Budget & Policy

President Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week he wants to get nuclear power plant approval time down to three weeks. When contacted by Exchange Monitor Thursday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said in a statement it is trying to shorten its license review periods.  “NRC is currently engaged […]

Congress stands ready to work with the Donald Trump administration on a long-term nuclear waste management program, Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and August Pfluger (R-Texas) said in a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The Jan. 12 letter was sent to Wright as the Department of Energy should be nearing completion of a nuclear waste […]

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly considering offering economic incentives for states to consider taking on nuclear waste, according to a Wednesday article from Politico. The Trump administration intends to introduce a program soon addressing  nuclear waste, Politico reported. Governors would receive incentives in exchange for hosting spent nuclear fuel. The federal government is expected […]

Despite its dwindling number of board members, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) kept busy as a safety watchdog for the Department of Energy during fiscal 2025, according to a recent report. Set up 35 years ago by Congress as a five-member panel, DNFSB is down to a single member, Patricia Lee. Nevertheless, work […]

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) has issued an executive order to establish a state nuclear energy task force to explore adding new reactors to the state’s current electricity portfolio. The Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force will help provide recommendations to Missouri’s State Energy Office’s Department of Natural Resources’s new energy plan, which will be […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it is continuing to review its radiation standards as directed by the White House.  In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply […]

In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, he has pushed heavily for nuclear power to play a larger role in the United States’s energy portfolio. Trump’s second term started Jan. 20, 2025 and hit the one-year mark on Tuesday. The Department of Energy released a roundup Tuesday highlighting Trump administration actions in […]

The House on Thursday evening voted 341-88 to pass the final $839 billion fiscal year 2026 Defense Appropriations Bill. The measure was part of a three-bill “minibus” spending package, which also included the  Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Transportation appropriations bills. It now heads to the Senate. The upper […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it is continuing to review its radiation standards as directed by the White House.  In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply […]

Despite its dwindling number of board members, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) kept busy as a safety watchdog for the Department of Energy during fiscal 2025, according to a recent report. Set up 35 years ago by Congress as a five-member panel, DNFSB is down to a single member, Patricia Lee. Nevertheless, work continues […]

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly considering offering economic incentives for states to consider taking on nuclear waste, according to a Wednesday article from Politico. The Trump administration intends to introduce a program sometime this week addressing  nuclear waste, Politico reported. Governors would be invited to compete for economic development in exchange for hosting spent […]

Congressional appropriators Tuesday unveiled the final $839 billion fiscal 2026 defense spending bill, including an $8.4 billion topline boost covering some priorities sought by the Donald Trump administration outside of its Pentagon budget request.  The bill includes $27.2 billion to build 17 ships, including one Columbia-class submarine and two Virginia-class submarines. For aircraft, the bill […]

Despite its dwindling number of board members, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) kept busy as a safety watchdog for the Department of Energy during fiscal 2025, according to a recent report. Set up 35 years ago by Congress as a five-member panel, DNFSB is down to a single member, Patricia Lee. Nevertheless, work […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply to Exchange Monitor, a DOE spokesperson denied an earlier report by Politico’s E&E News that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was ending […]

Brandon Williams, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), will give the keynote speech at an event hosted by the House Nuclear Security Working Group, Bechtel and the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center on the Capitol Wednesday. The Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group is chaired by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), whose district abuts […]

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) has issued an executive order to establish a state nuclear energy task force to explore adding new reactors to the state’s current electricity portfolio. The Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force will assist in providing recommendations to Missouri’s State Energy Office’s Department of Natural Resources’s new energy plan, which will […]

The Senate Thursday passed a minibus bill 82-15 that includes appropriations for Energy and Water development, that provides funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy. The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement of support for the minibus, indicating President Donald Trump will sign the bill when it reaches his […]

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, told the Exchange Monitor last week the most recent bipartisan spending minibus shows lawmakers “making progress” with more work still to do. On Jan. 8, a three-bill minibus appropriations package that included fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including […]

A bipartisan panel of radioactive waste experts issued a study Thursday urging formation of a corporation of nuclear reactor owners to manage disposal of spent nuclear fuel from power plants and high-level waste from weapons production. The NuCorp, or Nuclear Corporation, would be required by federal legislation and set up by reactor owners, according to […]

The annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit will feature speeches from big players in the nuclear weapons complex such as National Nuclear Security Administration head Brandon Williams, newly sworn in U.S. Strategic Command commander Adm. Richard Correll, and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) whose state houses silos for the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missiles. The agenda will also feature […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Coming off the tailwinds of a year filled with nuclear project announcements, regulatory changes will be vital in 2026, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said at a Thursday forum. The restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan, fuel supply chain needs and the continuation of nuclear […]

The Senate Thursday passed a minibus bill 82-15 that includes appropriations for Energy and Water development, which would provide more than $8.4 billion to the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and $25.4 billion in funds to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The measure includes $3.2 billion for ongoing remediation of DOE’s Hanford […]

The Senate Thursday passed a minibus bill 82-15 that includes appropriations for Energy and Water development, which would provide $25.4 billion in funds to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement of support for the minibus, indicating President Donald Trump will sign the bill when it reaches […]

A bipartisan panel of radioactive waste experts issued a study Thursday urging formation of a corporation of nuclear reactor owners to manage disposal of spent nuclear fuel from power plants and high-level waste from weapons production. The NuCorp, or Nuclear Corporation, would be required by federal legislation and set up by reactor owners, according to […]

A bipartisan panel of radioactive waste experts are releasing a study today calling for an independent nuclear reactor owner-led corporation to be formed to oversee disposal of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear plants and high-level radioactive waste from  weapons production. The NuCorp, or Nuclear Corporation, would be required by federal legislation and established by reactor […]

The full Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday evening on the motion to invoke cloture, or end debate, on a fiscal 2026 appropriations minibus for the Department of Energy for various other agencies. The Senate voted 80-to-13 on the motion to invoke cloture and force a vote on H.R.  6938, the three-bill appropriations minibus for Energy Water […]

Tim Walsh, the head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, will headline the Feb. 10 House Cleanup Caucus session at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Walsh, who became assistant secretary of energy for environmental management, in October, will make a presentation titled “Remediation to Redevelopment.” DOE nuclear cleanup properties […]

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, told the Exchange Monitor last week the most recent bipartisan spending minibus shows lawmakers “making progress” with more work still to do. On Jan. 8, a three-bill minibus appropriations package that included fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including […]

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed an executive order Jan. 5 to establish a state nuclear energy task force. The Iowa Nuclear Energy Task Force will advise Reynolds,  the state government and relevant agencies on the development of nuclear energy technologies in the state, according to the press release. The task force will also explore […]

A three-bill minibus appropriations bill with fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including $8.5 billion for nuclear cleanup and $25.4 billion to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), passed the House floor 397-28 Thursday. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. […]