Level: Intermediate
TCM Section(s)
7.1. Project Scope and Execution Strategy Development
Venue: 2024 AACE International Conference & Expo
Abstract: The NNSA mission, which is to maintain the nation’s nuclear stockpile, prevent nuclear weapon proliferation and reduce the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism worldwide, impacts the lives of Americans directly and indirectly. Sometimes this can have devastating consequences to local communities, such as the legacy of contamination at the Hanford site in Washington state. On the other hand, NNSA’s unique science and production facilities provide world-class opportunities for educational and career development in historically marginalized communities, including rural communities, people of color, and other minoritized populations. An equity and environmental justice-informed approach to planning within the NNSA can minimize the incidence of negative environmental and health outcomes, maximize the number of opportunities available to historically marginalized groups, and contribute to greater trust of the NNSA mission within minoritized communities.
Several recent executive orders have directed federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice and reduce systemic barriers negatively affecting minority and underserved groups. As an organization specializing in decision support for early-stage planning, the Office of Programming, Analysis, and Evaluation has developed a framework for incorporating equity and environmental justice in analyses of alternatives and early-stage planning studies. This framework will be used to inform decision-makers about potential project impacts from an equity and environmental justice-focused perspective.
TCM Section(s)
7.1. Project Scope and Execution Strategy Development
Venue: 2024 AACE International Conference & Expo
Abstract: The NNSA mission, which is to maintain the nation’s nuclear stockpile, prevent nuclear weapon proliferation and reduce the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism worldwide, impacts the lives of Americans directly and indirectly. Sometimes this can have devastating consequences to local communities, such as the legacy of contamination at the Hanford site in Washington state. On the other hand, NNSA’s unique science and production facilities provide world-class opportunities for educational and career development in historically marginalized communities, including rural communities, people of color, and other minoritized populations. An equity and environmental justice-informed approach to planning within the NNSA can minimize the incidence of negative environmental and health outcomes, maximize the number of opportunities available to historically marginalized groups, and contribute to greater trust of the NNSA mission within minoritized communities.
Several recent executive orders have directed federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice and reduce systemic barriers negatively affecting minority and underserved groups. As an organization specializing in decision support for early-stage planning, the Office of Programming, Analysis, and Evaluation has developed a framework for incorporating equity and environmental justice in analyses of alternatives and early-stage planning studies. This framework will be used to inform decision-makers about potential project impacts from an equity and environmental justice-focused perspective.