Atomic Energy Workers Council Lobbies Congress for Funding, Health and Safety Protections

Members of the Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC) lobbied more than a dozen members of Congress about proposed changes to worker health and safety regulations and federal funding shortages at the Council’s April gathering in Arlington, Va. 

Atomic workers from sites across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex specifically raised concerns about changes to 10 CFR 851, the regulations governing contractor health and safety protections, as well as changes to the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) radiation standard, and funding shortages proposed in President Trump’s budget request.

Council members also voiced their concerns directly to Dr. Michael Goff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, calling the DOE out for gutting worker health and safety regulations and questioning ever-shifting departmental priorities, including slashing funding at several nuclear sites and cutting various critical programs. 

“Lobbying our elected officials for the funding and protections that keep our DOE workers safe and healthy on the job is some of the most important work that we do as a council,” said Brandon Duncan, chair of the USW atomic sector. “We’re sharing our stories, voicing our concerns, and asking the tough questions – regardless of the political party in power. AEWC is the megaphone amplifying the voice of our union’s nuclear workers.”