Reactor Licensing & Regulation

Nuclear Regulatory Commission regional administrator Laura Dudes has stepped away from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after 30 years of service. Dudes began in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1994 as a reactor engineer intern and soon worked up to other positions such as Region I, Division of Reactor Safety inspector. In 2006, she was […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission regional administrator Laura Dudes has stepped away from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after 30 years of service. Dudes began in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1994 as a reactor engineer intern and soon worked up to other positions such as Region I, Division of Reactor Safety inspector. In 2006, she was […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Christopher Hanson, commissioner for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Monday he does not know where the future of the agency stands under the current Donald Trump administration, the executive order threatening diluting power, and the current lawsuit against the agency. “I don’t know,” Hanson said with a laugh in answer to a […]

A coalition of five states and three private nuclear companies filed a lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on April 7 in a federal district court in Texas.  Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Utah joined with advanced nuclear companies Deep Fission, Valar Atomics and Last Energy in arguing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has inhibited […]

A coalition of five states and three private nuclear companies filed a lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on April 7 in a federal district court in Texas.  Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Utah joined with advanced nuclear companies Deep Fission, Valar Atomics and Last Energy in arguing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has inhibited […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission advisory committee recently discussed how NRC  can better navigate the growing market for the medical use of isotopes. At NRC’s April 8 meeting, nuclear pharmacist Richard Green said the global market for theranostics, a branch of nuclear medicine that combines diagnostic imaging with targeted therapy using radioactive isotopes, is forecast to […]

Duke Energy has filed an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a second license renewal for its Robinson Nuclear Plant in Hartville, S.C., the company said this week.  Robinson Nuclear Plant began operating in 1971 and has one unit, a pressurized-water reactor, that generates 759 megawatts. It is also the first commercial nuclear plant […]

With the influx of microreactors applications, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission navigates the possibility of a six-month licensing process for microreactor deployments. Nuclear Energy Institute executive director Marc Nichol discussed the ways the NRC could consider trimming its regulatory processes in an effort to speed up advanced nuclear deployment at the NRC’s Thursday meeting.  With microreactors […]

Duke Energy has filed an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a second license renewal for its Robinson Nuclear Plant in Hartville, S.C., the company said this week.  Robinson Nuclear Plant began operating in 1971 and has one unit, a pressurized-water reactor, that generates 759 megawatts. It is also the first commercial nuclear plant […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the license renewal for Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station that will extend its operations for up to an additional 20 years. Oconee, located near Seneca, S.C., is Duke Energy’s largest nuclear plant with a generating capacity of 2,554 megawatts. It has three units, Unit 1 commissioned in 1973 and […]

Dow and X-energy Reactor Co. have submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas. Long Mott Energy, Dow’s subsidiary, submitted the application on Monday.  Reviewing the application can take up to 30 months, as noted in the Dow and X-Energy press release. If the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the license renewal for Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station that will extend its operations for up to an additional 20 years. Oconee, located near Seneca, S.C., is Duke Energy’s largest nuclear plant with a generating capacity of 2,554 megawatts. It has three units, Unit 1 commissioned in 1973 and […]

Connecticut has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to become what is known as an agreement state, picking up certain responsibilities for radioactive materials.  An agreement state enters into a deal  with the NRC to assume regulatory authority over particular radioactive materials and do inspections within the respective state borders. The state receives some license fee […]

Connecticut has sent in a request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to become what is known as an agreement state, picking up certain responsibilities for radioactive materials.  An agreement state enters into a deal  with the NRC to assume regulatory authority over particular radioactive materials and do inspections within the respective state borders. The state […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently published the 2024-2025 edition of its Information Digest.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been publishing the digest since 1989 and it now comes out every two years. The Digest includes information pertaining to the agency’s activities, responsibilities and offers general information on nuclear-based topics. In addition to NRC […]

Federal review of TerraPower’s advanced nuclear plant under construction in Wyoming is about two months ahead of schedule and remains on pace for completion in 2030, company officials announced at a nuclear conference on Wednesday.  TerraPower’s proposal to develop a nuclear plant in Wyoming coal country is meeting requirements outlined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]

A bipartisan group of four Senators last week urged Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright to prioritize streamlining the agency’s environmental reviews as called for under 2023 legislation. “We encourage the Commission to vote in a manner that fully reflects congressional intent to streamline the NRC’s licensing process, as directed in the Accelerating Deployment of […]

A bipartisan group of four Senators last week urged Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright to prioritize streamlining the agency’s environmental reviews as called for under 2023 legislation. “We encourage the Commission to vote in a manner that fully reflects congressional intent to streamline the NRC’s licensing process, as directed in the Accelerating Deployment of […]

A bipartisan group of four Senators last week urged Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright to prioritize streamlining the agency’s environmental reviews as called for under 2023 legislation. “We encourage the Commission to vote in a manner that fully reflects congressional intent to streamline the NRC’s licensing process, as directed in the Accelerating Deployment of […]

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill last week with the aim of safeguarding and securing radioactive materials, and reducing the risk of bad actors developing a so-called “dirty bomb.”  The Securing our Radioactive Materials Act, would mandate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to implement recommendations on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from September, […]

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill last week with the aim of safeguarding and securing radioactive materials, and reducing the risk of bad actors developing a so-called “dirty bomb.”  The Securing our Radioactive Materials Act, would mandate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to implement recommendations on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from September, […]

To listen to U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments Wednesday on whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has authority to license private spent fuel storage facilities, go to this high court webpage about 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Then click on the live audio icon. A recording and transcript will subsequently be posted on this website by […]

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill last week with the aim of safeguarding and securing radioactive materials, and reducing the risk of bad actors developing a so-called “dirty bomb.”  The Securing our Radioactive Materials Act, would mandate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to implement recommendations on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from September, […]

Investigations, including whistleblower cases, at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Investigations increased during fiscal 2024, according to a recent report, cited this week by a Washington, D.C.,-based law firm. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) investigation office’s case inventory in fiscal 2024, ended Sept. 30, 2024, was 129, up from 119 in fiscal 2023, the […]

Jeffrey Baran, a former member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who more recently worked at the Department of Energy, has taken a deferred resignation offer from the Office of Personnel Management and is leaving the federal government. Baran joined DOE last September as deputy assistant secretary for waste and materials management at the Office of […]

Jeffrey Baran, a former member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who more recently worked at the Department of Energy, has taken a deferred resignation offer from the Office of Personnel Management and is leaving the federal government. Baran joined DOE last September as deputy assistant secretary for waste and materials management at the Office of […]

Jeffrey Baran, a former member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who more recently worked at the Department of Energy, has taken a deferred resignation offer from the Office of Personnel Management and is leaving the federal government. Baran joined DOE last September as deputy assistant secretary for waste and materials management at the Office of […]

Various citizen groups and some local landowners this week urged a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) panel to reject a request from Holtec to revive the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. “Holtec’s proposal to resurrect Palisades on the basis of incomplete and outdated documentation—along with an unsupported request for exemptions—does not satisfy the standards,” according to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich. Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich. Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register […]