Vol. 28, No. 20 
Weapons up, nonproliferation down in House committee’s NDAA
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Budget & Policy
Pantex award in June; ‘bold’ NNSA weapons budget forecast
WASHINGTON — The National Nuclear Security Administration still plans to announce the new manager of Pantex Plant in June, the head of the agency said here Wednesday. Jill Hruby, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), reiterated the timeline during an evening Capitol Hill panel discussion and reception hosted by Bechtel National, the nongovernmental […]
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Contracts & Procurement
DOE to award National Training Center management contract ‘by August’
The Department of Energy said it is still reviewing the latest small business proposals it got to manage the National Training Center in New Mexico and planned an award no sooner than August. In 2023, three small businesses protested the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2022 award to Eagle Harbor to manage the National Training Center […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Biden signs ban on Russian uranium imports
President Biden (D) on Monday signed into law a ban on importing Russian uranium beginning in 2028, the White House announced. Under the bill, companies may no longer import unirradiated low-enriched uranium produced in Russia or by a Russian entity unless the importer gets a waiver from the Department of Energy. Waivers are only good […]
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Non-Proliferation
Post New START treaty ‘la-la land’ fantasy, lawmaker says; colleague sees overture from China
Senators in a hearing Wednesday pressed Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins about what the State Department is doing to deter Russia and China’s nuclear capabilities. Jenkins was the sole witness in the hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which met less than a year before the February 2026 expiration of the New START nuclear arms control […]
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Budget & Policy
Supporters of reupping radiation compensation law urge House vote
With a June 7 deadline looming, supporters of reauthorizing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act gathered in the U.S. Capitol grounds Thursday to urge House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a vote on the bill. As of the Thursday May 16 rally and press conference, the House of Representatives had nine working days left to […]
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Non-Proliferation
NNSA wraps biannual counterterrorism exercise
The National Nuclear Security of Administration’s Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation coordinated a multi-laboratory nuclear forensics capabilities exercise, the agency said recently. The Epic Shadow exercise is held twice a year by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to demonstrate the NNSA’s Nuclear Forensics Material Analysis Program (NF-MAP). With NF-MAP, NNSA says decision-makers will be […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Oklo shares crater on first day of trading, ride roller coaster
Nuclear power company Oklo, chaired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, started trading on the New York Stock Exchange last week, dropped 54% directly after going public and rebounded to more than half of its initial offering price by market close on Thursday. Shares opened the day May 10 at $15.50 each and fell to $8.45 […]
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International
Wrap up: State Dept says Iran still has no nuclear weapon; Pantex weather app now available; Former LLNL Engineer now UMich Dean; More
A State Department spokesperson said in a press briefing this week that despite comments made by an Iranian official last week on Iran’s nuclear doctrine, the Joe Biden (D) administration assesses that the Islamic Republic is not building a nuclear weapon. The spokesperson was responding to a reporter’s question on Monday about a reported statement […]