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Transition & Resilience: The Bulletin

Issue #7 | June 2021

Welcome to news from the Nuclear Closure Communities Technical Assistance team, helping communities that host a nuclear power plant better prepare and plan for a post-nuclear future. Learn more and get in touch at smartgrowthamerica.org/nuclear

 

Watch the recordings of our 2 most recent webinars!

All webinar recordings from the Technical Assistance for Nuclear Communities program can be found on Smart Growth America's website. Go to page >

Getting Started with EDA Nuclear Funding

For communities and regions that host a nuclear power plant, economic diversification is a critical goal, one that can be supported by EDA funding. Cities or counties in a region that has been or could be impacted by a plant closure should consider projects to address these impacts and apply. These resources present an opportunity to diversify your community’s economy and reduce reliance on a single industry. View the recording to hear more on the basics of EDA’s Nuclear Communities funding, project ideas, support available to communities in considering their options and preparing an application.

 

Wealth Creation Strategies for Nuclear Communities

Whether closure is imminent or not anticipated for many years, it is never too early to start planning for the post-nuclear future of your community and a wealth creation strategy is a valuable approach to support economic diversification and resilience.

This webinar introduced the fundamentals of wealth creation, including its core principles, the multiple forms of community capital, and how to build value chains—with a real focus on tapping into existing assets and thinking regionally about economic development.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has published a final rule outlining changes to the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. The program provides loans and grants to microenterprise development organizations to help them establish revolving loan funds to support small rural businesses, as well as funding to support training and technical assistance to microenterprises. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Click here for more information.

  • Webinars from NADO RF’s series on CEDS, Recovery, and Resilience are now available for on-demand viewing. As part of its Stronger CEDS, Stronger Regions programming, the webinar series included sessions on best practices and insights from experts and practitioners on a host of topics aimed to support your efforts in building stronger, more resilient communities and regions. Click here to view the recordings.

  • There’s still time to apply for T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants! The company is giving away $25 million to small communities over the next five years through hundreds of smaller (~$50k) Hometown Grants for all types of catalytic projects. If you are a local leader of almost any kind (elected, civic, etc), you can nominate your town for a Hometown Grant here. The summer round is open April-June 2021; winning towns announced in July 2021. Fall applications will be accepted July-Sept; winning towns announced in October 2021.

  • Wanted: Local elected champions for Complete Streets: Applications are open for the second round of SGA’s Active People, Healthy Nation Champions Institute, an opportunity for local elected officials to gain the knowledge needed to effectively advocate for and support safer and more Complete Streets. This second cohort will receive comprehensive training to promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations. Learn more on SGA’s website and join us on June 30 at 4:00pm EDT for an informational webinar.

Reads and Resources

  • Best practices for establishment and operation of local community advisory boards associated with decommissioning activities at nuclear power plants: In July 2020, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission submitted a report to Congress recommending that community advisory boards be formed to foster communication between local communities and licensees of nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning. The recommendation identifies best practices for establishing local community advisory boards, also known as community engagement panels, following the shutdown of nuclear power reactors. Read the report here.

  • Initial report to the President on empowering workers through revitalizing energy communities: Earlier this year, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” establishing the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. As a first step, the Interagency Working Group prepared an initial report describing “mechanisms, consistent with applicable law, to prioritize grantmaking, federal loan programs, technical assistance, financing, procurement, or other existing programs to support and revitalize the economies of coal and power plant communities.” Read a summary of the key points here.

  • The economic impacts of nuclear power plant closures on rural communities (student thesis): If you’re up for an academic read, Christina Maher from Rochester Institute of Technology conducted an in-depth analysis of the economic impacts of nuclear power plant closures on rural communities last year. She concluded that “rural communities can survive the economic impacts of a nuclear power plant closure through the use of various public programs and policies as collaboration between energy companies and the government.” Explore the research here. 

  • EPA’s framework for creating a Smart Growth economic development strategy: The closure of a local power plant can shake the economic foundations of these communities, leaving people without jobs and cities without a healthy tax base. Instead of relying on the introduction of another large employer to make up for lost jobs, many cities and towns are shifting toward place-based approaches like Smart Growth. This smart growth economic development tool by the U.S. EPA is a step-by-step guide to building upon existing assets, taking incremental actions to strengthen communities, and building long-term value to attract a wide range of new investments. Check it out.

News

Check out The Nuclear Decommissioning Collaborative’s regularly updated news board to keep up to date with nuclear decommissioning initiatives across the country. 

 

Know someone who might like to join this email list? Signing up is easy.

To inquire about partnering with the team on behalf of your community, please fill out the contact form on SGA’s website.

This effort utilizes Federal funds under award ED20HDQ3030068 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the project team and do not necessarily reflect the views of EDA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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