Happy Spring! This year has already been off to a busy start! In February, I celebrated my one year anniversary at IDHS as the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. It has been a year of growth and learning, and it has not stopped there.
So far this year, I completed the Radiological Operations Support Specialist course with two of my teammates, Daisy Coffman and Kevin Stahl, as well as a Preventative Radiological Nuclear Detection course and the Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training. More trainings are in the works that are available to anyone interested! I flew to Bethesda, Md., for a conference highlighting small nuclear reactors and what these opportunities could mean for emerging nuclear power.
As a Radiation Section, we have committed to playing in the Cobalt Magnet 25 exercise with the Department of Energy, Michigan and Canada. In May, I will attend the CHDS Early Career in Monterey, Calif., with some of my counterparts from other agencies. Also in May, our biggest event of the year is taking place, the Indianapolis 500. This is the kick-off to summer. I want to remind you to enjoy each season as it comes!
As always, stay safe and enjoy your summer!
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Indiana REP Coordinator.
Leksi King
IDHS Radiation Attends NREP Conference
 In May 2024, the IDHS Radiation team went to Dallas for the NREP Conference. The conference focused on the future of nuclear energy and included presentations about artificial intelligence (AI), fission and fusion reactors, animal decontamination, agriculture and secure transportation for items such as spent nuclear fuel.
"All of these sessions will help us greatly going forward as Indiana looks to build new advanced reactors," said Radiation Program Director Courtney Eckstein. "We have not done a lot with animal decontamination in the past, and now this is something we are actively working with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health to develop plans for."
The IDHS Radioactive Transportation Program may grow in the coming months with new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shipments. IDHS is working with the DOE to bring more training to Indiana and develop better methods to alert county officials about shipments passing through their communities..
Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan Plans to Reopen With $1.5 Billion Loan
 The Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich., may become the first plant in the United States to restart after a permanent shutdown. The $1.5 billion would be backed by a loan guarantee program created under President Biden’s climate law to revitalize old energy plants.
The Palisades plant, which is along Lake Michigan and a two-hour drive from Chicago, opened in 1971. It was shut down in 2022. Since then, there has been a large push to reopen the plant, including letters from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Read more.
History and Overview of the REP Program
 FEMA’s REP Program was established because of the accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station on March 28, 1979. To learn more about how the REP Program began, The Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management offers free training covering this history. Click here to view the training. |
