Budget & Policy

The New Mexico State Land Office issued an executive order Sept. 4 that would ban any new uranium mining activities in the state. The order, issued by New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, pushes for the state agency to prioritize nuclear cleanup at legacy uranium sites, according to a press statement. It will also […]

Tim Walsh, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for Environmental Management, or EM-1, is one of the headline speakers for this week’s National Cleanup Workshop in Arlington, Va, and he could update key front-burner issues facing the nuclear cleanup branch. In March, Walsh told the Waste Management Symposia in Phoenix that EM could soon be […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 Tuesday to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown. The resolution […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced six nuclear energy-related bills out of committee to the full House after a three-hour markup hearing Wednesday. The nuclear bills made up six of the 10 pieces of legislation approved during the markup. All nuclear bills were passed with bipartisan support with none receiving any no-votes. This comes […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 Tuesday to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown. The resolution […]

The Department of Energy’s recent decision to cut the size of the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) in Washington state by nearly half would bring the membership more in line with other nuclear cleanup site advisory panels, based on a review by Exchange Monitor. The DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced last month it would […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 Tuesday to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown. The resolution […]

The Department of Energy’s recent decision to cut the size of the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) in Washington state by nearly half would bring the membership more in line with other nuclear cleanup site advisory panels, based on a review by Exchange Monitor. The DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced last month it would […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. The stopgap spending bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature to become […]

Paul Murray, who has spent decades working on nuclear-related issues in the government and private sectors, could retire soon from the Department of Energy, according to industry sources. Currently a senior adviser for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, Murray has informed department brass about his plans to retire within days, according to an industry source. […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  September: 9: Meeting (hybrid): Nevada Site-Specific Advisory Board meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at the Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89106.  15-16: Conference: The Department of Energy’s National Cleanup Workshop hosted […]

Kairos Power is collaborating with several East Tennessee entities, including the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to form an advanced nuclear manufacturing, construction and workforce development program in Oak Ridge, Tenn.  The initiative, the Nuclear Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Precast – or NuCAMP, will go through a year-long exploration phase to figure […]

The Department of Energy surprised the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) in Richland, Wash., this month when it unveiled plans to shrink the number of board members and shift appointment authority to the federal government. In an Aug 12 press release, DOE announced plans to “strengthen” and “modernize” the HAB, partly by cutting the federal advisory […]

The White House’s new science and technology strategy elevates nuclear energy to a critical technology for national security, while also emphasizing the need for a survivable and credible nuclear deterrent. The August 2026 National Security Science and Technology Strategy identifies nuclear energy as one of 12 “key enabling technologies” that the White House says agencies […]

While the Department of Energy is doing an adequate job of detecting improper payments or overpayments to contractors, there is still need for improvement, DOE’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said recently. During fiscal 2025, DOE’s vetting turned up $53.6 million “of improper payments and unknown payments, which resulted in an improper payment rate of […]

Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who is serving out the unexpired term of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), will run for a full term this November after winning a special GOP runoff Tuesday over a member of the House of Representatives. According to preliminary results from the state of South Carolina, Graham defeated Rep. […]

While the Department of Energy is doing an adequate job of detecting improper payments or overpayments to contractors, there is still need for improvement, DOE’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said recently. During fiscal 2025, DOE’s vetting turned up $53.6 million “of improper payments and unknown payments, which resulted in an improper payment rate of […]

The White House’s new science and technology strategy elevates nuclear energy to a critical technology for national security, while also emphasizing the need for a survivable and credible nuclear deterrent. The August 2026 National Security Science and Technology Strategy identifies nuclear energy as one of 12 “key enabling technologies” that the White House says agencies […]

The first Trump-class battleship (BBG(X)) could cost more than $23 billion, with the 15-ship class totaling $275 billion, according to a Congressional Budget Office report published this month. The most recent 30-year shipbuilding plan released in May said the Navy plans for the BBG(X) to reach a 15-ship class by 2056 and showed the Navy […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  August: September: 9: Meeting (hybrid): Nevada Site-Specific Advisory Board meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at the Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89106.  15-16: Conference: The Department of Energy’s National Cleanup Workshop […]

The Department of Energy surprised the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) in Richland, Wash., this month when it unveiled plans to shrink the number of board members and shift appointment authority to the federal government. In an Aug 12 press release, DOE announced plans to “strengthen” and “modernize” the HAB, partly by cutting the federal advisory […]

A bipartisan House bill introduced this week would substantially expand the federal government’s radiation compensation program, adding communities and workers exposed to nuclear testing and extending the program for another 15 years. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026 – introduced by Guam Delegate James Moylan (R) and co-led by Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández […]

The Department of Energy has awarded Pacific Gas & Electric a $271 million award to help the company keep California-based Diablo Canyon Power Plant in operation, the department said last week.  The award was granted under DOE’s Civil Nuclear Credit Program, a $6 billion investment fund to support the continued operation of the existing nuclear […]

The Senate’s approval of a stopgap funding bill could give lawmakers time to resolve major differences over Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration fiscal 2027 budget requests, including a proposed 35% increase for nuclear weapons activities. The Senate voted 90-6 Aug. 8 to approve a continuing resolution (CR) funding the government through Dec. […]

A group of elected officials in California are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and leaders of the state legislature to get behind a license extension for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in San Luis Obispo County. “As elected officials throughout California, we represent our constituents’ interests, and what we have been hearing loud and clear […]

South Carolina Republicans can vote in a special primary Tuesday Aug. 11 to select the party’s nominee to fill the void created by the unexpected death of incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham last month at age 71. The winner of the Aug. 11 primary, or if necessary, Aug. 25 runoff, will be the Republican Party’s nominee […]

A joint venture between Navarro Research & Engineering and Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA) has been awarded a subcontract for waste management at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The contract, awarded by Y-12’s Bechtel-led prime Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) could be worth up to $160 million […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee is working on a framework for a stopgap funding resolution to keep the federal government through Dec. 11 and the full Senate was expected to vote on it sometime Friday.  The government’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Unless a bill codifies that funding is rolled over into the next fiscal […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee is working on a framework for a stopgap funding resolution to keep the federal government through Dec. 11 and the full Senate was expected to vote on it sometime Friday.  The government’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Unless a bill codifies that funding is rolled over into the next fiscal […]

A Republican member of the Yakima County Commission and a Democrat who is a retired Air Force major that once worked at the Hanford Site were the top two finishers in Washington state’s open primary for the 4th congressional district. As a result, Amanda McKinney (R) and John Duresky (D) will go head-to-head in the […]