CARLSBAD, NM, December 20, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) has awarded grants to five local community entities – the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC); Butte County, Idaho; the Carlsbad Department of Development (CDOD); the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) – to develop avenues for inclusive public engagement, education, and discussions of consent-based siting approaches.

Each grant recipient will receive funding of $75,000 for a period of performance of up to twelve (12) months. See more on the winning proposals below:

• Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC)
AGNC will begin their second phase of community outreach efforts to assist the transition away from coal towards clean and sustainable energy. AGNC will create a network of stakeholders from across the Rocky Mountain region that will help develop education, knowledge exchange and mutual learning; utilizing surveys, focus groups, and interviews to engage community members in discussions about the potential siting of an interim storage facility.

• Butte County, Idaho
Working closely with countries who have been successful in gaining public support, Butte County will create an education and outreach program using social media, community workshops, surveys, briefings, and informational materials, to foster an inclusive community and regional dialogue around nuclear waste management.

• Carlsbad Department of Development (CDOD)
The CDOD will convene community members, key stakeholders, and experts in a dialogue around consent-based siting. The CDOD will produce reports, and develop educational materials related to consent-based siting approaches, assessing local/regional concerns, and addressing how they can be mitigated

• City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
The City of Oak Ridge will focus on assessing local capacity for public safety and emergency response in the context of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's requirements for licensing an ISFSI. This project will access the needs and requirements potential host communities need to be successful in potentially hosting an ISFSI.

• Shaping our Appalachian Region (SOAR)
As part of efforts to support Eastern Kentucky communities in addressing the natural decline of the coal industry, SOAR will engage key community leaders to facilitate open dialogues about identifying and advancing opportunities to fill this gap. SOAR aims to foster collaboration with leaders at all levels of government in the region to create a unified state-level presentation focused on generating jobs and driving economic impact through sustainable energy opportunities.

These awards support the two goals laid out by the ECA Consortia:

1. To build capacity in communities interested in consent-based siting and ensure they have the education, information – and informed representatives - to meaningfully engage on the issues a community will address as a potential host of a nuclear waste facility.

2. To facilitate deeper engagement and (re)create momentum by distributing resources for qualifying individual communities that demonstrate readiness to begin localized education and outreach to determine the potential for consent or to capture information that can help define the elements of consent.

ECA will continue to host broader public and regional events educate communities, industry, policymakers and concerned parties.

The Carlsbad Department of Development (CDOD) is the economic development agency for the City of Carlsbad and Eddy County, New Mexico. CDOD provides confidential assistance to businesses considering the area for expansion and new investment, as well as providing retention and expansion assistance to existing industry. For more information, visit DEVELOPCARLSBAD.ORG

For additional information regarding this release
Carlsbad Department of Development / News Division
Office: 575-887-6562
Email: jeff.campbell@developcarlsbad.org
Web: www.DevelopCarlsbad.org

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