Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a plan to dispose of radioactive waste from the site of a 1979 mine spill in New Mexico, the agency announced this week. NRC Wednesday greenlit a license amendment for the shuttered United Nuclear Corporation Church Rock site, allowing a General Electric-led cleanup crew to transfer nearly a million tons […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a plan to dispose of radioactive waste from the site of a 1979 mine spill in New Mexico, the agency announced Thursday. NRC Wednesday greenlit a license amendment for the shuttered United Nuclear Corporation Church Rock site, allowing a General Electric-led cleanup crew to transfer nearly a million tons of […]

Two anti-nuclear groups said Tuesday that they would try to use a federal public records law to get the original version of Holtec International’s heavily-redacted plan to restart a shuttered Michigan nuclear power plant. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tuesday by lawyers for Beyond Nuclear and Don’t […]

In a new rulemaking action Monday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it had approved an extension on design certifications for a spent fuel storage cask design used at nuclear power plants, according to a Federal Register Notice. The 40-year Certificate of Compliance (CoC) renewal amends Holtec International’s cask design certification to include “conditions and […]

Happy Friday, nuke-watchers. Although your RadWaste Monitor reporter is a Ravens fan on a good day, he’ll be cheering on the other birds at the big game this weekend. Before Super Bowl festivities get underway, though, here are some other stories we were tracking from across the civilian nuclear power space this week. The only […]

For Bradley Crowell, the phrase ‘corner office’ has taken on a double meaning in recent months. The newest commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission occupies an office near the top floor of the agency’s Rockville, Md., headquarters in a jarringly angular concrete building that tapers off into a near 45-degree angle along the front wall. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is waiting for more information before it assesses the potential impacts of the White House’s announcement this week that the three-year-old COVID-19 national emergency declaration would end this summer, a spokesperson said this week. In an Office of Management and Budget policy statement Monday, the Joe Biden administration announced that it […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is waiting for more information before it assesses the potential impacts of the White House’s announcement this week that the three-year-old COVID-19 national emergency declaration would end this summer, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In an Office of Management and Budget policy statement Monday, the Joe Biden administration announced that it would […]

ARLINGTON, VA. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs another month to review Holtec International’s application for a proposed consolidated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, an agency official said here this week. NRC is “in the process” of reviewing new information submitted this week by Holtec, so the agency will not be ready to […]

  California’s last nuclear power plant must start its federal relicensing process anew, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday, derailing its operator’s plan to put huge chunks of bailout money to quick work via a regulatory shortcut. In 2022, Diablo Canyon Power Plant operator Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) secured more than $2 billion in […]

As the company in charge of California’s last operating nuclear power plant seeks federal approval to operate the facility for an extra five years, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is weighing whether to extend the plant’s license to store spent nuclear fuel on site. NRC is considering an application from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) that, […]

Another federal agency has financially penalized FirstEnergy Corp. for its involvement in a 2019 bribery scandal. In a Dec. 15 agreement, FirstEnergy agreed to pay a $3.86 million fine to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for not being up front with FERC auditors, between 2015 and the subsequent 2019 scandal, about almost $60 million […]

Another federal agency has financially penalized FirstEnergy Corp. for its involvement in a 2019 bribery scandal. In a Dec. 15 agreement, FirstEnergy agreed to pay a $3.86 million fine to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for not being up front with FERC auditors, between 2015 and the subsequent 2019 scandal, about almost $60 million […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a recent vote gave agency staff permission to start work on a proposed rulemaking that would require licensees shipping highly-radioactive materials to notify tribal governments about such shipments. NRC’s five-member executive committee voted unanimously Oct. 17 to approve the proposed rulemaking activity, according to agency documents published Nov. 10.  The […]

The operator of more than a dozen U.S. nuclear power plants aims to extend the life of its fleet by up to two decades using federal tax incentives approved this year, its CEO said this week. Nuclear production tax credits made law under the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August, have had a […]

The operator of more than a dozen U.S. nuclear power plants aims to extend the life of its fleet by up to two decades using federal tax incentives approved this year, its CEO said Tuesday. Nuclear production tax credits made law under the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August, have had a “transformational […]

The shrinking U.S. nuclear fleet was factored into the decreased number of violations found during security inspections last year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week in a report to Congress. Of 176 inspections conducted at nuclear plants during the 2021 calendar year, NRC identified 66 security violations of mostly low severity, the agency said […]

An Illinois nuclear power plant that just last year had been slated for closure could be getting a new lease on life, the facility’s operator said this week. Constellation Energy, which owns Dresden Nuclear Generating Station, has applied with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license extension for the Morris, Ill., plant, the company […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has again delayed its final licensing decision for a commercially-operated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel proposed for southeast New Mexico, the agency said in a webinar this week. Although NRC said in May that it would decide whether to approve Holtec International’s application for its proposed interim storage site […]

A California congressman last week unveiled legislation that, if made law, would establish a dedicated public engagement office within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Rep. Mike Levin’s (D-Calif.) proposed bill, introduced Oct. 21, would establish an “Office of Public Engagement and Participation” within NRC that would, among other things, “support public participation” in agency proceedings and […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will not take disciplinary action against the operator of a California nuclear power plant despite finding that it ran afoul of federal regulations governing the storage of radioactive materials, the agency said in a letter Monday. Although NRC’s Sep. 30 inspection of Diablo Canyon Power plant revealed that operator Pacific Gas […]

  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a Nevada congresswoman in a recent letter that it was still considering a motion from the Silver State aimed at killing the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. NRC has Nevada’s Sep. 20 request to reopen the agency’s licensing proceedings for the Yucca Mountain site “under advisement in its […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is rolling out an Instagram account, the agency said in a press release this week. NRC’s new account on photo-sharing social media platform Instagram will be used to post photos, videos and graphics to “provide a more creative approach to information regarding the NRC’s mission, with a focus on the skilled […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may not wrap up a proposed series of amendments to its regulations for packaging and transporting radioactive waste for another two years or so, an agency official said during a webinar this week. The current projected publication date for NRC’s proposed changes, which the agency has said would bring its oversight […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may not wrap up a proposed series of amendments to its regulations for packaging and transporting radioactive waste for another two years or so, an agency official said during a webinar Wednesday. The current projected publication date for NRC’s proposed changes, which the agency has said would bring its oversight in […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is rolling out an Instagram account, the agency said in a press release Wednesday. NRC’s new account on photo-sharing social media platform Instagram will be used to post photos, videos and graphics to “provide a more creative approach to information regarding the NRC’s mission, with a focus on the skilled and […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not have a schedule for when it will address a recent request from the state of Nevada aimed at reopening, and eventually ending, the agency’s licensing proceedings for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, a spokesperson said this week. Although Nevada’s Sep. 20 request is in front of NRC’s […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not have a schedule for when it will address a recent request from the state of Nevada aimed at reopening, and eventually ending, the agency’s licensing proceedings for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, a spokesperson said Tuesday. Although Nevada’s Sep. 20 request is in front of NRC’s five-member […]

Happy Friday, and happy fall, nuke-watchers. Before we head off into the weekend, here are some other stories that RadWaste Monitor was tracking from across the civilian nuclear power space this week. Rep. Levin, spent fuel caucus meet with NRC chair Hanson The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s chief executive met this week with a set of […]

ROCKVILLE, MD. — BWX Technologies executives appeared here before Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff Thursday seeking leniency for a fatal — and according to the company, preventable — workplace accident two years ago in Lynchburg, Va. On the morning of June 19, 2020, a BWX Technologies employee died in a flash fire in the Lynchburg plant’s […]