Lab offers balance between Idaho environment, economy

It’s been little more than a year since I became director of Idaho National Laboratory. What an exciting and enlightening 12 months it has been. My family moved out from Chicago. We’re building a house in Idaho Falls. We feel very much at home and for that I am grateful, not just to my friends and neighbors in southeast Idaho, but also the many wonderful people I have met across the state.

Looking back on my short time at INL, I am so proud of all we accomplished:

• President Obama tasked INL with leading his Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) Initiative, to help sustain the existing fleet of nuclear reactors and develop the next.

• INL continued to provide support to NuScale Power as it works to develop the world’s first operational small modular reactor.

• INL was selected by the Department of Energy to lead four projects as part of a $220 million grid modernization effort.

• INL continued to establish itself as a global leader on critical infrastructure protection from natural and man-made threats.

• INL partnered with government agencies and industry to determine national and international standards for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

INL is a large enterprise with lofty goals fitting for a national laboratory. And while I’m justifiably proud of all that was accomplished, I look forward to the laboratory doing even more to help resolve the nation’s big energy and security challenges.

And I anticipate even greater collaboration with folks living and doing business in Idaho’s Panhandle.

Gov. Butch Otter’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission (LINE) will meet today in Coeur d’Alene. Discussions will include cutting-edge nuclear reactor technology, INL’s partnership with the University of Idaho, and the need to construct new facilities to support the Lab’s homeland and national security missions.

Like everyone, INL has challenges to overcome. Nuclear energy provides 63 percent of the nation’s carbon-free electricity and remains our most effective tool in ensuring energy security and combating climate change. Those who understand nuclear energy’s many advantages must get better at talking about them, and how, along with solar, wind and increased energy storage capacity, nuclear energy can help meet a growing worldwide demand for energy in a clean, safe and secure way.

The foundation for this must be scientific accomplishment. That’s our bread and butter.

The fact, however, is the nation’s lead nuclear research laboratory needs certain tools to do its job. INL has been unable to import two 100-pound shipments of used nuclear fuel from two commercial nuclear reactors to complete its important mission.

The first shipment has been lost to another national laboratory. The second shipment remains in limbo, but the clock is ticking. In order for us to conduct research vital to the nation, we need the Attorney General’s office and Department of Energy to find common ground.

And let’s be clear. Continuing to block these small shipments only hurts a national laboratory that so many of our state and federal leaders have worked to build.

We must find a path forward that enforces our Settlement Agreement and continues the remarkable cleanup progress already made without constantly tying the laboratory’s hands. We can do this. We can protect our environment and bolster our economy while enabling the research necessary to fulfill INL’s mission for the nation.

But we can’t do it without you. INL is Idaho’s laboratory. Check us out at inl.gov. And if you get a chance, tour our 890-square-mile site. Our door is always open. We would love to share with you where and how this important work gets done.

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Mark Peters is director of Idaho National Laboratory.