Vol. 4, No. 270 Path to 60 Senate Votes for Two-Year Spending Deal Unclear
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Defense & Military
Senator Uses Hyten Nomination Hearing as Preamble to NDAA Nuclear Negotiations With House
The Senate’s top nuclear-weapon authorizer pumped Air Force Gen. John Hyten during a Tuesday confirmation hearing for ammunition to use in upcoming budget negotiations with House Democrats over spending levels for the ongoing modernization and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. President Donald Trump in April nominated Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command since 2016, […]
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Budget & Policy
In Debate, Warren Makes Case for No-First-Use of Nukes
Debating nine of her rivals for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president on Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) made her case again for a U.S. policy against first use of nuclear weapons. “The United States is not going to use nuclear weapons preemptively, and we need to say so to the entire world. It reduces […]
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Non-Proliferation
Nuke Execs Distanced Themselves From Group Pitching Fast-Track Tech Sales to Saudis
The private company pushing the Donald Trump administration to fast-track sales of nuclear-power technology to Saudia Arabia is the latest incarnatation of a long-running entity that periodically pitches “impossible” nuclear projects, one executive wrote in an email published this week by the House Oversight Committee. The details are part of a second interim staff report […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Two NRC Nominations Expected in Tandem
The White House is expected to submit two nominations in tandem for positions on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an informed source said this week. Senate Appropriations Committee staffer Christopher Hanson would be nominated to succeed Stephen Burns, who retired from the commission in April ahead of the end of his term on June 30. […]
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National Laboratories
Sheep Fire Sets Record for Biggest Blaze in Idaho National Lab History
The Sheep Fire, which burned more than 112,000 acres, is the largest blaze ever at the Energy Department’s Idaho National Laboratory, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. It eclipsed the old record set by the Jefferson Fire, which in 2010 burned almost 109,000 acres, including 79,000 acres within the INL property, according to laboratory spokeswoman Sarah Neumann. […]
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Decommissioning
Decommissioning Contract Issued for Oyster Creek Plant
Holtec International has issued its first major contract for decommissioning of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The contract went, as anticipated, to Comprehensive Decommissioning International, a joint venture of Holtec and Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin formed specifically for cleanup of retired nuclear power plants. The contract is worth hundreds of millions […]
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Decommissioning
Pilgrim Plant Shutdown Impacts Entergy 2Q Earnings
Entergy on Wednesday said it took a revenue hit from the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 2019. Even so, the New Orleans-based power company’s Entergy Wholesale Commodities (EWC) business slimmed its losses in the latest earning period. Entergy Wholesale Commodities reported a $26 million loss, or […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
NukeWatch Urges New Mexico Governor to Revisit Los Alamos Cleanup
The advocacy group Nuclear Watch New Mexico wants New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) to renegotiate a 2016 consent order with the U.S. Department of Energy on cleanup of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The organization in June urged Grisham to have the New Mexico Environment Department revisit the deal reached with the […]