Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

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 […]

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is inviting interested residents of several East Tennessee counties to apply for openings on the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. The DOE-sanctioned advisory board provides the Office of Environmental Management (EM) with advice and recommendations on cleanup of the DOE’s Oak Ridge Site, the […]

Russia said Tuesday it successfully tested a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile and plans to field the weapon later this year, a move that came as ceasefire efforts in Ukraine appeared increasingly strained. The country had carried out a successful test of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, according to comments made during a meeting with Strategic […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a prominent year for nuclear energy, the industry needs to turn its focus towards building new generation at scale, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said at a Tuesday forum. To open the NEI’s 2026 Nuclear Energy Policy Forum, Korsnick said last year marked a year of serious […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently over the Department of Energy’s decision to redirect funding intended for the Savannah River Site to weapons production efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development subcommittee hearing in late April, Graham said $149 million appropriated through reconciliation for […]

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is in jeopardy of ceasing operations due to its aging facility and spent fuel storage nearing its capacity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a May 7 report. The GAO recommended that DOE complete its evaluation of the Idaho Operations Office’s research and test reactor spent […]

Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, which the engineering and technology company attributed to favorable trends in its key business lines. Amentum announced its earnings in a Monday press release, followed by a conference call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday morning. Amentum’s earnings slide deck is also posted online […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has exercised its second two-year option period with the Huntington Ingalls Industries-led legacy cleanup contractor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a DOE spokesperson confirmed Monday. As a result, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) will stay on the job through April 29, 2028, the spokesperson […]

A group of nuclear critics Monday publicly denounced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) proposed rulemaking to review Department of Energy and Pentagon-approved reactor designs. In a joint press release, the 13 organizations, including Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Beyond Nuclear, said the proposed rule violates aspects of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 […]

Keith Wood, vice president of marketing and communications for Amentum’s Energy and Environment business, plans to retire in July. Wood, who has spent 37 years with Amentum and its predecessor companies, will retire effective July 3, according to an Amentum staff email from Amentum Energy & Environment President Mark Whitney. Wood has earned much “respect […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently completed construction at the Pantex Plant’s High Explosives Science and Engineering facility, consolidating 15 Manhattan Project-era facilities, the agency said last week. “The new High Explosives Science and Engineering facility is a landmark achievement, setting an unprecedented standard for high explosives research and development crucial to national security,” […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said last week it successfully transferred 1.7 metric tons of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Japan to the United States, reportedly the largest international transfer in the agency’s history. NNSA teamed up with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, according to […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a fiscal 2027 budget hearing to discuss the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s request Wednesday morning. The hearing will be held in Room 406 in the Senate Dirksen Office Building at 10 a.m. Eastern time. All five of the NRC commissioners will be testifying before the full Senate […]