Reactor Licensing & Regulation

Four Northeast states are calling for better consideration of states’ needs in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decommissioning rulemaking. The rulemaking, due for completion in 2019, is intended to improve the process for decommissioning of nuclear power reactors, notably by limiting the need for regulatory exemptions on select operational matters such as decommissioning trust funds, emergency […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chair Kristine Svinicki took a step toward a new five-year term Thursday when the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved her renomination on a voice vote. The vote came just two days after the confirmation hearing for Svinicki and the NRC’s two prospective new members: longtime Capitol Hill staffer Annie […]

The parties to the planned sale of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station have not proven there is sufficient funding available to carry out the full decommissioning of the shuttered facility, the state of Vermont said this week. In a filing Tuesday with the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, the state requested intervention and […]

The three nominees for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission made it through their Senate nomination hearing Tuesday with no indication of serious obstacles to their confirmation. After postponing the hearing last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard from each of the nominees: current NRC Chair Kristine Svinicki and new prospective appointees Annie Caputo, a senior […]

After a delay last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday is set to consider the Trump administration’s three nominees to fill expiring posts at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee will consider the Donald Trump administration’s fiscal 2018 budget request for […]

By Wayne Barber The federal government does not have to return more than $4 million in Nuclear Regulatory Commission fees to Southern Co. subsidiaries Alabama Power and Georgia Power, a Court of Federal Claims judge ruled Monday. In granting summary judgment to the U.S. government in this third round of litigation by the utilities, Judge […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee delayed a nomination hearing for three proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission commissioners to Tuesday, the panel announced Tuesday afternoon. The hearing had been scheduled for today. The committee did not say why it postponed the meeting. When the Committee does get around to the hearing, it will consider the […]

The federal government does not have to return more than $4 million in Nuclear Regulatory Commission fees to Southern Co. subsidiaries Alabama Power and Georgia Power, a court of federal claims judge ruled Monday.. In granting summary judgement to the U.S. federal government in this third round of litigation by the companies, Judge Patricia E. […]

In separate hearings on Wednesday, Senators will consider the Donald Trump administration’s 2018 budget request for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the White House’s nominees to round out the two vacant spots on the commission. The NRC double-header is set to kick off at 10 a.m., when the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee will […]

A federal judge on May 19 authorized the state of Nevada and nuclear power industry representatives to intervene in Texas’ lawsuit demanding the federal government move ahead expeditiously with a permanent repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. Judge Patrick Higginbotham, of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, did not provide the reasoning for his separate […]

By Wayne Barber The Nuclear Regulatory Commission budget request for fiscal 2018 puts funding back into licensing the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada even as it reflects overall belt tightening and a continuing reduction in employee headcount at the agency. The regulator is requesting $952 million for the budget year that starts Oct. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission budget request for fiscal 2018 puts funding back into licensing the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada even as it reflects overall belt tightening and a continuing reduction in employee headcount. The regulator is requesting $952 million for the budget year that starts Oct. 1, including 3,284 full-time equivalent employees. […]

The U.S. nuclear industry on Tuesday lauded the White House’s nominees to fill out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which currently has only three of the maximum five members. “We are deeply appreciative that the president has recognized the outstanding service of Kristine Svinicki, in renominating her as NRC chair,” Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of […]

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is providing energy again following a final refueling ahead of its scheduled closure two years from now, operator Entergy said Monday. The 45-year-old Massachusetts nuclear plant was removed from the grid in early April and reconnected at 1:52 a.m. Monday, according to an Energy press release. This was its 21st refueling. “Entergy […]

A federal judge on Friday authorized the state of Nevada and nuclear power industry representatives to intervene in Texas’ lawsuit demanding the federal government move ahead with a permanent repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. Judge Patrick Higginbotham, of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, did not provide the reasoning for his separate rulings in […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff recommended the agency authorize construction of a medical isotope production facility in Missouri following completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. That leaves completion of the safety review for the plant and the NRC’s ruling on the permit application. “After weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits […]

U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) is calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject a license application for export of 10,000 tons of nuclear material back to Canada after it has been decontaminated at a facility in Tennessee. Massachusetts-based UniTech Group Services last October filed for import and export licenses for the material, which would […]

The Trump administration is proposing a modest increase in funding from current levels for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to leaked data that appears to outline its spending plan for the next budget year. The regulator would receive just over $939.1 million for salaries and expenses in fiscal 2018, which begins Oct. 1. That would […]

By Wayne Barber Power provider Entergy is wrestling with regulatory issues for the spent fuel pool at its Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in its latest quarterly report for the Massachusetts facility. Entergy has announced plans to retire the 680-megawatt Pilgrim reactor by June 1, 2019, primarily due to continued low […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission offered another positive assessment of contractor CB&I AREVA MOX Services’ work in building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The regulator said in a May 10 letter to contractor President and COO David Del Vecchio that “no violations or deviations were […]

U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) is calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject a license application for export of 10,000 tons of nuclear material back to Canada after it has been decontaminated at a facility in Tennessee. Massachusetts-based UniTech Group Services last October filed for import and export licenses for the material, which would […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission offered another positive assessment of contractor CB&I AREVA MOX Services’ work in building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The regulator said in a May 10 letter to contractor President and COO David Del Vecchio that “no violations or deviations were […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff recommended the agency authorize construction of a medical isotope production facility in Missouri following completion of a environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. “After weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against environmental and other costs, and considering reasonable alternatives, the NRC staff’s recommendation, unless safety issues mandate otherwise, […]

The parent company of Waste Control Specialists (WCS) on Tuesday suggested deep doubts about the likelihood of securing a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to build and operate an interim spent fuel storage facility for spent reactor fuel. The statement from holding company Valhi Inc. comes as its subsidiary is said to be wrestling with ongoing […]

The Trump administration has taken issue with 3-year-old, bipartisan bill language the codifies the right of U.S. lawmakers to request sensitive information from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The language, a standard rider on most budget bills since 2014, was introduced that year after then-Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) objected to the NRC’s revision of its Internal […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that further action is not immediately necessary to ensure safe operations of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The finding follows a supplemental inspection that ended this year following three NRC site visits to the nuclear plant. “The NRC determined that programs and processes at PNPS adequately support […]

The nuclear energy industry and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to press for a new U.S. domestic uranium enrichment capability, though not necessarily for the same reasons. At a May 3 public witness hearing before the House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) asked Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the […]

The parent company of Waste Control Specialists (WCS) on Tuesday suggested deep doubts about the likelihood of securing a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to build and operate an interim storage facility for spent reactor fuel. Dallas-based WCS in April asked the federal agency to temporarily suspend review of the application for a facility designed to […]

The Trump administration has taken issue with 3-year-old, bipartisan bill language the codifies the right of U.S. lawmakers to request sensitive information from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The language, a standard rider on most budget bills since 2014, was introduced that year after then-Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) objected to the NRC’s revision of its Internal Commission Procedures to […]

The fiscal 2017 congressional omnibus budget awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature would reduce fees and appropriations for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by about $65 million from the amount it requested more than a year ago. The funding cutback, though, would be partly alleviated by more than $20 million in unspent funds the agency is authorized […]