Vol. 13, No. 8 
Energy Dept. Retreats From Undersecretary’s Comments on Yucca Mountain
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC Plans $728.5 Million in Fees for FY20
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday it will need to collect $728.5 million in fees to fund its operations for the current federal budget year. That figure meets the agency’s mandate under the 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act to recover 90% of its yearly funding from licensee and service fees, according to a Federal Register […]
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Decommissioning
NRC Working Group Finalizing Recommendations on Decommissioning Financial Assurance
A working group of staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled in March to issue a formal set of recommendations to enhance financial assurances for decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Senior managers at the agency established the working group last September to consider the matter in the face of a growing trend in the […]
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Budget & Policy
Nuclear Waste Experts’ Board Wants $2M Budget Boost
The federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) is requesting a $2 million increase to its annual budget as it eyes added authority. The small agency’s spending cap has held steady at $3.6 million since fiscal 2016. But in the congressional budget justification for the upcoming 2021 funding year, it asked for $5.6 million. Much […]
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Decommissioning
NRC Urges Court to Dismiss Industry Petition on VLLW Disposal Authority
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking a federal appeals court to dismiss a petition challenging its sole authority to regulate disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) from nuclear power plants in the agency’s agreement states. The Nuclear Energy Institute missed the 60-day window set under the Atomic Energy Act and Hobbs Act to file […]
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Decommissioning
Entergy Increases Earnings for 4Q, Full-Year 2019
By John Stang Strong investment returns on the decommissioning trust funds for the Pilgrim and Indian Point nuclear power complexes helped Entergy improve its financial pictures for 2019. The better numbers came from a mix of financial sources – along with the decommissioning trust returns, Entergy benefited from more favorable income tax returns, lower asset […]
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Commercial Low-Level Waste
Wrap Up: New Mexico Senate Votes Down Rad Waste Oversight Bill
The New Mexico Senate on Monday voted down a bill intended to increase state oversight of a planned commercial storage facility for radioactive spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power plants. Senators voted 25-16 against the legislation from Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Democrat from Las Cruces. Senate Bill 95 would have instituted several updates to the […]