SRSCRO February 2021 Update

SPDP EIS Public Scoping Period

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is in the planning process to prepare a Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program (SPDP) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate alternatives for the safe and timely disposition of 34 metric tons (MT) of plutonium excess to the defense needs of the United States.

NNSA had previously proposed to disposition the 34 MT of surplus plutonium from Savannah River Site (SRS) that is the subject of this EIS by using it in the fabrication of Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel. MOX is no longer a viable alternative as the MOX project was canceled and the former MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) is being repurposed for another NNSA mission.

As part of the EIS planning process, one of the initial steps is a public scoping period. During a public scoping period, NNSA will collect comments on the scope, alternatives, and environmental topics to be considered within the scope of the EIS.

The public scoping process began with publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) on December 16, 2020 (85 FR 81460). NNSA also hosted two internet and telephone-based virtual public scoping meetings on January 25 and 26, 2021. Originally the comment period was to end on February 1, 2021, but NNSA extended it to February 18, 2021.

Specifically, NNSA is asking for input on the following aspects of the SPDP EIS: (1) the appropriate scope of the EIS; (2) the preferred alternative and other reasonable alternatives; and (3) environmental topics that should be considered.

The SRSCRO provided comments during the initial period. The SRSCRO supports NNSA’s intent to prepare the EIS and believes SRS is highly qualified and a safe place for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. The letter urges DOE to look at the socio-economic impacts as well as ways to expedite the disposition schedule. NNSA reports the dilution and disposal of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium at SRS has a current completion date of 2049.

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is recommending that NNSA consider using surplus plutonium from nuclear weapons as fuel for advanced reactors to generate carbon-free energy, rather than diluting and disposing 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico as proposed by NNSA. While this is not a new or novel concept, it is one with considerable merit and one that may help expedite the disposition.

In the January 29, 2021 letter to the federal agency, ANS’s President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar and Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy told NNSA that using the excess plutonium “as reactor fuel would produce a valuable and useful product – clean energy – from the material that was produced at great expense to the American people. In contrast, dilute and dispose produces no useful product.”

Fukushima 10 Years Later

On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan caused massive devastation, and the ensuing tsunami decimated regions of Japan. On top of this destruction and loss of life, the natural disaster also gave rise to a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident saw a triple meltdown, three hydrogen explosions and the release of radioactive material after the loss of reactor core cooling following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In addition, over 100,000 people were forced to relocate.

Ten years later, there are reports of slow but steady cleanup progress. Progress has been made to control the reactor units, reduce the dose-rate levels, and drive the development and deployment of advanced robotics platforms to assess the highly contaminated buildings and their surroundings. Progress has also been made in stabilizing and assessing the reactor units and in reducing radiation exposure on- and off-site. On-site, all debris has been cleared, contamination has been removed, and surfaces have been covered to avoid erosion. One remaining challenge is to deal with the large amount of cooling water that was pumped into the reactors as well as the groundwater that entered the units and became contaminated.

However, there is a recent draft report indicating test results detecting dangerously high levels of radioactive contamination at two of the three reactors, adding to concerns about decommissioning challenges. The ultimate cleanup goal is expected to take anywhere between 30 to 40 years. So far, it is estimated that just one quarter of the decommission work has been completed.

One thing is certain, recovery and final cleanup will take decades.

New Videos Take Students Behind the Scenes

Some things get better with time. Virtual tools for education are no exception. Today’s student literally has a world of information available at the click of a mouse. That mouse click becomes an “easy button” for local career exploration through a new video now available. The Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) teamed with area industries and produced the video focused on regional jobs. The goal is to help area students understand ways to connect with outstanding workforce opportunities.

The plan is working. Area students and educators have been clicking on the latest STEM Career Connections® video to effortlessly explore high impact occupations in the SRSCRO region. The video, broken into five segments of about 6 minutes each, answers all kinds of questions about local occupations: What is ethical hacking? How can art skills lead to a career in healthcare? What careers are open to students just graduating high school? What do local people like about their local jobs? How do area jobs lead to worldwide travel?

Recently, the STEM Career Connections® video drew attention from regional Girl Scout leadership. Plans are underway to use the new video in fulfilling requirements for the STEM Career Exploration badge because the content includes an engaging view of many local industry sectors: healthcare, manufacturing, energy, nuclear and cybersecurity.

New virtual tools are also available from other organizations around the community. For example, you are invited to “Get on the Bus” for a behind the scenes tour of the Savannah River Site (SRS). In this lively video, viewers learn about SRS from behind the barricades.

Stay tuned for more high-quality resources about regional career options. The SRSCRO is already in the early stages of planning the 2021 STEM Career Connections® virtual event planned for this fall season.

In This Issue

SPDP EIS Public Scoping Period

Fukushima 10 Years Later

New Videos Take Students Behind the Scenes

Coffee Fun Facts

1. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s profound disruptions on our lives, coffee continues to be America’s favorite beverage. the pandemic has not changed how much coffee Americans drink (nearly 3 cups per day per coffee drinker) or how often (6 in 10 Americans drink coffee every day). Just as before the pandemic, the vast majority of coffee drinkers (about 80 percent) drink coffee at home, but more than one-third miss visiting coffee shops.

2. Coffee is consumed in such great quantities, it is the world’s 2nd largest traded commodity, surpassed only by crude oil. It is our most beloved beverage after water. It’s worth well over $100 billion worldwide.

3. Good coffee growing conditions are dependent on variables such as high altitudes, tropical climates and rich soil. Therefore, despite all the rich and diverse landscapes of the Continental United States, Hawaii is the only state suitable for growing coffee plants. It has been producing coffee even before it was a state. (Recently, though, farms in California did start growing coffee bushes!)

4. It is said that coffee was discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia in the 1500s. He saw his goats eating coffee cherries. Afterwards, he observed a change in their behavior; they gained a high amount of energy and they didn’t sleep at night. The herder shared his findings with local monks. After they made their own drink from coffee beans, they realized they could stay up all night and pray. Word spread to other Ethiopian monks and soon after reached all across the civilized world.

5. Brazil couldn’t afford to send its athletes to Los Angeles for the 1932 Olympics, so the government sent them in a ship full of coffee which was sold on the way to finance their trip.

6. Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511, quite soon after its first appearance in Ethiopia. It was believed to stimulate radical thinking and idleness.

7. Coffee stays warm 20% longer when you add cream. You’ll have to ask a physicist about that one. We reckon it might have something to do with the principle that makes hot water more suitable for making ice cubes than cold water when you’re in a hurry to cool down your fresh beverage.

8. In ancient Arab culture, apparently still applicable in Saudi Arabia, a woman can allegedly find legal ‘grounds’ (get it?) for divorce if her husband fails to bring her fresh coffee in the morning.

9. The word espresso comes from Italian and means “expressed” or “forced out”. Espresso is made by forcing very hot water under high pressure through finely ground, compacted coffee.

10. Coffee beans grow on a bush. They are actually the pit of a berry, which makes them a fruit. There are two main varieties of beans: green and red.

11. Beethoven was such an ardent coffee lover that he’d count 60 beans per cup before making his brew.

12. “Kopi Luwak” is the most expensive coffee in the world. It comes from Indonesia and is made from beans digested from the Asian Palm Civet. In other words, it comes from cat poop.

13. Americans on average spend $1,092 a year on coffee. That’s around $20 a week. That is also close to the price of the newest iPhone. Young people generally spend more on coffee than older people.

14. Fairtrade coffee costs more, but it goes a long way in improving conditions for farmers, and they spend at least 25% of that Fairtrade Premium to enhance productivity and quality. Over the last years, Fairtrade-certified coffee products have won lots of Great Taste Awards.

15. Arabica coffee was originally cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula, hence the name. Robusta coffee is a more hardy plant but contains double the amount of caffeine.

16. According to International Coffee Association, Europe imports more coffee than the USA. Also, Brazil is the lead exporting country in coffee.

17. The “Big Four” coffee roasting companies – Kraft, P&G, Sara Lee and Nestle – buy about 50% of the coffee produced worldwide.

Feature Heading

The 2021 SRSCRO meeting schedule is available here.

Closing Thoughts

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Let no man pull you low enough to hate him”-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I don't always know what I'm talking about but I know I'm right." -- Muhammad Ali

"Nothing is as frustrating as arguing with someone who knows what he's talking about." -- Sam Ewing

"All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.” – Juvenal

"Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy." -- Isaac Newton

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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