SRSCRO January 2022 Update

New Report Highlights SRS’s Economic Impact in the Surrounding Five-County Region

A recent economic impact report finds that the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) creates $2.2 billion in economic benefits and many high-wage jobs.

The SRS impact goes beyond the number of jobs and dollars spent in the local economy. SRS has a ripple effect in the local economy as each dollar spent circulates and each employee spends a portion of their earnings locally.

SRS has been a key economic driver in the surrounding region since its establishment in the early 1950s. Although employment has waned over time as its mission has evolved, SRS remains one of the largest employers in the five-county region, including Columbia and Richmond counties in Georgia, and Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties in South Carolina. As such, the influence of SRS extends across the entire region with dollars circulating back and forth across Georgia and South Carolina.

SRS is an economic engine, creating a direct impact of more than $1.2 billion in economic output and over 8,600 full-time jobs over seven different organizations, according to a report released in December by the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO). The report examines the impact of SRS in fiscal year 2020 in the five-county region of the SRSCRO and is the third such report sponsored by the SRSCRO.

The report, prepared by the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University, details the scope and scale of SRS’s impact on the five-county region. The analysis estimates three types of impacts: direct, indirect, and induced. The total economic impact is the sum of these three effects of the SRS operations.

To read the full report visit, https://srscro.org/2021-srs-economic-impact-study/

Interpretation of the Statutory Term “High-level Radioactive Waste” (HLW)

In December the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Federal Register Notice on the results of the assessment of its interpretation of the statutory term “high-level radioactive waste,” as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended. After extensive policy and legal assessment, DOE has determined that the interpretation is consistent with the law, guided by the best available science and data, and considered the views of members of the public and the scientific community in its adoption.

The interpretation continues to be a useful, science-based tool to help further the DOE’s cleanup mission across the country. The interpretation is consistent with existing laws and regulations. Where implemented, the interpretation enables the Department to better address one of its largest environmental risks by potentially allowing the opening of new disposition paths for reprocessing waste with no near-term path for disposal that has been stored for decades at DOE sites. The Department will not use the interpretation at sites without prior meaningful engagement with the local communities, affected tribal nations, and federal and state regulators.

DOE also issued a Federal Register Notice notifying the public of the availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Commercial Disposal of Savannah River Site Contaminated Process Equipment for a 45-day public comment period. The contaminated process equipment at the Savannah River Site was generated during the on-site storage and treatment of tank waste. DOE will evaluate the potential environmental impacts, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, of the disposal of contaminated process equipment at a commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility outside the state of South Carolina in accordance with DOE’s interpretation of the statutory definition of “high-level radioactive waste.” Although this material is safely stored on-site, a near-term disposition path would address on-site storage constraints, improve worker safety, and support accelerated completion of the environmental cleanup mission at the Savannah River Site.

This is the second time DOE has used this interpretation to move waste out of South Carolina. Back in 2020, DOE determined that up to 8 gallons of stabilized Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) recycle wastewater at SRS met the HLW interpretation for classification as non-HLW and can be and was safely disposed of as low-level radioactive waste (LLW) at a commercial facility outside of the state of South Carolina

The two Federal Register Notices, the Draft Savannah River Site Contaminated Process Equipment Environmental Assessment, and other information related to the high-level radioactive waste interpretation can be viewed here.

Students “WORC” on SRS Solutions

Area high school students learned engineering skills by participating in a new pilot program called WORCshop at Augusta University (WORCshop@AU). The program was designed to help local students develop interest in the skills needed for future careers.

Students developed solutions to a real-world problem that was provided by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) engineers. The engineers are working on the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) project, and they supplied a real problem statement for use in teaching students technical problem-solving skills. The problem involved transportation.

Evans High School, Hephzibah High School, Augusta Preparatory Day School, Edmund Burke Academy and Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (TCM) School were involved in the project which began in the summer. SRNS employees served as mentors for the students and teachers as part of the program.

Students presented their results to a panel of SRNS engineers at a luncheon during December 2021. They addressed issues such as environmental impacts, safety, supply chain, cost, employee wellbeing and project scheduling. “I learned a lot about teamwork and the how complex a project can be,” said one student during the presentations

Augusta Preparatory Day School took home the first prize for their concept. Evans High School and Richmond County TCM, pictured above, won second and third prizes respectively. Nearly all students remarked that they learned a great deal about the Savannah River Site (SRS) and teamwork through the process.

WORCshop@AU is part of the WORC II grant. WORC II is funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and administered by the SRSCRO. The grant program involves multiple colleges and universities in the region near the Savannah River Site for the purpose of helping develop the future STEM workforce. Drs. Joe Newton and Ashley Gess at Augusta University were instrumental in developing WORCshop@AU.

In This Issue

New Report Highlights SRS's Economic Impact in the Surrounding Five-County Region

Interpretation of the Statutory Term "High-level Radioactive Waste"

Students "WORC" on

SRS Solutions

Spotlight

Apple Watch Winners

Corbin from Barnwell High School was one of the winners of an Apple Watch.

Ten high school students and three educators won a new Apple Watch as part of the 2021 STEM Career Connections® virtual event. The goal of the event was to help local students better understand the many career opportunities that exist right in the SRSCRO two-state region. The video program featured local industry professionals sharing their knowledge about current and future workforce topics.

There were 1800 students and educators from 31 high schools that participated in the video premier event and completed a post-event survey for a chance to win an Apple Watch. Winners were from Midland Valley HS, North Augusta HS, Ridge-Spring HS, South Aiken HS, Allendale-Fairfax HS, Barnwell HS, Evans HS, Grovetown HS, Harlem HS, Lakeside HS, Academy of Richmond County & AR Johnson Magnet.

Overall, 93% of the students and educators found the video helpful. Check it out on the SRSCRO YouTube channel here.

Asteroid

Fun Facts

Asteroids are relics from the time the solar system was born – They are odd-shaped masses - The rocky mass and weak gravity make asteroids irregularly shaped, varying between 2 m to 1000 m in size.

There are millions of asteroids in the solar system - These millions of asteroids are of varying sizes and circle the sun in wide elliptical orbits.

Asteroids aren’t the only things that hit Earth. Each day, more than 100 tons of material from asteroids and comets falls toward Earth. Most of it is destroyed by friction as it passes through our atmosphere. If something DOES hit the ground, it is known as a meteorite.

While asteroid impacts were more common in the past, they aren’t as frequent today.

An asteroid impact some 65 million years ago contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. (It was one of several factors that affected all life on Earth at that time.)

Earth suffers an impact from an object the size of a football field about once every 2,000 years.

A car-sized meteoroid (a piece of asteroid) falls into Earth’s atmosphere about once a year. The result is a beautiful fireball, but the meteoroid usually burns up before reaching the ground.

Most asteroids orbit the Sun in the Asteroid Belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids are also referred to as minor planets or planetoids.

Some asteroids have moons of their own!

Asteroids are rich in minerals and water - Asteroids are rich sources of carbon, silica and metals. Humans are exploring asteroids aggressively with an intent to mine asteroids’ mineral repositories.

Asteroids have water gullies - In 2015, scientists observed water trails called gullies on the asteroid Vesta. When a small asteroid collides with a bigger one, the impact melts the trapped water ice in the smaller asteroid, trickling on the bigger asteroid, leaving a water trail in the rocks.

The 2022 SRSCRO meeting schedule is available here.

Closing Thoughts

A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. -- William S. Burroughs

Nobody believes the official spokesman... but everybody trusts an unidentified source. -- Ron Nesen

The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them. -- Kin Hubbard

The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were. -- David Brinkley

Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.

-- Cullen Hightower

The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter - he's got to just know. -- Will Rogers

Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature. -- Kin Hubbard

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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