Vol. 9, No. 12 
DOE Sticking With Battelle on Borehole Project
-
Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
House GOP Lawmakers Urge Moniz to Restart Yucca Mountain
House Republicans in a letter Thursday urged Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to “expeditiously” restart the stalled Yucca Mountain license application review. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and panel member John Shimkus (R-Ill.) penned the letter, seeking information on DOE’s nuclear waste policy. The letter comes two weeks after Upton and Shimkus sent a […]
-
Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
Mulvaney Introduces Interim Nuclear Waste Storage Bill
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) this week introduced legislation that would allow the Department of Energy to contract private companies for interim storage of nuclear waste. Such legislation is seen as necessary for establishing private, interim facilities that would store spent nuclear fuel now held on-site at nuclear power plants around the country. Two companies, Waste […]
-
Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
AG: N.D. Health Council Violated Public Meeting Law
The North Dakota Health Council violated state public meeting law during the approval process for rule changes that allow for higher radioactivity levels in oil-field waste, state Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem concluded in an opinion Tuesday. According to Stenehjem, the council failed to provide proper public notice for an August 2015 meeting in which the […]
-
Commercial Decommissioning
SCE Expects to Pick SONGS Decommissioning Contractor This Summer
Southern California Edison expects in June or July to select a prime contractor for decommissioning of its shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station near San Diego, a senior official said last week. SCE Vice President Tom Palmisano, SONGS decommissioning and chief nuclear officer, said he could not discuss the criteria the company is using in […]
-
Commercial Decommissioning
Entergy Exec Talks Decommissioning and Market Forces
A flawed market design and the fall of natural gas prices are among the contributors nuclear power facility owners cite when prematurely closing facilities. That has been no different with Entergy, a power company that announced the closures of three plants in 2014-15: Vermont Yankee, FitzPatrick, and Pilgrim. Consensus from the surrounding communities over the […]
-
Commercial Decommissioning
Entergy Remains Firm on Closing FitzPatrick
The James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant remains on schedule for permanent shutdown in January 2017, despite an announcement this week that the New York state Senate’s new budget plan includes $100 million meant to expedite access to tax credits for renewable energy sources. The New York Public Service Commission in February announced a “rescue […]
-
Commercial Decommissioning
Vermont Lawmakers Want Locals to Have Seat at Decommissioning Table
Members of the Vermont congressional delegation are urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to give local stakeholders “a seat at the table” in the decommissioning process for nuclear power plants. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), and Rep. Peter Welch (D), joined by 12 colleagues in the House and Senate, wrote a letter to […]
-
Commercial Decommissioning
NRC Commissioner Suggests Expedited Decommissioning Rulemaking
Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine Svinicki suggested Tuesday that NRC staff consider expediting parts of its decommissioning rulemaking, so that the new rules can be applied to any nuclear power plants that announce premature shutdowns in the next two years. The rulemaking is in an effort to improve nuclear plant decommissioning regulations, with a particular focus […]
-
Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
Wrap Up: NRC is Preparing Workload for Interim Storage Applications
U.S. A senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said Thursday the agency has begun preparing for a potential workload shift, as it expects two license applications this year for companies looking to operate interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel. NRC is expecting an application from Texas-based Waste Control Specialists in April and another a few […]