Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

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 […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Doug Weaver was reconfirmed by the Senate Monday to serve a full five-year term as a commissioner that will expire in June 2031. Weaver was confirmed alongside nearly 50 of President Donald Trump’s other nominees in the en bloc package, Senate Resolution 690, spearheaded by the Republicans. The nominees’ confirmation […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said on May 15 it has received a bid from Indiana to become the 41st agreement state. An agreement state enters into a deal with the NRC to assume regulatory authority over particular radioactive materials and do inspections within the respective state borders. The state also receives some license fee […]

An Iranian withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) could destabilize the Middle East nonproliferation regime and prompt regional states to reconsider their treaty commitments, Iran scholar Sina Azodi said Monday. Speaking at an event hosted by the Stimson Center and moderated by former Iran task force leader Barbara Slavin, Azodi […]

NextEra Energy said on Monday that it will purchase Dominion Energy for nearly $67 billion to combine two of the largest utilities in the United States. According to the companies’ joint press release, the transaction was unanimously approved by both the Dominion and NextEra boards and is expected to close in 12 to 18 months. […]

SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental review on plutonium pit production understates risks to water resources, worker safety and communities along transport routes. Some speakers at a Thursday May 14 public hearing in Santa Fe also said NNSA is failing […]

The House Appropriations Committee will markup its version of the fiscal 2027 energy and water development and related agencies bill, which would fund the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, on Wednesday, May 20. The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee on Friday passed by voice vote its version of the […]

As the Air Force prepares to modify two B-52H bombers later this year for the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), the bomber directorate’s contracting office will meet with contractors interested in supplying support equipment to install new engines. The Office at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., will meet with contractors interested in supplying support equipment […]

Shipments to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) appear to be back in full swing, with the facility receiving 55 waste shipments in April.  That’s the highest total since the 61 shipments of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste that WIPP received in September 2025. It was also higher than the 47 it received […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  MAY: 20: Hearing: The Senate Environment & Public Works plans a hearing at 10 a.m. Eastern Time to consider nuclear energy legislation.  26-28:Conference: The Energy Technology & Environmental Business Association (ETEBA) hosts its Small Business Summit, The formal program starts Tuesday May […]

Sen. Bill Cassady (R-La.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and one of the few remaining Republicans in Congress who once voted to impeach President Donald Trump, has lost a GOP primary race in Louisiana. Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and state Treasurer John Fleming […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a time of growing energy demand, investment in nuclear power can be important to the economic future of the United States, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said last week.  Gallego told the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Policy Forum May 12-13 that getting the right mix of nuclear energy in the domestic energy portfolio […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Innovation and Safety will hold a hearing to discuss several draft nuclear-related legislation on May 20 in Room 406 at the Senate Dirksen Office Building in Washington, D.C. at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. \The subcommittee will look at the Build Nuclear with […]

The Navy’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan released May 11 reveals the Trump-class battleship will be nuclear powered and armed, while extending to a 15-ship class.. “The nuclear-powered battleship is designed to provide the fleet with a significant increase in combat power by longer endurance, higher speed, and accommodating advanced weapon systems required for modern warfare,” […]

Several lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee last week were dubious of the Navy’s approach to the new Trump-class battleship in the fiscal year 2027 budget request. “I don’t doubt for a minute your need, I don’t,” Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), ranking member of the subcommittee, told Navy officials May 12.  “But here’s […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid ongoing organizational changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), staffing concerns take precedence as the independent regulator works to license the next generation of nuclear reactors. During a Wednesday Senate Environment and Public Works budget hearing, NRC Commissioner Bradley Crowell told the Senate that over the past 16 months, the agency […]

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday the United States need not resume explosive nuclear testing, though he and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) head Brandon Williams acknowledged the president could choose to do so for reasons beyond technical necessity. Both officials’ answers were prompted by sharp questioning from Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) during […]

AtkinsRéalis has signed a 20-year agreement with First American Nuclear Company to become the engineering,  procurement and construction management provider for First American Nuclear’s small modular reactor deployments in North America. According to AtkinsRéalis’ Wednesday press release, work on the first task orders is already underway and agreement contemplates services are worth up to $250 […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As hyperscalers continue to prioritize speed to power, advanced reactors are seen as a long-term solution to powering artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, Meta’s Joel Kaplan said at a Tuesday forum. During the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) Nuclear Energy Policy Forum panel held here at Omni Shoreham Hotel, Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs […]

Brandon Williams, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said Wednesday the agency is rebidding the contract for Savannah River Site due to a “not acceptable” performance on the pit production program. “We are rebidding the contract because we agree with you that the timeline and the budget is not acceptable,” Williams said while testifying […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tim Walsh, the Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, told a Senate panel Wednesday that his office is serious about solidifying tank waste at the DOE’s Hanford State in Washington state. Walsh appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee alongside Secretary of Energy Chris Wright as well as National Nuclear […]

The Department of Energy said Tuesday the Idaho National Laboratory recently made its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste to DOE’s underground disposal site in New Mexico for the first time since 2014. Workers from Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition made the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment on April 21, according to DOE. The shipments […]