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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Idaho Falls ranks first on list of Best-Performing Small Cities

Idaho Falls has topped this year’s list of Best-Performing Small Cities released by the Milken Institute Center for Regional Economics, which produces research, programs and events designed to inform and activate innovative economic and policy solutions to drive job creation and industry expansion.

The city moved up six spots to No. 1 based on the area’s job growth and high-tech industry presence, including Idaho National Laboratory and Battelle Energy Alliance.

“As we discovered through our rankings, cities perform best when they pursue innovative strategies that allow high-tech industries to grow while still providing affordable costs of living,” said Misael Galdamez, Milken’s senior policy analyst and a co-author of the report. “This alignment provides a foundation for metro areas to become more resilient to economic shocks.” 

"Being included in the Milken Institute’s Index among small cities comes as a high honor because these rankings are based on meaningful data,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “Idaho Falls has been focused on connectivity and housing—two of the Milken Institute’s new categories for consideration. The pandemic caused everyone to realize how important connectivity is for the future. People need not be tethered to desirable jobs in large cities as they once were; instead, they’re relocating to places like Idaho Falls that give them a better quality of life and a lower cost of living.”

The index measures economic vitality in 200 large metropolitan areas and 201 small metropolitan areas using job creation, wage growth, and innovation industry metrics. The 2021 version of the index emphasizes jobs, wages, and high-tech growth, housing affordability, and household broadband access.

To view the full report and search the 400 metro areas evaluated, visit https://milkeninstitute.org/reports/best-performing-cities-2021, and follow coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn using #BestPerformingCities.

2021 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index

LARGE US CITIES – TIER I

  1. Provo-Orem, Utah
  2. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida
  3. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
  4. Salt Lake City, Utah
  5. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
  6. Boise, Idaho
  7. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
  8. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee
  9. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
  10. Huntsville, Alabama
  11. Denver, Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado
  12. Fort Collins, Colorado
  13. Seattle, Bellevue-Kent, Washington

SMALL US CITIES – TIER I

  1. Idaho Falls, Idaho
  2. Logan, Utah-Idaho
  3. The Villages, Florida
  4. St. George, Utah
  5. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Alabama
  6. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
  7. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  8. Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida
  9. Gainesville, Georgia
  10. Charlottesville, Virginia
  11. Punta Gorda, Florida
  12. Bellingham, Washington
  13. Bend, Oregon


Saturday, February 13, 2021

American Airlines plans routes from IDA to Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix

American will be flying Bombardier CRJ-700s on the new routes.

Idaho Falls Regional Airport announced Friday that American Airlines plans to add two new, non-stop routes out of Idaho Falls this summer.

Daily nonstop flights from IDA to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) are set to start June 3. Tickets are now available for booking at aa.com or by contacting a local travel agent.

“American is excited to add daily, non-stop service between our hubs in Dallas-Ft. Worth and Phoenix to Idaho Falls regional airport,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning. “As customers once again embrace travel, the National Parks System is high on their list of destinations. Not only do these new flights open a gateway to the parks, but they also provide local residents with access to hundreds of one-stop connections across American’s network. And when customers take to the skies, our Clean Commitment ensures their well-being through every step of their travel journey.”

“There is so much good news contained in this announcement about American Airlines,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “For the traveler, it means getting to many more destinations more quickly. And for all of us it indicates that eastern Idaho as a region and Idaho Falls in particular are poised for some very promising growth in the coming months.”

Both of the new routes will be operated with Canadair Regional Jets, specifically the CRJ-700, known for its dual class offering and reliability. The year-round service enhances the ability of not only local travelers to utilize their local airport, but provides further gateways for those wishing to visit the Idaho Falls region.

“We are thrilled American Airlines has chosen to partner with IDA as they bring new, year-round service to the region,” said Rick Cloutier, Idaho Falls Regional Airport director. “It’s perfect timing as we open the second phase of our new terminal project. Along with American’s new flights, we will have new gates available in a more customer-focused environment.”

IDA is currently undergoing a $12 million expansion project which will add an additional 38,000 square feet to the passenger terminal including two new terminal gates - one on the second floor and one on the ground floor, a new jetway for the second floor gate and three covered ground-level boarding positions.  
The terminal will also undergo a complete remodel that will relocate the TSA screening and check-in area as well as add a new, dedicated TSA pre-check line. The front lobby and interior of the facility are similarly included in the remodel with a new service-animal and pet relief area incorporated.  

“American Airlines is a perfect addition as we grow and expand," Cloutier said. "We look forward to working with them and wish them great success in IDA.”

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Battelle Energy Alliance signs agreement with Brazilian nuclear agency

Idaho National Laboratory announced on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Battelle Energy Alliance and the Brazilian agency Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research, IPEN). Battelle Energy Alliance operates INL on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, while the IPEN acts on behalf of Brazil's Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (National Nuclear Energy Commission, CNEN). The MOU will enable further collaboration between INL and IPEN-CNEN to advance nuclear energy research and development in both countries.

Negotiations first began in 2019 at an International Atomic Energy Agency-sponsored conference near Chicago. Dr. Marianne Walck, deputy laboratory director of science and technology and chief research officer at INL, was then invited to present at several Brazilian conferences, a meeting which furthered interactions towards an agreement.

“We agreed that creating an MOU to further our collaborative relationship would be beneficial to both countries,” said Walck, who represented INL at a virtual signing ceremony in January. “It took some time to finalize the agreement, but happily, we have now done so.”

The MOU makes provisions to further academic coordination between the agencies by outlining policies for the exchange of researchers, graduate students and other members of technical-administrative staff. Contributing individuals will be able to participate in research activities, conferences, teaching and related professional activities for the benefit of both their home and host institution.

Also present for the signing were individuals from the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office, Office of International Affairs, and Office of Nuclear Energy representing the United States, while representatives from IPEN, CNEN and the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation attended from Brazil.

“Each entity has significant expertise to bring to bear the furtherance of nuclear energy and research,” Walck said. “We are looking forward to taking concrete steps to enhance our working relationships.”

Friday, February 5, 2021

Venture fund seeks investors interested in advanced nuclear, deep decarbonization

Seeing that Idaho Falls is a place where one finds an enthusiastic level of support for nuclear energy, I thought I might share this with people looking for a "hot" investment opportunity. Nucleation Capital is looking for people interested in supporting the next generation of nuclear technologies and advanced decarbonization.

The sentence that jumped out at me in this blog post from Atomic Insights, reprinted in its entirety below, was this: One of the key ways that our fund differs from most other venture funds, is that we will be able to accept investments from accredited individuals at a fairly low level of capital commitment (i.e. in the tens of thousands, rather than in hundreds of thousands or millions). I'm certain there are accredited investors in eastern Idaho with enough money to consider this something worth investigating.

Change is in the wind: Commencing a new phase as a Venture Capitalist


February 3, 2021 By Rod Adams

Atomic energy is a tool that is capable of helping address some of humanity’s most wicked challenges. Clean, abundant, reliable and affordable power makes everything we do a little easier and is becoming increasing urgent in the era of climate change.

Unfortunately, atomic energy is a long way from reaching its potential or even achieving the impact envisioned by its pioneers.

We’ve had numerous discussions here about reasons for the slow progress. (See, for example, here, here and here.) I have long believed that the next generation of nuclear reactor designs can address many of the existing concerns about nuclear energy. Therefore, some of the longstanding obstacles to greater deployment can be overcome through the successful commercialization of next-gen designs.  In particular, I have blogged about the need to increase investment in the development of this next generation of nuclear technologies.

In early 2018, I was contacted by a reader to discuss ways to increase funding to advanced nuclear in response to a request I posted for anyone thinking about this to be in touch. In the course of several long conversations, I  learned that this reader, Valerie Gardner, a former hightech entrepreneur who had co-founded an investment firm back in 2002, was interested in developing a fund to invest in advanced nuclear and asked for my help. In keeping with my career-long strategy of finding ways to help others work more successfully – often motivated by my own desire to stay abreast of the latest trends – I agreed to assist.

Fast forward through almost three years and numerous stages of development, I am pleased to announce that I am joining forces with Valerie Gardner to become a managing partner at Nucleation Capital. Nucleation Capital will be investing in innovative companies enabling what we call the “carbon-managed economy” of the 21st century, with primary focus on advanced nuclear energy, advanced smart grids and deep decarbonization ventures.

By blending my expertise with hers and that of a few other extremely capable people, we expect to identify, fund and help great teams overcome barriers that limit their ability to bring clean energy products and services to market, foremost of which is access to capital.

Throughout our development process, we were advised by attorneys not to talk publicly about the fact that we were developing a fund due to certain SEC restrictions. Over the last two quarters, however, we have made some changes which shift our operating paradigm and we now can discuss the fund publicly, which is a welcome change, especially for me.  I look forward to sharing more about this fund and why and how that change happened: hint, it has to do with new technology. For the moment, I am leaving that for another post and/or podcast.

My purpose today is to alert you that there are some changes in the works both for me and Atomic Insights. I have invited Valerie to also join me in publishing related blog posts here. She has a wealth of experience in technology development, startups, financial management, investment and environmentalism. Some of you might already know her; she has been actively participating in climate, energy and investment-related groups and discussions for years. We are also moving forward with a long-delayed upgrade to the Atomic Insights website, with the goals of improving your ability to find and stay on top the material that is of interest to you.

You can be assured that we will keep writing about nuclear energy but we will also be looking at the kinds of newly commercializing “climate services” that nuclear will be ideally suited to power, including desalination, hydrogen production, and various types of carbon capture, utilization and sequestion (CCUS) activity. Of course, I will also be writing more about Nucleation Capital, the process of venture investing, the ways that venture capital differs from other components of the capital stack that support the deployment of clean energy, and our experience working to fulfill our vision to help “nucleate the carbon-managed economy.”

For those impatient to learn more about Nucleation Capital, please visit the website. One of the key ways that our fund differs from most other venture funds, is that we will be able to accept investments from accredited individuals at a fairly low level of capital commitment (i.e. in the tens of thousands, rather than in hundreds of thousands or millions). If you want to learn more about the fund as a potential investor, please use the link at the bottom of the Fund page on the Nucleation website.

I will be busier now but I promise to keep sharing my new experiences and what I learn through this process to continue to build on the base of accumulated knowledge which has been shared widely by readers.  As usual, I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.



Idaho Falls to host discussions on growth, development

The City of Idaho Falls is inviting residents to join in a discussion on the future of growth through an innovative initiative entitled “Imagine IF.”

“Imagine IF” is a plan to move Idaho Falls forward through communitywide discussion about growth and change. As part of the initiative, residents will be asked to complete a short survey about their vision for the city. The survey will be available online at www.imagineif.city later this month.

Residents can also request a paper copy of the survey be mailed to them by calling 208-612-8799, or they can pick one up at the Idaho Falls Community Development Services Department, located in the Idaho Falls City Hall Annex at 680 Park Avenue in downtown Idaho Falls.

In addition to the survey, there will be neighborhood meetings all across the city in February and March. These will be hosted with limited in-person attendance and in accordance with the most current Covid-19 guidelines while being broadcast online through the Webex virtual meeting platform and on Facebook Live.

“For the first time ever, we will be adding neighborhood meetings into the process to give people an opportunity to talk about the part of town they have the most investment in," said Brad Cramer, director of Community Development Services for the city. "We see this all as a great opportunity to learn from each other and explore both big and small ideas to make improvements to our community now and into the future.”

A link or phone number to the meetings can be obtained by visiting www.imagineif.city or by emailing imagineif@idahofallsidaho.gov. Links to the meetings will also be advertised and available on the city’s Facebook page. Each meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and will run until 7:45 pm. A full list of dates and locations for the meetings will be announced within the next few weeks.

All of the feedback from the meetings and the data from the survey will be used to help complete a major update to the city’s comprehensive plan being conducted this year.

“Idaho Falls is growing at a rapid rate," Cramer said. "Growth can be exciting, but it can also bring concerns and be seen as a threat to the way of life we’ve come to enjoy. ’Imagine IF…’ is an opportunity to come together as a community to talk about those concerns as well as the excitement that comes with growth and change.”