Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The trade group for the nuclear industry doubled down on a legal argument that the Nuclear Regulatory’s Commission’s 2019 interpretation of very low-level waste disposal guidelines illegally burdened licensees and should be reversed, according to a recent filing with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Moreover, NRC’s 2019 interpretation is not merely repetition of established […]

The company in charge of decommissioning Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station submitted a proposal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting an amendment to fuel storage safety guidelines that would allow them to complete transferring spent fuel to dry storage by November, according to a filing published Monday. Nuclear services provider Holtec International, which is in […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will resume force-on-force inspections in March with new COVID-19 guidelines for social distancing during exercises and advance notice about virus conditions on site two weeks prior to inspections, the agency said in a Wednesday webinar. NRC officials from the agency’s security operations division said during the webinar that the agency will […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will resume force-on-force inspections in March with new COVID-19 guidelines for social distancing during exercises and advance notice about virus conditions on site two weeks prior to inspections, the agency said in a Wednesday webinar. NRC officials from the agency’s security operations division said during the webinar that the agency will […]

New York state is suing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over its refusal to delay the sale of Indian Point, according to a legal filing from last Friday. New York state attorney general Letitia James submitted the filing to the D.C. circuit court of appeals, after the NRC denied the state’s request to intervene on the […]

The Biden administration selected Commissioner Christopher Hanson to become the 18th chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the agency announced last week.  Hanson, one of the four current commissioners, is chairman effective immediately, according to an agency press release. He replaces former chair Kristine Svinicki, who left the commission on Jan. 20. “I look forward […]

The state of New York is suing the Nuclear Regulatory commission over their refusal to delay the sale of Indian Point Energy Center, according to a Friday legal filing. New York state attorney general Letitia James submitted the Friday petition to the D.C. circuit court of appeals, after the NRC denied the state’s request to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a petition to extend the review deadline for documents related to Holtec’s proposed interim storage site, according to a recent commission filing. The Commission on Friday released a memo approving the extension and moving the deadline to Jan. 28 after a pair of interest groups petitioned the NRC for an […]

The Biden administration selected Commissioner Christopher Hanson to become the 18th chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the agency announced Saturday.  Hanson, one of the four current commissioners, is chairman effective immediately, according to an agency press release. He replaces former chair Kristine Svinicki, who left the commission on Jan. 20. “I look forward to […]

As of Friday morning, the Biden administration had not nominated either a fifth Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair or a fifth commissioner to replace the recently departed chair. So, while we wait, here’s where things at the nation’s nuclear rulemaking agency stand, and what’s at stake for the industry during Biden’s first 100 days. Former NRC […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the process of implementing new inspection procedures that will standardize a more streamlined protocol across all of its standalone spent nuclear fuel storage facilities, the agency said Thursday. In a Tweet, the NRC said their enhanced guidelines for oversight of independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) focus on “the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a blanket denial recently of four hearing requests and three motions filed respectively by the state of New York and environmental watchdog groups that sought to delay the sale of Indian Point Energy Center, according to a recent agency memorandum. According to the memo dated Friday, the state of New […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission denied a nuclear watchdog’s request for a hearing regarding the sale of Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant’s Unit 2 reactor, according to a memorandum published by the agency Friday. The watchdog, Three Mile Island Alert, Inc., wanted the NRC to take a closer look at the transfer of the Three Mile […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a blanket denial recently of four hearing requests and three motions filed respectively by the state of New York and environmental watchdog groups that sought to delay the sale of Indian Point Energy Center, according to a recent agency memorandum. According to the memo dated Friday, the state of New […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked a federal court to throw out industry’s request for judicial review of the commission’s claim that the federal government is the ultimate decision-maker about low-level waste disposal. In a brief filed last Friday with the D.C. Circuit Court, the commission both refuted the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) legal basis for […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Thursday that Andrea D. Veil will become acting director of the Reactor Regulation program following Ho Nieh’s departure.  Veil previously served as the deputy office director for the program and has served in various positions throughout the Commission’s Office of Regulatory Research since 1992. Nieh, the former director of the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked a federal court to throw out industry’s request for judicial review of the commission’s claim that the federal government is the ultimate decision-maker about low-level waste disposal. In a brief filed Friday with the D.C. Circuit Court, the commission both refuted the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) legal basis for review […]

Ho Nieh, director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Reactor Regulation program, plans to retire Jan. 30, he said Friday. Nieh announced his decision in a letter to Commission staff. He is leaving for “personal reasons,” NRC spokesman David Castelveter, wrote in an email on Friday. As director of the Reactor Regulation program, Nieh oversaw reactor […]

Kristine Svinicki will retire from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Jan. 21, more than a year before her five-year term is up, after serving under three presidents and leading the nuclear-power-plant regulator as chair since 2017. Svinicki, first nominated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2007 by then-President George W. Bush, has been commissioner since […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission veteran Mirela Gavrilas replaced Brian Holian as director of the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response on Dec. 31. The office leads the NRC effort to safeguard nuclear plants from foreign attacks in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement and other agencies through methods like force-on-force inspections — […]

Kristine Svinicki will retire from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Jan. 21, more than a year before her five-year term is up, after serving under three presidents and leading the nuclear-power-plant regulator as chair since 2017. Svinicki, first nominated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2007 by then-President George W. Bush, has been commissioner since […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission veteran Mirela Gavrilas will replace Brian Holian as director of the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response on Dec. 31. The office leads the NRC effort to safeguard nuclear plants from foreign attacks in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement and other agencies through methods like force-on-force inspections […]

Bypassing the state legislature, an Ohio judge on Monday blocked collection of House Bill 6 nuclear bailout fees, which are slated to hit ratepayer bills next month. During December’s emergency legislative session, state lawmakers failed to come to an agreement about what, if anything, to do about the $60-million nuclear bailout. In July, ex-Ohio House […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a plea from the Nuclear Energy Institute to continue with its current policy of temporarily halting force-on-force inspections — simulated terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants — into 2021 last week. The policy, a guidance called IP 92707, was issued early in the pandemic and allowed the assessment of individual responder actions to be […]

By John Stang The full Ohio House had not voted at deadline on a bill to delay ratepayer-funded subsidies to two financially struggling Ohio nuclear plants as of Friday, though a key committee advanced it this week and prepped it for a vote on the House floor. That puts this bill in the final minutes […]

A bill to delay ratepayer-funded subsidies to two financially struggling Ohio nuclear plants cleared a key committee by a thread on Wednesday, setting up a possible floor vote before Christmas.   The House Energy Policy and Oversight Committee voted 8-7 on Wednesday to send House Bill 798 to the House Rules Committee, which on Thursday […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a plea from the Nuclear Energy Institute to continue with its current policy of temporarily halting force-on-force inspections — simulated terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants — into 2021 last week.  The policy, a guidance called IP 92707, was issued early in the pandemic and allowed the assessment of individual […]

A third hearing will be held Tuesday on Ohio House Rep. Jim Hoops’ (R) bill to delay subsidies granted in the controversial nuclear bailout law passed in 2019 to help keep two of the state’s nuclear plants financially solvent.  House Bill 798 will delay payments to the plant for at least one year while former […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff disagree over whether states may consent to accept Greater Than Class C waste for disposal in near-surface repositories, with some staff disputing the official commission line that such a thing is permissible, given a nuanced interpretation of law. The commission brought the rift into the sunlight in early November, when it […]

NextEra Energy’s application to extend its license at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2 has been made publicly available on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission website.  “The NRC staff is reviewing the application to determine if it has sufficient information to complete the agency’s extensive safety and environmental reviews,” the commission said in […]