Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Senate yesterday confirmed two Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominees, bringing the Commission back to its full five-member operating status. The nominees, Steven Burns and Jeffrey Baran, moved quickly to an approval vote, a process that has come to a standstill for most other nominees. The vote fell mostly along party lines, but Republican Sens. James Inhofe (Okla.) […]

States Call for More Flexibility Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 9/12/2014 NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane shot down any notion this week that the Commission would reduce the compatibility category assign to the current 10.CFR.61 rulemaking during a webinar held by the American Nuclear Society. With a Compatibility ‘B’ distinction, the rulemaking would require that the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 9/12/2014 The two nominations to fill the vacancies on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission moved out of committee this week, and now await full Senate approval after a quick turnaround from hearing to vote. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 11-7 and 11-6 to move Jeffery Baran and Stephen […]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) political influence hung over the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the two nominations to fill the vacancies at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday, as Republicans called into question whether the two nominees were Reid’s political pawns or independent regulators. The Republicans, led by Sens. John Barrasso […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 9/5/2014 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing next week to consider the two pending nominations for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Obama Administration in July nominated Stephen Burns and Jeff Baran to fill open spots on the NRC. Burns previously worked for the NRC, rising […]

RW Monitor 9/5/2014 IN THE NRC Now-former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member William Magwood officially took over as Director-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in Paris this week. Magwood departs the Commission after casting a controversial vote in the NRC’s Waste Confidence rulemaking following the call for his […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing next week to consider the two pending nominations for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Obama Administration in July nominated Stephen Burns and Jeff Baran to fill open spots on the NRC. Burns previously worked for the NRC, rising to General Counsel under then-Chairman Gregory […]

Now-former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member William Magwood took over as Director-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in Paris yesterday. Magwood departs the Commission after casting a controversial vote in the NRC’s Waste Confidence rulemaking following the call for his resignation and retroactive recusal from Commission decisions from […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/29/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously approved this week the final rule for the “Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel,” formerly known as the Waste Confidence rulemaking, and General Environmental Impact Statement in a vote that paved the way for the resumption of nuclear plant licensing and re-licensing decisions. The […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/29/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously voted this week to approve the Staff’s proposal to enable a speedier and more efficient review of SHINE Medical Industries’ low-energy neutron source design for the production of molybdenum-99 under NRC’s 10.CFR.50 regulations. SHINE is one of several companies trying to get through the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday unanimously approved the final rule for the “Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel,” formerly known as the Waste Confidence rulemaking, in a vote that paved the way for the resumption of nuclear plant licensing and re-licensing decisions. The commissioners’ votes changed only minor language details in the final rule as presented by […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously voted yesterday to approve the Staff’s proposal to enable a speedier and more efficient review of SHINE Medical Industries’ low-energy neutron source design for the production of molybdenum-99 under the 10.CFR.50 regulations. SHINE is one of several companies trying to get through the regulatory hurdles to begin the production of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will vote on the final rulemaking for the Waste Confidence update today amid calls for a delay to deny Commissioner William Magwood’s vote on the issue. The NRC Staff released the draft final rulemaking at the end of July, which would make this affirmation vote a quick turn-around from the Commission, […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/22/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission tentatively plans to vote on the final rulemaking for the Waste Confidence update on Aug. 26, according to the Commission’s online meeting schedule. The NRC Staff released the draft final rulemaking at the end of July, which would make this affirmation vote a quick turn-around […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/22/2014 RGA Labs, the engineering company looking to purchase and restart Dominion’s Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station, sent a letter last week to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Region III office declaring its interest in potentially going through the unusual relicensing of a shutdown plant. The letter would indicate an increasing seriousness […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/22/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission earlier this month approved a plan to merge the programs within the Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs back into the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. With the NRC’s changing workload, the NRC staff launched a working group last […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is planning to hold a public meeting Aug. 28 on the process for terminating the certificate authorizing uranium enrichment operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the McCracken County Public Library. Plant operator USEC ended operations at the facility last year and […]

NRC Commissioner Kristine Svinicki indicated yesterday that the Commission expects to have a final rule for its Waste Confidence update published by early fall, she wrote in a response letter to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.). Upton, along with other House Energy leaders, sent the NRC a letter back in July inquiring […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission tentatively plans to vote on the final rulemaking for the Waste Confidence update on Aug. 26, according to the Commission’s online meeting schedule. The NRC Staff released the draft final rulemaking at the end of July, which would make this affirmation vote a quick turn-around from the Commission. It appears the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/1/2014 While stakeholders continue to wade through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recently released draft final Waste Confidence rule (now known as the Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel rule), it appears not much has changed since the proposed rule was released last September. Much of the rule remains intact with […]

Maureen Wylie has taken over as Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chief Financial Officer after being selected by NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane to fill the position previously held by James Dyer, who retired from the NRC in May. Wylie assumed her position on Monday of this week after spending 10 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric […]

Martin Schneider RW Monitor 7/25/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff submitted the draft final Waste Confidence rule—now proposed to be known as the “Continued Storage” rule—to the NRC Commissioners this week, a move that likely keeps the NRC on track for approving the final rule by its promised October deadline. The NRC’s proposed waste confidence […]

Magwood Sets Departure Date, Enviro. Groups Still Call for Resignation Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/25/2014 The Obama Administration this week nominated Stephen Burns and Jeff Baran to fill open spots on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The duo had been viewed as likely candidates for the openings for some time. Burns previously worked for the […]

Martin Schneider RW Monitor 7/25/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulations governing security of radiological sources are drawing concern from Senate appropriators, who including language aimed at forcing more stringent controls in their version of the FY 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill released this week. The bill would direct the NRC to establish mandatory security […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/25/2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will consider six points raised by a petition sent on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute concerning the issuance of certificates of compliance for spent fuel storage casks, according to a posting in the Federal Register last week. NEI filed the petition in 2012 in […]

The White House reportedly intends to nominate Stephen Burns and Jeff Baran to fill the open spots on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The duo had been viewed as likely candidates for the openings for some time and their impending nomination was first reported by Politico yesterday.. Burns previously worked for the NRC, rising to general counsel […]

The group of 34 environmental activist groups seeking Nuclear Regulatory Commission member William Magwood’s resignation for alleged credibility issues sent a letter to President Barrack Obama yesterday calling on the President to request the Commissioner’s resignation. The group is calling for Magwood’s resignation and retroactive recusal from decisions in the past nine months because he […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will consider six points raised by a petition sent on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute concerning the issuance of certificates of compliance for spent fuel storage casks, according to a posting in the Federal Register last week. NEI filed the petition in 2012 in hopes that the NRC would take […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/18/2014 NRC Commissioner William Magwood will not resign or retroactively recuse himself from decisions from the past year, the Commissioner said in a letter this week to a coalition of 34 environmental activist organizations calling for his removal for accepting a position with the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/18/2014 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Allison Macfarlane joined industry stakeholders this week in calling for a rulemaking to better define the decommissioning process for commercial reactors during a Commission briefing on nuclear plant decommissioning. With the recent surge of plants entering premature shutdown, the NRC’s lack of regulations to show […]