Safe Power Vermont: A Look Into The Campaign To Retire The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.

This case study provides an in-depth look into the campaign to retire an aging nuclear power plant located in the southeast corner of Vermont. The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VY) began commercial operations in 1972 under a forty year operating license issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Opposition to the plant’s existence has been unwavering and has increased in intensity since the sale of the plant in 2002. The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation (VYNPC), a consortium of local and regional utilities, sold VY to an out-of-state corporation owner known as Entergy. The company was quick to apply for approvals from the state and federal governments, to increase the plant’s power production, to store spent nuclear fuel on-site and for a twenty year license extension. Advocates were unsuccessful at blocking the power up-rate and the construction of an on-site spent fuel storage facility, but were successful in blocking the plant’s license extension. Advocates new in order to be successful they must collaborate in an effort to pass legislation that would bring the power of deciding VY’s fate to Vermont’s General Assembly and ultimately the people. The decision was made to form a coalition… Safe Power Vermont. In 2006, the coalition and its supporters won the passage of ACT 160, which empowered the legislature to vote on VY’s continued operation based on issues related to reliability and economics. The coalition was successful again when in 2010 the Vermont Senate voted not to considered the plant for continued operation past March 2012. Currently, the legality of the legislation is under scrutiny in a federal district court in a case brought by Entergy. The case study narrative follows the arch of VY’s operational life and history while tracking the evolution of the campaign by highlighting key moments that facilitated outcomes. J. Unsicker’s “Advocacy Circles” Map is used as a method of organizing information and as a lens to analyze the data. This is done in an effort to assist other advocates in succeeding in similar movements across the United States. The research and prospective given here, has been acquired from personal experience collaborating directly with local and regional advocacy groups involved in the campaign, as well as independent research

The New Redeemers

This Article is about the long arc of a Second Redemption. Anew life to the politics of racial grievance surfaced in the wakeof a diversifying polity, a decline of rural power, and a Blackman’s rise to the American presidency. And that reinvigoratedforce was the linchpin of Donald Trump’s ascendency to power.Trump was a part of a broader conservative governingcoalition, which held its center of gravity in rural, whiteAmerica. Leading members of that coalition feverishly erodeddemocratic norms to entrench minoritarian power. Theyjustified their pernicious work by claiming to be the true heirsto the American project and constructed a vision of citizenshipclosely tethered to whiteness. To claim their inheritance,conservative coalition leaders availed themselves of everyopportunity to delegitimize Black engagement in participatorydemocracy—from voting rights to self-governance to publicdemonstrations. This campaign was singularly focused onstanding athwart the United States’ coming of age as a trulymultiracial democracy.This virulent strain of antidemocratic ideology fomented aviolent attempted coup on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol,where members of Congress objected to the bona fide stateresults from the 2020 presidential election. The objectorsproffered that their refusal to acknowledge President-ElectJoseph Biden’s victory—which was made possible by amultiracial coalition of voters—was borne out of aconstitutional duty. Their resistance to multiracial democracyhad dire consequences, encouraging a crowd of insurrectioniststo storm the U.S. Capitol with the goal of blocking the ElectoralCollege’s certification. The patina of constitutional fidelity woreoff, and the basest politics of racial grievance—a Redemption redux—was all that remained. The New Redeemers’ ideologywas laid bare for all to see now.The “New Redeemers” is a fitting namesake considering thatthe common denominator between their worldview and theRedeemers of old is that white political power is a good untoitself. It is a mistake to view the Capitol insurrection or therepudiation of the 2020 presidential election results as isolatedaffairs. Instead, they were outgrowths of a sustained effort thatlong predated November 2020. This Article examines the marchtoward upending democracy and argues that the insurrectionon January 6 was the encapsulation of a lengthy crusadeagainst multiracial democracy

The North American Transportation Security Center – Fedtrak Specifications and Release Plan

Executive Summary In April 2008, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed work on the TSA Hazmat Truck Security Pilot (HTSP). This congressionally mandated pilot program was undertaken to prove that a hazmat truck tracking center was feasible from a technology and systems perspective. The HTSP project team built a technology prototype of a hazmat truck tracking system to show that “smart truck” technology could be crafted into an effective and efficient system for tracking hazmat shipments. The HTSP project team also built the Universal Communications Interface – the XML gateway for hazmat carriers to use to provide data to a centralized truck tracking center. In August 2007, Congress enacted the 9/11 Act (PL110-53) that directs TSA to develop a program - consistent with the Hazmat Truck Security Pilot - to facilitate the tracking of motor carrier shipments of security-sensitive materials. In June 2008, TSA took a major step forward in establishing a national hazmat security program by issuing guidance for shipments of Tier 1 Highway Security Sensitive Materials (HSSMs), the riskiest shipments from a security perspective. TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance includes Security Action Items which specify security measures – including vehicle tracking – that TSA believes are prudent security measures for shippers and carriers to follow. Compliance with TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance is voluntary but TSA is expected to issue regulations based on the Tier 1 HSSM Security Action Items that will make compliance mandatory. Establishment of a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking center is critical to implementation of a Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program based on the Security Action items by TSA. The HTSP technology prototype was an excellent first step toward an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. However, it falls far short of what TSA needs in an operational system. In an earlier deliverable, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) at the University of Kentucky examined the “gaps” between the HTSP technology prototype and an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. TSA needs a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system to support its regulatory ambitions, and FedTrak is being built to specifically serve as the implementing tool for TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program. Deliverables 1.1 and 1.2 laid the foundation for development of the Specifications and Release plan for FedTrak, a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) held joint application design (JAD) sessions in Northern Virginia (June 3-5), in Lexington, KY (June 23-26) and again in Northern Virginia (July 15-16) to support development of the plan. A representative from NIHS attended the meeting in Lexington. This deliverable summarizes those meetings and the development approach the KTC project team will follow in building the FedTrak system. Specifically, this deliverable: summarizes specifications arising from project team JAD sessions (Section 1.2 and Appendix A); describes how “gaps” identified in Deliverable 1.2 will be filled (Section 1.1); and describes the FedTrak project team’s architectural design and development approach (Sections 2, 3 and 4 ). Release plans for the FedTrak shipper/carrier portals, the FedTrak electronic manifest application, and the FedTrak electronic route application are presented under separate cover

The North American Transportation Security Center – SERRI Analysis Update

Executive Summary There are over 800,000 hazardous materials (hazmat) shipments over the nation’s roads each day. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terrorist activity related to the transportation of hazardous materials represents a significant threat to public safety and the nation’s critical infrastructure. Specifically, the federal government has identified the government’s inability to track hazmat shipments on a real-time basis as a significant security vulnerability. In 2004, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) completed a study to determine if “smart truck” technology such as GPS tracking, wireless modems, panic buttons, and on-board computers could be used to enhance hazmat shipment security. The FMCSA study concluded that “smart truck” technology will be highly effective in protecting hazmat shipments from terrorists. The FMCSA study also concluded that “smart truck” technology deployment will produce a huge security benefit and an overwhelmingly positive return on investment for hazmat carriers. The FMCSA study led to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Hazmat Truck Security Pilot (HTSP). This congressionally mandated pilot program was undertaken to demonstrate if a hazmat truck tracking center was feasible from a technology and systems perspective. The HTSP project team built a technology prototype of a hazmat truck tracking system to show that “smart truck” technology could be crafted into an effective and efficient system for tracking hazmat shipments. The HTSP project team also built the Universal Communications Interface – the XML gateway for hazmat carriers to use to provide data to a centralized truck tracking center. In August 2007, Congress enacted the 9/11 Act (PL110-53) that directs TSA to develop a program - consistent with the Hazmat Truck Security Pilot - to facilitate the tracking of motor carrier shipments of security-sensitive materials. In June 2008, TSA took a major step forward in establishing a national hazmat security program by issuing guidance for shipments of Tier 1 Highway Security Sensitive Materials (HSSMs), the riskiest shipments from a security perspective. TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance includes Security Action Items which specify security measures – including vehicle tracking – that TSA believes are prudent security measures for shippers and carriers to follow. Compliance with TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance is voluntary but TSA is expected to issue regulations based on the Tier 1 HSSM Security Action Items that will make compliance mandatory. Establishment of a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking center is critical to implementation of a Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program based on the Security Action items by TSA. The HTSP technology prototype was an excellent first step toward an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system, however, it falls far short of what TSA needs in an operational system. The Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky completed a study December 2008 that examined market drivers that would influence the design and operation of a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. The study was funded by the South East Region Research Initiative (SERRI). The objective of this deliverable is to update the SERRI report with a specific focus on two item: new or enhanced fleet tracking vendor product and service offerings; and programmatic conditions that have changed since December 200

The North American Transportation Security Center – Technology Prototype Gap Analysis

Executive Summary There are over 800,000 hazardous materials (hazmat) shipments over the nation’s roads each day. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terrorist activity related to the transportation of hazardous materials represents a significant threat to public safety and the nation’s critical infrastructure. Specifically, the federal government has identified the government’s inability to track hazmat shipments on a real-time basis as a significant security vulnerability. In 2004, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) completed a study to determine if “smart truck” technology such as GPS tracking, wireless modems, panic buttons, and onboard computers could be used to enhance hazmat shipment security. The FMCSA study concluded that “smart truck” technology will be highly effective in protecting hazmat shipments from terrorists. The FMCSA study also concluded that “smart truck” technology deployment will produce a huge security benefit and an overwhelmingly positive return on investment for hazmat carriers. The FMCSA study led to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Hazmat Truck Security Pilot (HTSP). This congressionally mandated pilot program was undertaken to demonstrate if a hazmat truck tracking center was feasible from a technology and systems perspective. The HTSP project team built a technology prototype of a hazmat truck tracking system to show that “smart truck” technology could be crafted into an effective and efficient system for tracking hazmat shipments. The HTSP project team also built the Universal Communications Interface – the XML gateway for hazmat carriers to use to provide data to a centralized truck tracking center. In August 2007, Congress enacted the 9/11 Act (PL110-53) that directs TSA to develop a program - consistent with the Hazmat Truck Security Pilot - to facilitate the tracking of motor carrier shipments of security-sensitive materials. In June 2008, TSA took a major step forward in establishing a national hazmat security program by issuing guidance for shipments of Tier 1 Highway Security Sensitive Materials (HSSMs), the riskiest shipments from a security perspective. TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance includes Security Action Items which specify security measures – including vehicle tracking – that TSA believes are prudent security measures for shippers and carriers to follow. Compliance with TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance is voluntary but TSA is expected to issue regulations based on the Tier 1 HSSM Security Action Items that will make compliance mandatory. Establishment of a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking center is critical to implementation of a Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program based on the Security Action items by TSA. The HTSP technology prototype was an excellent first step toward an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system, however, it falls far short of what TSA needs in an operational system. This deliverable examines the “gaps” between the HTSP technology prototype and an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. It draws upon the work of an Independent Verification and Validation contractor that evaluated the HTSP technology prototype. It also examines TSA needs related to implementation of a regulatory program based on Tier 1 HSSM Security Action Items

Оптимизированный процесс обмена данными в период между проектированием и производством

Growing vehicle variant diversity, legal requirements to reduce fleet CO2 emissions and innovations in the area of drive train technologies, coupled with the increasing pressure to cut costs, pose new challenges for parties in the automotive sector. An implementation of optimized development and production processes supports the effective handling of these challenges. One important aspect includes engineering efficiency improvement by optimizing the entire automotive bodywork development process and the involved data management. Research activities focus on the data exchange processes between design, simulation and production engineering within various CAx environments. This concerns constantly changing boundary conditions and requirements in the area of automotive body development, including but not limited to the introduction of new materials and material combinations and new types of joining technologies. From the viewpoint of an automotive engineering supplier, additional challenges caused by different customer-related development environments have to be considered. To overcome these challenges, various data exchange strategies between OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer), automotive suppliers and the use of different data management tools need to be investigated. In this context, the paper presents an approach of an optimized data exchange process of CAD-based data between different CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) environments that supports the entire body development, including data provision for manufacturing engineering. In addition, an optimization of data exchange processes saves development costs and improves the product quality.Растущее разнообразие вариантов транспортных средств, законодательные требования по сокращению выбросов CO2 ими, инновации в области технологий трансмиссии в сочетании с усиливающимся давлением, направленным на сокращение расходов, ставят новые задачи перед участниками автомобильного сектора. Внедрение оптимизированных процессов разработки и производства поддерживает эффективное решение этих проблем. Одним из важных аспектов является повышение эффективности инженерных решений за счет оптимизации всего процесса разработки кузова и управления данными. Исследовательская деятельность сосредоточена на процессах обмена данными на этапах проектирования, моделирования и производства в различных средах САх. Это касается постоянно меняющихся граничных условий и требований к разработке кузовов автомобилей, включая, помимо прочего, внедрение новых материалов и их комбинаций, а также новых технологий сборки. С точки зрения поставщика автомобильной техники, необходимо учитывать дополнительные факторы, вызванные различными средами проведения разработки, которые обусловлены потребностями пользователя. Чтобы решить эти проблемы, нужно изучить стратегии обмена данными между ОЕМ-производителями (ОЕМ – производитель оригинального оборудования) и поставщиками автомобилей с использованием различных инструментов. В статье представлен оптимизированный процесс обмена данными на основе САD (компьютерное проектирование) между различными средами CAD и CAM (компьютерное производство), который поддерживает разработку всего кузова, включая предоставление необходимых показателей для производственного цикла. Кроме того, оптимизация процессов обмена данными позволяет уменьшить затраты на разработку и улучшить качество продукции