The Department of Energy is looking for someone to directly oversee the agency’s efforts to find a willing host for a federal interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, according to a press release this week.
DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy is seeking “highly qualified candidates” to become director of the agency’s Office of Integrated Waste Management (IWM), according to the Tuesday press release. In that role, the successful candidate will oversee “activities leading to the development of an integrated waste management system that includes transportation, storage, and disposal” for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste, DOE said.
Among their responsibilities, the new IWM director would be responsible for managing DOE’s consent-based siting team, which is in the process undertaking the agency’s latest attempt at siting a federally-run interim storage facility.
Applications for the position, which is part of an interdisciplinary direct-hire posting for engineers and scientists, are open until Feb. 17, DOE said.
The new IWM director would replace Kim Petry, who is currently serving in the role in an acting capacity. Petry is also acting deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition — a post until recently held by Sam Brinton until they were fired from DOE in December. The agency is also actively hiring for that position.
A spokesperson for DOE told RadWaste Monitor via email Wednesday morning that Petry “is still the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition.”
As part of its consent-based siting push, the agency is currently reviewing bids on a roughly $26 million funding opportunity announcement aimed at bringing together stakeholders to hammer out a strategy for locating a federal interim storage site. DOE has said that it could start giving out awards under that program by summer.
