Budget & Policy

Democrats in the House and Senate on Tuesday again introduced legislation that would require the president to obtain a congressional declaration of war before launching a nuclear first strike. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) pushed the same proposal in 2016, but their bills never made it past the committee level. The […]

Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry will wait until next week for a confirmation vote in a key Senate committee. Perry, the former Texas governor who helped usher a commercially operated nuclear-waste repository into the state during his 15-year run in Austin, had his initial confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last […]

Sean Sullivan replaced Joyce Connery as chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board on Wednesday, the federal government’s independent nuclear complex watchdog announced Thursday. Connery was appointed to the board, known as DNFSB, in August 2015 by then-President Barack Obama and designated chairman at the same time. She will remain on the board and can […]

It was not immediately clear whether a federal hiring freeze instituted by the newly installed Donald Trump administration has affected the legacy nuclear cleanup by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), which since Trump’s inauguration had posted only a single vacancy to a federal job site. The listing on USAJobs.gov for a […]

There was no evidence this week of a blanket gag order on external communication from the Energy Department under newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, whose administration has tweeted steadily since Inauguration Day from the official @ENERGY Twitter account. The Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies were directed to stand down temporarily from communication with […]

A group of scientists with decades of experience consulting for the federal government sent a letter on Monday to Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry, urging the Energy Department to complete the Yucca Mountain licensing process. The Sustainable Fuel Cycle Task Force Science Panel, a five-member board that includes scientists from DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories, urged […]

Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry will wait until next week for a confirmation vote in a key Senate committee. Perry, the former Texas governor who helped usher a commercially operated nuclear-waste repository into the state during his 15-year run in Austin, had his initial confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last […]

There was no evidence as of Wednesday of a blanket gag order on external communication from the Energy Department under newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, whose administration has tweeted steadily since Inauguration Day from the official @ENERGY Twitter account. The Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies have been directed to stand down temporarily from […]

At least one Energy Department rule, which would strengthen protections for whistleblowers at DOE contractors, could be delayed by the regulatory freeze President Donald Trump instituted on his first day in office. The new rule, published by the administration of now-former President Barack Obama, clarified that DOE can assess civil penalties against contractors that retaliate against […]

Democrats in the House and Senate on Tuesday again introduced legislation that would require the president to obtain a congressional declaration of war before launching a nuclear first strike. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) pushed the same proposal in 2016, but their bills never made it past the committee level. The […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will not be affected by President Donald Trump’s new federal hiring freeze, as the agency has been under a self-imposed suspension on new hires for more than a year as part of Project Aim. Initiated in 2014, Project Aim is the regulator’s attempt to re-evaluate and reduce its staffing and workload to […]

Key House congressional committees will announce today the rosters of subcommittees with jurisdiction over the Energy Department and its $6-billion-a-year nuclear cleanup program. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the House Appropriations Committee, were slated to hold formal organizational meetings today, during which panel leaders will announce the jurisdiction and leadership of the congressional […]

A group of scientists with decades of experience consulting for the federal government on Monday sent a letter to energy secretary nominee Rick Perry, urging the Energy Department to complete the Yucca Mountain licensing process. The Sustainable Fuel Cycle Task Force Science Panel, a five-member board that includes scientists from DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories, urged […]

The Department of Energy should take steps to correct some errors in its classification of national security information – which includes intelligence activities or programs meant to safeguard nuclear materials or facilities – according to a newly released DOE Office of Inspector General report. The IG found none of the 232 national security documents it reviewed […]

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of quarterly news summaries and analyses about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. We’ll check in with one long, big-picture update every 25 days, with a regular flow of updates in between to keep you up to date on news affecting Department of Energy […]

DAY 1 – JAN. 20, 2017: Inauguration Day. Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of quarterly news summaries and analyses about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. We’ll check in with one long, big-picture update every 25 days, with a regular flow of updates in between to keep you up […]

The Department of Energy will continue to advance the development of carbon capture and storage technology with Rick Perry at the helm, the energy secretary nominee said Thursday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “I am certain, I feel positive that some scientist, some incredibly capable man or woman, […]

It is in the interest of U.S. national security to take advantage of all of the nation’s natural resources, included those on federal lands, President Donald Trump’s nominee for interior secretary, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), said Tuesday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “As a former Navy SEAL I […]

The Environmental Protection Agency is required under law to regulate carbon emissions, Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the regulator, said Wednesday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “There is currently an obligation to deal with the issue. The Massachusetts v. EPA case says that CO2 is […]

France is on the right track for energy security with its ongoing energy transition efforts, the International Energy Agency declared The U.S. Department State this week announced a payment of $500 million to the U.N.’s Green Climate Fund. Chinese President Xi Jinping during the World Economic Forum annual meeting this week warned President Donald Trump […]

The potential for carbon capture and storage to boost domestic energy production bodes well for the technology’s development under the administration of President Donald Trump, according to experts in the field. “It’s reasonable to be optimistic that we’ll see support for carbon capture because using manmade carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) boosts domestic […]

GHG Monitor will cease production as of today. Our reporter, Abby L. Harvey, will continue her coverage with POWER Magazine, a fellow Access Intelligence Publication.

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s latest financial management plan lacks the details necessary to serve as a road map for the agency’s activities, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a report released Thursday. The NNSA last February submitted to Congress a plan to improve the agency’s financial management, which featured a feasibility assessment, estimated costs, expected […]

A U.S. senator from New Mexico is calling on President Donald Trump to keep current National Nuclear Security Administration and Defense Department leadership in their positions until replacements are appointed. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) said Wednesday in a letter to Trump that he is concerned about NNSA continuity of operations, as Administrator Frank Klotz and […]

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, President Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary, did not rule out the prospect of Nevada storing high-level radioactive waste during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, but he said he would explore alternatives. The Obama administration in 2009 cancelled plans to bury high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel at a repository […]

By Todd Wright This is a period of change for America and for the Department of Energy (DOE). Fittingly, the transition to a new president and new administration offers the chance to reflect on one of DOE’s core programs: the Office of Environmental Management (EM), and the opportunities that lie ahead. While DOE, like all […]

The Trump administration will take a hard look at the Energy Department’s budget for legacy nuclear waste cleanup, Energy Secretary-designate Rick Perry said Thursday during his Senate confirmation hearing. “[P]rioritizing the funding and managing that funding in an appropriate way to clean up these waste sites is going to be very, very high on the priority […]

Donald Trump was to be sworn in today, Jan. 20, 2017, as the 45th president of the United States. So far, we have only hints about his plans for the Energy Department’s nuclear complex. A day before the inauguration, incoming Energy Secretary Rick Perry would not commit to budget infusions for legacy nuclear cleanup projects, […]

The Senate is scheduled today to hold a confirmation hearing for former Texas governor Rick Perry, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to lead the $30-billion-a-year Energy Department. The hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is slated to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time and will be webcast.  While Perry lacks the high-level of […]

A U.S. senator from New Mexico is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to keep current National Nuclear Security Administration and Defense Department leadership in their positions until replacements are appointed. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) said Wednesday in a letter to Trump that he is concerned about NNSA continuity of operations, as Administrator Frank Klotz and […]