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Energy and Environment Directorate

Bruce McDowell

Bruce McDowell

(509) 375-6668

Biography

For over 30 years, Mr. McDowell has managed complex and controversial environmental review and regulatory projects for the Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other Federal agencies. Currently, Mr. McDowell is the Advanced Reactor Program Manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Mr. McDowell was the PNNL lead in the national laboratory consortium that assisted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in developing their regulatory infrastructure for licensing new Small Modular Reactor designs, including the Design-Specific Review Standards and guidance for Environmental Review. Recently, Mr. McDowell has been the Team Lead for NRC’s environmental review of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s application for an Early Site Permit for two or more Small Modular Reactors at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, as well as the National Nuclear Security Administration’s environmental review of their program to disposition surplus weapons-grade plutonium.

From 1991 to 2008, Mr. McDowell held numerous positions at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Program Manager supporting NRC’s environmental reviews for operating reactor license renewal applications, Project Manager for the first Biosafety Level III Facility in the DOE complex, and Environmental Manger for the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility.

Research Interests

  • Global Dust Phenomenon and Climate Change Feedback Mechanisms
  • Advanced Reactor Designs and Applications

Education and Credentials

  • MS Atmospheric Science, University of California, Davis 2014
  • MS Resource Economics, University of California, Davis 1998
  • MBA, University of San Francisco 1985
  • BS Land Use Affairs, California State University Sacramento 1980

Awards and Recognitions

  • Directorate Award 2005: For achieving the first certification of a Biosafety Level III facility in the DOE complex.
  • Secretary’s Award of Achievement 2006: Presented to the National Security Administration’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Terascale Simulation Facility (TSF) Project. For demonstrating significant results in completing a project within cost and schedule.
  • Directorate Award, 2007: For successful startup of the LLNL Biosafety Level III Facility
  • 2011 Energy and Environment Directorate OTY Award: For contributions to the PNNL Nuclear Regulatory New Reactor Licensing Program project.
  • 2016 Outstanding Performance Award for leading the PNNL Biosafety Level III Environmental Assessment.
  • 2017 Outstanding Performance Award for leading PNNL Campus Future Development Environmental Assessment.

PNNL Publications

2022

  • Agrawal U., M.A. Elizondo, M. Ghosal, D. Bhatnagar, S.H. Davis, B.K. McDowell, and J.E. Cabe. 2022. "Coordinated Integration of Renewable Generation and Small Modular Reactors in Puerto Rico - an Initial Study." In IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM 2022), July 17-21, 2022, Denver, CO, 01-05. PNNL-SA-158098. doi:10.1109/PESGM48719.2022.9916966

2018

  • Wootan D.W., R.P. Omberg, A.M. Casella, N.L. LaHaye, B.K. McDowell, and W. Stokes. 2018. "Means of Meeting Chapter 15 Requirements for a Small Modular Reactor Cooled by Lead-Bismuth." In International Congress on Advances In Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018), APril 8-11, 2018, Charlotte, NC, 36-44. Downers Grove, Illinois:American Nuclear Society. PNNL-SA-131459.

Energy and Environment

Core Research Areas

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