Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Tim Walsh recently joined more than 600 leaders at the third annual South Carolina Nuclear Summit to discuss how U.S. Department of Energy land is becoming a springboard for America's nuclear renaissance.
Office of Environmental Management
October 13, 2026
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Photos courtesy of the Palmetto Nuclear Coalition
EM leader joined federal, state and industry leaders at South Carolina Nuclear Summit to discuss new nuclear and super intelligence missions on DOE land
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) Tim Walsh recently joined more than 600 leaders at the third annual South Carolina Nuclear Summit to discuss how U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) land is becoming a springboard for America's nuclear renaissance.
Walsh delivered remarks following Gov. Henry McMaster, then joined a panel focused on how federal land is becoming the platform for advanced nuclear and super intelligence infrastructure.
Walsh said EM's 15 remaining legacy sites helped the nation win World War II and the Cold War and are being revitalized to help America lead the world in energy production, advanced manufacturing and super intelligence (SI).
"The faster we can get things cleaned up, the faster we can turn that land over to more productive use," said Walsh.
Moderated by Robbie Bennett, president and CEO of the SRS Community Reuse Organization, the panel included leaders from the companies Amentum, DC BLOX, Antares Nuclear, Oklo Inc. and Newcleo.
The Savannah River Site (SRS), about an hour from the summit venue, offers a model for the transition to advanced nuclear and SI. Walsh highlighted H Canyon, the nation's only production-scale chemical separations facility, which EM is using to turn used nuclear fuel once slated for disposal into high-assay low-enriched uranium. He also pointed to the decision to restart HB-Line, which EM expects to accelerate its plutonium disposition mission by 10 to 13 years and save taxpayers up to $350 million.
Walsh also called for rebuilding the workforce needed to construct nuclear plants at scale and praised South Carolina, including the University of South Carolina, for taking a leadership role.
Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons and Julie Kozeracki of DOE's Office of Energy Dominance Financing also spoke at the summit.
"There is no better place in my mind to bring it all together than right here in South Carolina to ensure our nuclear renaissance actually happens," Walsh said. "My motto is GSD — get stuff done — and we're going to get started here in South Carolina."
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