding for pet projects, or "earmarks" obtained by lawmakers for their states and local communities may be making a comeback.

However, the process will now be referred to by the serene euphemism called “community project funding”. Earmarks were banned in 2011 due to corruption scandals. On February 26, 2021, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled new reforms for transparency and accountability in community funding.

House Appropriations Committee chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) laid out some of the new guardrails to avoid a repeat of past scandals. According to her statement, the House will begin accepting House Member requests for community project funding in appropriations bills during the upcoming fiscal year, which "will allow Members to put their deep, first-hand understanding of the needs of their communities to work to help the people we represent."

The overhaul is an attempt to break from the political taboo of earmarks as wasteful and secretive “pork-barrel” spending. The approach could also incentivize members of both parties to support the next major funding deal, since lawmakers could take credit for securing funding for their districts.

Some believe that back in the day, lawmakers requested small-dollar earmarks to solve local problems or fund workaday projects. The process often made Congress more responsive to regional needs and legislators more attentive to what they were passing. Because earmarks merely directed funds that were already being appropriated, moreover, they required no new spending and added nothing to budget deficits. More important, they created incentives for compromise. A lawmaker looking to advance a general-interest bill could sweeten the pot by funding local initiatives favored by an opposition member. This gave the minority an interest in governing, encouraged bipartisanship, and helped resolve collective-action problems.

House Republicans are divided on the matter. Republican leadership is staying neutral on the issue as the conference works out its disagreements and is turning the focus back on Democrats. "One thing I think that's universal was we share a lot of concern about the abuses that happened in the past. We don't want to see those abuses brought back," House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said Tuesday. "It would have been helpful if Democrats would have talked to us about what they're doing and if there's a better way to do it."

SRSCRO Helps Girls Earn STEM Career Exploration Badge

On March 1, 2021, Girl Scout A’Naria Hutchinson was one of many scouts involved in earning the STEM Career Exploration Badge. A’Naria said she loved the STEM career exploration program. "I enjoyed watching the video and then doing the project. I wish it was longer and that we could meet the people in person."

“They are already thinking like engineers,” said Angi Noote, Program Manager for Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. “Seeing people who look like them, working real jobs in their community, shows them what's possible for their futures. The support of the SRSCRO made this activity really special for the girls. The video and the swag bags made it an elevated experience, and that kind of support is so impactful on the programming Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia is delivering."

Girl Scouts explored new career interests and connected to in-demand jobs as they learned about six different STEM fields: computer science, nature/environment, engineering, design, health, and agriculture. Their exploration involved the latest STEM Career Connections® video filled with current information about local careers that make the world a better place. They also built their own paddle boats as part of the project.

Distinguished Speaker Series Debuts

Attract. Retain. Connect to Careers. These are key elements to the Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers (WORC) grants that are serving to help local citizens develop skills needed for local jobs. The University of South Carolina Aiken (UofSC Aiken), a WORC grant partner with the SRSCRO, is helping students engage in STEM careers with a new energetic and diverse approach to outreach. The University hosted internationally acclaimed, Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire, at its WORC-sponsored Distinguished Speaker Series. Dr. McGuire certainly provided something to tweet about!

On March 15, 2021, Dr. McGuire held two sessions with students on Metacognition. She talked first about The Key to Acing Courses (and Life)! Her second session was presented to students of color and focused on The Key Ingredient on the Journey to Excellence and included an engaging question-and-answer session. By helping students better understand how they think and learn, they can apply this understanding with proven learning strategies to excel in STEM education now and as future lifelong learners in their STEM careers.

UofSC Aiken will continue the series in April. Dr. McGuire will provide a faculty presentation focused on the importance of helping students acquire effective learning strategies that are keys to success for learning and life.

To learn more about UofSC Aiken’s implementation of the WORC grant program, visit www.usca.edu/worc.

In This Issue

Sixty Year-Old is Still Useful (and Needed)

Earmarks Comeback

SRSCRO Helps Girls Earn STEM Career Exploration Badge

Distinguished Speaker Series Debuts

Spotlight

New SRSCRO

Board Members

Russ Lahodny

President/CEO, Columbia County Chamber of Commerce

Lane Keen

Owner, Keen Signs & Graphics

Left to Right: Russ Lahodny, Rick McLeod, Tammy Shepherd. As he welcomes Russ Lahodny as a new member, SRSCRO President Rick McLeod thanks Tammy Shepherd for her 10 years of service, and congratulates her on her retirement.

Weed Fun Facts

1. They Hold Topsoil

What do we mean by that? Well, whenever the soil is not growing anything, nature interprets that as a warning signal that the topsoil might get eroded, blown, or washed away. That is precisely where the weeds come in. They help protect the soil and keep it safe for the next time you want to plant something in it.

2. They Pull up Water and Nutrients

Since no one is going to waste their time watering weeds, they have adapted so as to get every last bit of water available in the soil. That is why their roots can sometimes go up to 15 feet down.

3. They Repel Insects

Not only that, but they also tend to attract insects that are beneficial to your plants. They accomplish this in different ways. For instance, some insects may choose to attack them instead of your crops, or they might attract beneficial insects that will chase away the bad ones.

4. You Can Eat Them

Finally, perhaps one of the most shocking discoveries about garden weeds is that they are safe to consume. Actually, they can be quite delicious if cooked properly. These weeds are chickweed, clover, dandelion, mallow, mustard, grass, purslane, plantain, thistle, amaranth, dock, and knotweed.

5. Mustard

Mustard weeds are edible. Many varieties can be used in salads, if you get them young enough, but as the plant ages it becomes tough and bitter, sort of like a person who has been fighting weeds all summer. If you want, you can make your own mustard out of the seeds, just grind them up and mix with vinegar.

6. Russian Thistle (tumbleweeds)

Yes, these are the evil weeds that conquered America in just 30 years! However, tumbleweeds are not considered evil everywhere. In the Mediterranean region, it is used to make soap!

7. Milkweed

During World War II, milkweed fluff was used to stuff life jackets. It is about six times more buoyant than cork!

8. Burrs

Back in 1941, a Swiss hiker came home from a walk in the Alps with burrs all over his clothes and his dog. He looked at the burrs under a microscope and saw that they were covered with millions of tiny hooks. Long story short, he invented Velcro, one of the best inventions in modern history.

9. Palmer Amaranth (pigweed)

This one is Public Weed Enemy Number One. It is on the hit list of every farmer, rancher and gardener across the fruited plain. Why is it so hated? First of all, it grows 1-3 inches a day, sucking down huge amounts of water and nutrients. It can reach the size of a small tree and has up to a million seeds per plant. Even worse, it has become resistant to Roundup and several other herbicides and has singlehandedly crippled the cotton industry in Georgia. So far, nobody has been able to eat it, make it into soap, or find a use for it, like Velcro.

The 2021 SRSCRO meeting schedule is available here.

Closing Thoughts

"Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man." -- Leon Trotsky

"Money can't buy friends, but it can get you a better class of enemy." -- Spike Milligan

"Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was." -- Margaret Mitchell

"Facts are the enemy of truth." -- Miguel de Cervantes

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

-- Abraham Lincoln

"I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.”

-- Jack Handey

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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