SALT LAKE CITY – Brian Vance, manager of the EM Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office, connected with leaders of communities near the Hanford Site at a recent Energy Communities Alliance forum on hosting new nuclear development. The forum in Salt Lake City provided a venue for nuclear technology and project developers to meet with interested potential host communities, share lessons learned from communities and developers hosting nuclear power facilities or federal nuclear missions, and facilitate discussions to better understand the outlook for new nuclear development. Vance attended part of the forum to share lessons learned from the environmental management mission at the Hanford Site. He emphasized the importance of partnerships with local communities and businesses, state and national organizations, labor and tribal nations. He also recommended thinking on longer time horizons as the best approach to create successful outcomes. Local leaders shared the Tri-City communities' interest in being a home for additional nuclear energy research and development, manufacturing, demonstration and deployment. Pictured, from left, are Kennewick City Council Member Jim Millbauer; Hanford Communities Executive Director and Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) Vice President for Federal Programs David Reeploeg; Clean Energy Supplier Alliance Director Dave McCormack; Benton County Commissioner Jerome Delvin; United Association (UA) Local 598 Government Affairs Director AJ Fouts; Port of Benton Commission President Christy Rasmussen; TRIDEC President Karl Dye; Vance; X-energy Vice President, Commercial Operations and Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program Manager Darren Gale; Port of Benton Executive Director Diahann Howard; and Richland City Manager Jon Amundson.