Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
january 2016
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federal agencies & administration
DOE will work to craft a strategy to dispose of nuclear waste in 2016
January 11, 2016
The Department of Energy (DOE) is launching an initiative to find a long-term solution for dealing with U.S. radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Based on a 2013 report from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, their new strategy will attempt to protect public health, safety, and the environment while identifying facilities for both interim storage and long-term geologic repositories.
DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, which received an 8 percent increase in funding in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill, will oversee the initiative. Due to the shutdown of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation’s sole geological repository for nuclear weapons waste, from a fire in 2014, the Office of Nuclear Energy has decided to focus on identifying long-term geologic repositories first. They will work with DOE’s Office of Environmental Management to find a solution to the country’s need for a permanent nuclear waste disposal site.
To learn more, visit the DOE fact sheet on nuclear waste disposal.
Sources: E&E News, Department of Energy (DOE)
January 2016 State of the Union from a geosciences perspective
January 12, 2016
This January, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address to Congress. During his speech, the President touched on many different science issues, including energy, climate change, STEM education, and the spirit of innovation. Among these were the President’s remarks about the space race with Russia that launched U.S. supremacy in aeronautics, underscoring the current need to invest in basic research at the federal, state, and local level. He exclaimed, “We didn’t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight. And 12 years later, we were walking on the moon.”
In addition to these more direct anecdotes, the President’s address also focused on the common themes of the economy, national security, and public health and safety. The geosciences can help contribute to all of these goals directly and indirectly through creating jobs and wealth, maintaining a steady supply of raw minerals and materials, and providing data and information on water quality, natural hazards, and more.
Source: The White House