The Department of Energy Releases Funding Opportunity Announcement
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $16 million in funding to provide resources to communities interested in learning more about consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel, and interim storage facility siting considerations.
The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support a group of awardees who will represent consent-based siting consortia. With a special emphasis on environmental justice, the awardees will act as information, engagement, and resource hubs to advance mutual learning within a community and foster open discussions.
DOE plans to fund six to eight awardees over a period of 18 to 24 months. Tasks supported by the funding are divided into the three following areas:
- Organize, lead, and maintain meaningful, inclusive community engagement processes related to the management of spent nuclear fuel.
- Elicit and map public values, interests, concerns, and goals to promote and enable effective collaboration and community-driven insights and feedback toward the refinement of a consent-based siting process aimed at siting a potential federal consolidated interim storage facility.
- Develop, implement, and report outcomes and strategies that support mutual learning among stakeholders, communities, and experts on spent nuclear fuel-related topics.
Efforts under this funding opportunity support engagement, dialogue, and building understanding between interested stakeholders, communities, and DOE about the consent-based siting process. In later stages, DOE will engage with communities interested in volunteering to host a facility.
Who is invited to apply?
All U.S. entities are eligible for award except for federally funded research and development centers. Eligible awardees could include institutions of higher education; Tribal, State, and local governments (municipalities, towns, cities, and counties); community foundations; non-governmental organizations; and more.
When is the application due?
All application submissions must conform to requirements outlined in the funding opportunity announcement. Applications are due on or before the application due date of December 19, 2022.
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