• Carlos Felipe Uriarte, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice
• Gerald H. Acker, Nominee for Commissioner & Chair of the International Joint Commission
• Annie Caputo, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Bradley R. Crowell, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Annie Caputo, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Annie Caputo currently consults with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) regarding international collaboration on advanced nuclear reactors. Prior to her work at INL, Caputo served as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), assisting the Committee with issues related to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s infrastructure. Preceding her SASC assignment, Caputo served as a Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for three years until the term expired in June 2021.

Caputo previously served as a professional staff member and senior policy advisor for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Committee on Energy & Commerce from 2005 to 2018. Prior to her positions on Capitol Hill, she worked for Exelon Corporation and its predecessor company Commonwealth Edison, holding positions in both nuclear fuel and government affairs. Caputo has also served on the Board of the American Nuclear Society. Caputo earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. 

Bradley R. Crowell, Nominee for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Bradley R. Crowell serves as Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Crowell was first appointed as Director in 2016 by former Governor Brian Sandoval and was reappointed by Governor Steve Sisolak in 2019. At DCNR, he leads approximately 1000 employees across 8 divisions and manages a nearly $300 million biennial budget. Crowell has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of energy, environment, natural resources, climate change, and national security, including executive leadership positions in federal and state government. Prior to his current role, he worked for multiple Members of Congress, including former Nevada Governor and Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Crowell served in the Obama-Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2010-2016, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2013 as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. 

Crowell resides in Reno, Nevada, with his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Claypool and their 1-year-old daughter Hazel, and is a native of Carson City, Nevada. 

For more information, go to: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/03/president-biden-announces-key-nominees-13/

The SECY package contains the staff paper, which includes six high-level recommendations to the Commission and six commitments that the staff will undertake, and 13 enclosures explaining the review findings in detail. The documents contained in the SECY’s package sent to the Commission can be found here.

For more information, please click here.

The Commission has approved the staff’s recommended Option 1, to issue a new proposed rule that consolidates and integrates criteria for licensing the disposal of greater-than-Class C (GTCC) waste and Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 C.F.R.) Part 61, “Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal,” rulemaking activities, and provides for Agreement State licensing of those GTCC waste streams that meet the regulatory requirements for near-surface disposal and do not present a hazard such that the NRC should retain disposal authority.

Additionally, for GTCC waste streams containing strategic special nuclear material, the Commission has approved the staff’s recommendation to explore regulatory approaches that would allow for a single regulator for an Agreement State licensee disposing of GTCC waste in a land disposal facility, including potential amendment to 10 C.F.R. §§ 150.14 and 150.15.

The staff should take another look at the technical basis for the performance objectives in Part 61 and ensure that the compliance period is based on scientific data. Rather than using the same compliance period for disposal sites containing significant amounts of depleted uranium, GTCC, or transuranic waste, the staff should consider a site-specific, graded approach based on when the peak dose is projected to occur or establish a longer compliance period for disposal sites containing significant quantities of mobile, long-lived radionuclides.

If during its development of the new proposed rule the staff determines that provisions in the final rule provided to the Commission in SECY-16-0106 are protective of public health and safety, including for long-lived radionuclides, the staff should propose those provisions to the Commission.

cc: Chairman Hanson
Commissioner Baran
Commissioner Wright
OGC
CFO
OCA
OPA ODs, RAs, ACRS, ASLBP
PDR

• Red means please adhere to all social distancing and mask wearing protocols when we interact.
• Yellow means that you are mostly comfortable when we talk but please, no direct contact.
• Green means that you are comfortable with normal social interactions.

The Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission will hold its annual meeting by Teams conference call at

10:00 am – 11:00 am CDT

(or an earlier adjournment if the business is completed)

(Note: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT for Indiana and Ohio)

on Wednesday, June 16, 2021

The public is encouraged to attend the teleconference over a Teams link by sending an email by noon CDT June 15 to Jim Chiles, at jim.chiles@state.mn.us

Proposed agenda:

1. Call to order; roll call
2. Review of minutes of June 11, 2020, meeting
3. Chair’s report
4. Executive Director’s report
5. Review of financial report
6. Expenses projected for FY 2022

• Audit fees for FY 2021 and FY 2022
• Website and annual report fees
• LLW Forum membership

1. Adoption of FY 2022 budget
2. Other business
3. Adjournment

As a reminder, the Southeast Compact Commission for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management is accepting nominations for the 2021 Richard S. Hodes, M.D. Honor Lecture Award — a program that recognizes an individual, company, or organization that contributed in a significant way to improving the technology, policy, or practices of low-level radioactive waste management in the United States.  The award recipient will present the innovation being recognized at a lecture during the Waste Management ’21 Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona.  The award recipient will receive a $5,000 honorarium and all travel expenses will be paid.

The nomination packet is attached, for your information and convenience.  Nominations must be received by August 31, 2021. 

Background

Dr. Richard S. Hodes was a distinguished statesman and a lifetime scholar.  He was one of the negotiators of the Southeast Compact law, in itself an innovative approach to public policy in waste management.  He then served as the chair of the Southeast Compact Commission for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management from its inception in 1983 until his death in 2002.

Throughout his career, Dr. Hodes developed and supported innovation in medicine, law, public policy, and technology.  The Richard S. Hodes, M.D. Honor Lecture Award was established in 2003 to honor the memory of Dr. Hodes and his achievements in the field of low-level radioactive waste management.

Past Recipients

The following individuals and entities are past recipients of the Richard S. Hodes, M.D. Honor Lecture Award:

• W.H. “Bud” Arrowsmith (2004);
• Texas A & M University Student Chapter of Advocates for Responsible Disposal in Texas (2004 honorable mention);
• William Dornsife (2005);
• California Radioactive Materials Management Forum (2006);
• Larry McNamara (2007);
• Michael Ryan (2008);
• Susan Jablonski (2009);
• Larry Camper (2010);
• Christine Gelles (2011);
• Lawrence “Rick” Jacobi (2012);
• James Kennedy (2013);
• EnergySolutions, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Global Threat Reduction Initiative (2013 honorable mention);
• Electric Power Research Institute (2014);
• Division of Radiation Control of the Utah DEQ and EnergySolutions (2015);
• Louis Centofanti (2016);
• Scott Kirk (2017);
• National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Off-Site Source Recovery Program (OSRP) (2018);
• Clint Miller of Pacific Gas & Electric (2019); and
• Savannah River Remediation LLC (2020).

The Award

The Richard S. Hodes Honor Lecture Award — established in March, 2003 — is awarded to an individual, company, or organization that contributed in a significant way to improving the technology, policy, or practices of low-level radioactive waste management in the United States.

The award recipient will be recognized with a special plaque and an invitation to present a lecture about the innovation during the annual international Waste Management Symposium (WM ’21).  The 2021 symposium is sponsored by the University of Arizona and will be held in Phoenix, Arizona in the spring of 2021.

A special time is reserved during the Symposium for the lecture and the award presentation. The Southeast Compact Commission will provide the award recipient a $5,000 honorarium and will pay travel expenses and per diem (in accordance with Commission Travel Policies) for an individual to present the lecture.

Criteria

The Richard S. Hodes Honor Lecture Award recognizes innovation industry-wide.  The award is not limited to any specific endeavor — contributions may be from any type of work with radioactive materials (nuclear energy, biomedical, research, etc.), or in any facet of that work, such as planning, production, maintenance, administration, or research.  The types of innovations to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• conception and development of new approaches or practices in the prevention, management, and regulation of radioactive waste;
• new technologies or practices in the art and science of waste management; and,
• new educational approaches in the field of waste management.

The criteria for selection include:

1. Innovation.  Is the improvement unique? Is it a fresh approach to a standard problem? Is it a visionary approach to an anticipated problem?
2. Safety.  Does the practice enhance radiation protection?
3. Economics.  Does the approach produce significant cost savings to government, industry or the public?
4. Transferability.  Is this new practice applicable in other settings and can it be replicated?  Does it increase the body of technical knowledge across the industry?

Eligibility

To be eligible for the award, the individual/group must consent to being nominated and must be willing to prepare and present a lecture about the innovation being recognized at the Waste Management Symposium.  Individuals or organizations can nominate themselves or another individual, company, institution, or organization.

Nominations

To nominate yourself or another individual, company, or organization for this distinguished award, please contact:

Awards Committee
c/o Ted Buckner

Executive Director
Southeast Compact Commission
Post Office Box 5427
Cary, NC 27512
(919) 380-7780

(919) 380-7710 – FAX
tedb@secompact.org

or visit the Southeast Compact Commission’s website at http://www.secompact.org/.

Nominations must be received by August 31, 2021.

The Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission will hold its annual meeting by telephone conference call at

10:00 am – 11:00 am CDT

(or an earlier adjournment if the business is completed)

(Note: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT for Indiana and Ohio)

on Thursday, June 11, 2020

The public is encouraged to attend the teleconference.  Due to COVID-19 concerns, the meeting will be conducted entirely by teleconference.

Calling in: Toll-free dial-in number (888) 742-5095;

Conference code:  6805842054

Proposed agenda:

1. Call to order; roll call
2. Review of minutes of June 7, 2019, meeting
3. Review of financial report
4. Chair’s report
5. Election of officers
6. Executive Director’s report
7. Consultant expenses projected for FY 2021
   • Legal counsel fees
   • Audit proposal
   • Website and annual report fees
   • LLW Forum membership
8. Adoption of FY 2021 budget
9. Other business
10. Adjournment

For further information, contact Leonard Slosky, Executive Director of the Board, at Islosky@rmllwb.us or (303) 825-1912.
If you would rather receive an email notice of Board meetings, please contact Elaine MacDonald at board@rmllwb.us or (303) 825-1912.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/602916557
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3412
Access Code: 602-916-557
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/602916557