When Nuclear Plants Close:  A Regional Forum on Nuclear Waste Storage and Decommissioning

Friday, June 9, 2017, Desmond-Fish Library, Garrison, NY

Watch the forum at lohud.com:
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4 

Agenda:

9:45 a.m.        Registration Check In

10:00 a.m.     Welcome:  Traci Bauer, LoHud Executive Editor;  

Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Action Director, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

10:05 a.m.   Nuclear Waste Management:  Moderator:  Gary Stern, LoHud; Panel:  Gordon Edwards and Bob Alvarez.

11:10 a.m.   Decommissioning:  Moderator: Gary Stern;  Panel: Tim Judson, Kevin Kamps, Paul Gunter, Geoff Fettus.                      

12:30 p.m.     Lunch

1:30 p.m.       Decommissioning Funding and Planning:   Moderator: Nancy Cutler, LoHud
Panel:  Tim Judson, Deb Katz, and Mike Dulong. 

  • Adequacy of Decommissioning Funding:  Can we prevent decommissioning from becoming a burden on taxpayers/ratepayers? What does decommissioning fund cover, when does it end? Jurisdictional issues in regulated vs. deregulated states.  Other sources of funding for communities. Tim Judson, NIRS
  • Sale to Decommissioning “Specialists”: Possible transfer of plant to entity that specializes in decommissioning, such as North Star; need to retain workers with technical knowledge and institutional memory.  Deb Katz, CAN
  • Leaks and groundwater contamination at Indian Point: Mike Dulong, Riverkeeper
  • Q & A

2:30 p.m.       Lessons Learned from Other States:  What worked and what didn’t.  Moderator:  Swapna Venugopal,
LoHud.         Panel: Deb Katz, Mayor Al Hill, Dave Kraft and Geoff Fettus

  • Case Studies from Zion in Illinois, Dave Kraft, NEIS and Mayor Al Hill; VT Yankee, Yankee Rowe, CT Yankee, Pilgrim, Palisades, Deb Katz. CAN
  • Importance of Community Advisory Boards: NRC allows for CABs – but does not require them.  Need for public participation, effective input and citizen oversight; independent inspections; and accountability at state and federal level.   Deb Katz and Dave Kraft
  • Just Transition: Diablo Canyon Case Study; Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report and Guidelines – best practices derived from nuclear facilities that have closed and been decommissioned.  Geoff Fettus , NRDC
  • Workforce Development, Retention, Training and Placement for workers whose jobs will be gradually downsized to be able to transition to other related industries. Dave Kraft , NEIS
  • Q & A

3:50 p.m.       What’s next?   Full Panel Discussion and Q & A:  Moderated by Manna Jo Greene.

4:30 p.m.       Adjourn

 Special thanks to the Jack and Belle Alpern Foundation for making this event possible.