Budget & Policy

While advocates are thankful Congress expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 2025, they said Tuesday last year’s action did not go far enough. As a result, James Moylan (R-Guam), a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and other House members representing atomic veterans and downwinders, plan to propose another RECA expansion […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

Two California Democrats used a House subcommittee hearing this week to advance legislation on nuclear fuel recycling.  On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee held a markup hearing for six nuclear energy-related bills. Multiple bills pertained to codifying changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing processes. All six were successfully advanced out of […]

The Democratic Party’s support for nuclear power legislation could be in jeopardy if the Donald Trump administration attempts to fire another commissioner from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said this week. Pallone’s comments during the Tuesday House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee markup hearing on six nuclear bills came after the June […]

The procurement process to add at least 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear energy in the state of New Jersey has begun after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed a bill Monday. The bill, Power NJ Act, creates a competitive bid process by state agencies to analyze proposals to ensure ratepayers get the best value, Sherrill said […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) urged the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration to establish measurable goals for project management reforms, warning streamlining oversight could reduce confidence in project performance without clear success metrics. A GAO report released Thursday examined DOE’s implementation of a March 2025 memorandum directing changes to an agency […]

While there is a “remote” chance the full House of Representatives could vote on the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Appropriations bill next week, it is more likely that the measure won’t be taken up until September, a key House Appropriator said Wednesday. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn) who chairs the House Appropriations Energy & Water […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Wednesday found the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has not fully assessed the workforce and programmatic resources needed to support planned investments in the scientific infrastructure underpinning U.S. stockpile stewardship. The report recommends that NNSA conduct a comprehensive assessment of its long-term science, technology and engineering workforce and […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Wednesday found the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has not fully assessed the workforce and programmatic resources needed to support planned investments in the scientific infrastructure underpinning U.S. stockpile stewardship. The report recommends that NNSA conduct a comprehensive assessment of its long-term science, technology and engineering workforce and […]

While advocates are thankful Congress expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 2025, they said Tuesday last year’s action did not go far enough. As a result, James Moylan (R-Guam), a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and other House members representing atomic veterans and downwinders, plan to propose another RECA expansion […]

The procurement process to add at least 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear energy in the state of New Jersey has begun after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed a bill Monday. The bill, Power NJ Act, creates a competitive bid process by state agencies to analyze proposals to ensure ratepayers get the best value, Sherrill said […]

The Democratic Party’s support for nuclear power legislation could be in jeopardy if the Donald Trump administration attempts to fire another commissioner from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said Tuesday. Pallone’s comments during the House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee markup hearing on six nuclear bills came after the June 29 Supreme […]

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) Monday appointed Darline Graham Nordone, Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R) sister, to finish out the late Senator’s term and fill the vacant seat left by his unexpected death Saturday. “Lindsey Graham recognized the greatness of America, the seriousness of his work, and also the value of human and lighthearted spirit,” […]

A House Energy and Commerce Committee panel is set to consider six nuclear power-related bills Tuesday morning, according to the committee’s website. The Energy Subcommittee will convene at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time to markup bills on topics ranging from uranium enrichment to Nuclear Regulatory Commission pay to nuclear transparency at the Department of Energy. The […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch agrees with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that DOE should not rush into costly infrastructure projects before doing more research up front. By the end of 2026, the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) will look to implement two GAO recommendations in a recently-released report, the head of […]

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest report of major defense acquisition programs found that while several nuclear modernization efforts continue to advance through development and testing, the Sentinel program remains burdened by significant cost, schedule and design challenges. In its annual review of weapon systems released last week, GAO said the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed a new rulemaking Tuesday revising how the agency intends to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards. Under the proposed rule, the agency is seeking to streamline and change Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 51 – or 10 CFR Part 51 regulations to “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burden, […]

Numerous changes are coming to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s reactor licensing as the agency proposed an overhaul of regulatory modifications to modernize its procedures, it said last week. NRC said in a July 1 press release that these changes will modernize reactor licensing, oversight and siting practices of nuclear power plants. These sweeping changes were […]

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest report of major defense acquisition programs found that while several nuclear modernization efforts continue to advance through development and testing, the Sentinel program remains burdened by significant cost, schedule and design challenges. In its annual review of weapon systems released last week, GAO said the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch agrees with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that DOE should not rush into costly infrastructure projects before doing more research up front. By the end of 2026, the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) will look to implement two GAO recommendations in a recently-released report, the head of […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management should not rush to embrace costly nuclear cleanup options without first checking with independent experts on less-expensive alternatives, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Thursday July 2. In the just-released report, GAO said the DOE cleanup branch needs to do more research before advocating megadollar solutions.  DOE […]

As of Wednesday afternoon, it appears no date has been set for the full House of Representatives to take up the House Appropriations Committee version of the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Development bill, which was considered by the House Rules Committee last week. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) who chairs the House Appropriations Energy & […]

As of Monday afternoon, it appears no date has been set for the full House of Representatives to take up the House Appropriations Committee version of the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Development bill, which was considered by the House Rules Committee last week. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) who chairs the House Appropriations Energy & […]

The Pike County, Ohio General Health District wants Congress to extend coverage under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to residents in areas around the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site. Localities around DOE’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant complex were not included in the last RECA expansion, which became part of the so-called One Big Beautiful […]

The House will leave for the Fourth of July recess without moving forward on its $1.15 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with a procedural vote to begin floor debate failing on Tuesday. The House voted 198-224 against the rule for considering the NDAA, the defense policy bill that sets spending limits […]