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How US and Washington State Government ensure the safety of residents that live near the Helion Energy research and development sites? Washington State Department of Health (DOH)was granted authority to regulate the use of radioactive materials within its own state from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1966 as an`Agreement State'. In 2019 Congress passed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act(NEIMA)which requires the NRC to develop regulatory framework for Fusion power development. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/512/text Therefore,the NRC provides oversight to ensure Washington State Department of Health is holding Helion Energy to a safety standard at least as strict as the Federal requirements. Enforcement If a licensee fails to uphold the conditions of the license,Washington State DOH has the authority to increase oversight, cite a violation that could result in fines, suspend licensed activities or prosecution in a court of law with the possibility of jail time.WAC 246-220-060 https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/defauLt.aspx?cite=246-220-060 What we are actively doing The X-Ray Control Section is currently in communication with Helion on at least a monthly basis about its activities. During these discussions,future plans and current operations are discussed. The AIR Emissions Section is receiving quarterly air emission reports which is four times the federally prescribed frequency. The Materials Section is inspecting the facility locations for compliance. During these inspections, the department uses radiation detection instruments to verify the surveys Helion Energy generates. Fusion vs Fission It is important to differentiate nuclear fusion from nuclear fission. Fission is the process that breaks Large atoms into smaller ones, accompanied by a release of energy. If one had equal weights of fusion fuel(a deuterium-tritium gas blend)and fission fuel(uranium-235),they'd find that over four times more energy is released from the fusion fuel compared to the fission. Before jumping to conclusions about"runaway reactions",fusion requires an enormous amount of energy input. If this energy input is taken away,the reaction ceases instantly. So, if a hypothetical fusion power plant loses power,there's no risk of a meltdown/overload scenario. The Department of Energy has the following information to contrast the difference between fission and fusion power. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/fission-and-fusion-what-difference