Vol. 12, No. 18 
Senators Try Again on Nuclear Waste Management Bill
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Budget & Policy
Nevada Locals, Senators Divided on Yucca Mountain Bill
By John Stang Officials from Nevada sent mixed signals this week to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee regarding upcoming legislation intended to kick-start the stalled nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain. On Tuesday, nine of Nevada’s 17 counties indicated support for the legislation in a letter to committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wy.), […]
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Commercial Low-Level Waste
Texas Demands Voice in Rad Waste Disposal Within its Borders
Texas must have a say in approval of disposal of Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste in the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said in an April 26 letter to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Kristine Svinicki. Proceedings underway at both federal agencies could ultimately open the door for disposal of […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC Aims to Streamline Environmental Reviews
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun the process of streamlining the environmental reviews it conducts in ruling on license applications. The industry regulator discussed the outlines of its plan in a recent solicitation for a consultant who will support the improvement proceeding. “The main objective of this contract is to obtain technical assistance in […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
ECA Wants Full Analyses of DOE Sites With High-Level Waste
The Energy Department should prepare comprehensive assessments of Cold War nuclear sites now storing high-level radioactive waste to determine how much of it could safely be handled as low-level or transuranic waste, the Energy Communities Alliance said Monday. That is one of a set of recommendations in an ECA report, which aims to build on […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
South Carolina Revising Waste Plant Operating License Following Court Ruling
The state of South Carolina is implementing stricter environmental safety guidelines for the operator of a rural radioactive waste disposal facility, but has not released details while the license review continues. The move comes after the state Supreme Court in March strongly suggested changes be made at the facility. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control […]
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Decommissioning
Watchdog Group Sues to Freeze SONGS Decommissioning
The San Diego advocacy group Public Watchdogs is suing a California state agency to prevent decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) until a new environmental review of the project is conducted. At issue is the California State Lands Commission’s approval on March 21 of an agency staff environmental impact report (EIR) on […]
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Commercial Decommissioning
Wildfires Again Dominate Edison Int’l Earnings
By John Stang As has been the case in previous quarterly earnings reports, California’s wildfires dominated the first-quarter financial picture for Edison International’s and subsidiary Southern California Edison. Executives made no mention of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in Tuesday’s quarterly earnings announcement and accompanying teleconference call with analysts. Edison’s latest filing […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Entergy Reports Robust Earnings Growth as Merchant Nuclear Wind-Down Advances
Entergy on Wednesday reported growth in earnings on both an as-reported and adjusted basis in the first quarter of 2019 as it further winds down its merchant nuclear power business. As-reported earnings came in at $255 million, or $1.32 per share, up from $133 million, or $0.73 per share, in the same quarter of 2018. […]
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
EnergySolutions Picked to Support Decommissioning of Fort Calhoun Reactor
The Omaha, Neb., Public Power District (OPPD) on Monday announced it had hired nuclear services firm EnergySolutions to support decommissioning of the retired Fort Calhoun Station power plant. EnergySolutions will provide “technical and specialized project expertise,” while OPPD personnel will manage the overall decommissioning, according to a press release from the utility. “ES brings a […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Feds Confirm Link Between Coldwater Creek Contamination and Cancer Risks
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) this week confirmed a 2018 finding that exposure to contaminants from former radioactive waste storage near St. Louis, Mo., could have heightened the risk for various cancers among residents of the area. The ATSDR on Tuesday issued its final report on cancer risks near Coldwater […]