Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted Orano USA’s Project IKE uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. for an accelerated review on May 21. NRC said in a press release it plans to complete its technical review of Orano’s construction permit application within 12 months. That evaluation will include a detailed safety and security analysis and […]

As part of its Energy & Water funding bill advanced last week, the House Appropriations Committee wants the Department of Energy’s cleanup office to report within six months on what to do about certain radioactive waste at the West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo, N.Y. The bill passed out of House Appropriations would order DOE’s […]

Veolia Nuclear Solutions – Federal Services has made personnel changes in two high-level management positions aimed at improving its engineering and technology business lines, the company said on May 20. According to a Veolia Nuclear Solutions – Federal Services (VNSFS) spokesperson, the company has promoted its former Vice President of Technology Deployment Brett Campbell to […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would receive no additional funding for cleaning up certain old nuclear sites during fiscal 2027, according to the Energy & Water Development bill advanced by the House Appropriations Committee last week. “This appropriation funds the cleanup of certain low-level radio active materials and mixed wastes located at sites contaminated […]

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) remains concerned that a prospective U.S.-Saudi Arabia 123 agreement may not include the “gold standard” nonproliferation provisions that bar uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing. “You know, I have raised this at every opportunity, and always the answer is opaque,” Merkley said in an interview. “But what my impression is, no […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory may require significant electrical infrastructure upgrades within several years as artificial intelligence programs, supercomputing systems and weapons modernization activities sharply increase power demand, the lab’s Deputy Director for Mission Operations Mark Davis said this month. Speaking before the Los Alamos County Council, Davis said the laboratory is pursuing plans for a […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) would receive $42 million in fiscal 2027, under the bill advanced by the House Appropriations Committee last week. The $42 million is the same amount that Congress enacted for DNFSB for fiscal 2026, which ends Sept. 30. It is also less than the $45 million the  Donald Trump […]

The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Wash., needs better oversight of its consultants, the DOE’s Office of Inspector General said recently.   “We found that PNNL did not fully comply with applicable laws, regulations, and contract requirements in managing its professional and consultant services agreements,“ the DOE Office of Inspector General […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  MAY: 26: Virtual Forum: Advanced Nuclear Weapons Deterrence Center presentation starts at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.  26-28:Conference: The Energy Technology & Environmental Business Association (ETEBA) hosts its Small Business Summit, The formal program starts Tuesday May 27 at 8 a.m. Mountain Time […]

The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) recently identified four potential sites for a new advanced reactor to be built in Nebraska. In a May 20 press release, NPPD said that Beatrice, Brownville, Norfolk and Sutherland were the top four communities suited for a new reactor.  The four sites identified were as a part of the […]

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will run for another term in Florida’s 20th Congressional district amid Florida’s new redrawn district maps, she announced on her X account May 22. Wasserman Schultz has been a representative for over 20 years. She is a member of the House Appropriation Committee and its Subcommittee on Energy and Water […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory Deputy Director for Mission Operations Mark Davis said this month the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise is entering a “fourth age of deterrence,” marking a shift from post-Cold War stewardship toward large-scale modernization and production. Speaking May 5 before the Los Alamos County Council, Davis described the current era as one driven […]

The House Appropriations Committee passed 34-25 its version of a bill on Wednesday that would give $27 billion to the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for fiscal 2027. That number is $1.67 billion more than was enacted for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile in fiscal […]

The Department of Energy and its construction manager for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) said Tuesday the facility has now vitrified 100,000 gallons of liquid tank waste into a solid glass form. “Each gallon of immobilized waste brings us closer to a cleaner, safer environment and revitalized community,” Brian Hartman, WTP project director […]

While the House Appropriations Committee proposes to spend less in fiscal 2027 for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site than in fiscal 2026, or what was requested by the White House, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.)  said there is still enough to meet cleanup milestones. During a committee markup, Newhouse, the longtime incumbent who represents Washington’s […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted the NANO Nuclear’s KRONOS microreactor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Illinois for review on Tuesday. The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, NANO’s partner for the reactor deployment, submitted the application on March 31. The university’s engineering department is NANO’s partner for the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Desires of building new nuclear reactors at scale are anchored in a strong supply chain, with a key focus on uranium enrichment, a panel of nuclear experts told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. During the hearing by the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Innovation and Safety, […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed the first production unit of the W76/Mk4B reentry body for the Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead, the agency said Wednesday. The first unit was produced nearly three months ahead of schedule, according to an email from NNSA. The Mk4B reentry body, developed in coordination with […]

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) the House of Representatives incumbent whose district includes the Department of Energy’s Paducah Site, easily won a Republican primary Tuesday night in Kentucky. Comer, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, won 88% of the vote in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s first congressional district, according to results […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no significant impact in the environmental assessment of Dow and X-Energy’s construction permit application for their Texas small modular reactor (SMR) plant. NRC said on Monday the environmental assessment was completed ahead of schedule. It also determined an environmental assessment was sufficient for X-Energy’s Texas project than an […]

Republican incumbents easily won their party primaries Tuesday in Idaho, where the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is based. Longtime House Appropriations Committee member and INL backer Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) carried more than 63% of the GOP primary vote in Congressional District 2, with the rest of the votes being split between […]

Staffing vacancies in key positions at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) have grown more acute, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report made public Tuesday. The office in charge of nuclear cleanup at Cold War and Manhattan Project sites “has become further understaffed since GAO reported on EM’s workforce […]

Miami-based tritium nuclear technology developer City Labs has been awarded a $1.5 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company said Monday. City Labs said in a press release the funding, under DARPA’s Rads to Watts program, will support the development of a new class of high-power radiation voltaics energy systems. […]

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) criticized the omission of funding for the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile from the fiscal 2027 budget request, warning the absence of appropriated funding could jeopardize the Navy’s ability to meet a congressionally mandated deadline. Speaking to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Fischer […]

The wildfire-prone New Mexico county where the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory is located has entered “stage 1 fire restrictions,” according to a recent post from the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities. “Fire Marshal Colorado Cordova of the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) has enacted fire restrictions to Stage 1, effective […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said it completed the first phase of its Kansas City Non-Nuclear Expansion Transformation (KC NeXT) at its Kansas City National Security Campus. “In a rapidly changing national security environment, modernizing the enterprise to be more adaptive, agile, responsive, and resilient is more critical than ever before,” […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup field office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and its environmental contractor will conduct a presentation Wednesday on the hexavalent chromium plume during the Los Alamos County, N.M., Department of Public Utilities Board meeting. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and contractor Newport News Nuclear-BWXT Los Alamos will discuss the […]