Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  APRIL: 21: Conference: The Energy Communities Alliance sponsors a three-day conference on advanced nuclear opportunities starting at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on April 21 at the Augusta, Ga. Marriott at the Convention Center.  27-29: Conference: Louisiana Nuclear Strategy and Supply Chain at […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Department of Energy, with help from Congress, could save billions of dollars over time by clarifying how high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is defined in statute. While this is a longstanding issue, GAO urged Congress to set up a Blue Ribbon Commission of experts to tackle the matter, in […]

The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Wednesday released its final site-wide environmental impact statement and its record of decision to implement an “expanded operations alternative” at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. “Expanded operations” means exactly what it sounds like: all activities at Los Alamos will continue as they […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to issue its long-awaited new licensing process to speed reviews of advanced nuclear reactors. The rule, known as 10 CFR Part 53 or Part 53, is the first new set of regulations for approving reactors since 1989 and the first major update to reactor licensing standards since 1956 when […]

While President Donald Trump has not officially signed a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, the announcement by a State Department official that one is in the works got pushback in Congress. Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told both the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees that […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said Tuesday it selected Christie Miller and Christian Ortego as two new vice presidents at its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Starting April 1, Miller will be vice president of communications, and Ortego will be vice president and NNS chief counsel, the company release said. Miller will succeed Jennifer Dunn, who […]

Uranium production is ramping up at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS), with plans to produce nearly 23 metric tons of high-level uranium for fuel production,and other purposes for the DOE nuclear complex. That was the message that the SRS Citizens Advisory Board heard Tuesday during the panel’s regular bimonthly meeting at the […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said this week it is planning several outer space projects, including the use of nuclear power for certain space exploration.  NASA outlined these new initiatives at its Ignition event held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to discuss missions involving the moon and Mars.  Among other things, NASA seeks […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published the final environmental impact statement last week for a subsequent license renewal for Duke Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant in South Carolina. The subsequent license renewal would extend the reactor’s operation from 60 to 80 years. This license comes after the initial license renewal that extends its potential operating life from […]

Uranium Energy Corp has received approval from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to expand in situ recovery operations at Christensen Ranch in Johnson County, Wyo. In situ recovery is one of the two primary extraction methods used to mine uranium from the underground. The Corpus Christi, Texas-based uranium mining company said in its […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At least one lawmaker, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), is unenthused about the Department of Energy’s interest in rebranding its Office of Environmental Management (EM) at this time. “What they should be more concerned about is cleaning all the s— [stuff] up that they haven’t cleaned, that’s what they should be spending […]

Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said he has “not been in any discussions” where U.S. testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere has been under consideration. “We’re still assessing,” Dinanno said in testimony Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’ve made no decision specifically on how or what […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Energy needs to figure out a waste management strategy before pushing for more nuclear power, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) told DOE officials in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing last week. “I can’t stress this enough; this to me is the issue we deal with first: […]

The head of arms control for the State Department told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday that continued modernization, including 150 B-21s, will prod China to engage in arms control talks with the United States. “I think the president’s broad view, and he’s been extremely forward leaning on this, is he wants to see fewer […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office is on track for substantial completion of its liquid waste mission at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina by 2037  if sufficient funding is authorized, the local field office boss said Tuesday. On March 5, high-level radioactive tank 14 “achieved preliminary cease waste removal status” on March […]

Knoxville-based Professional Project Services (Pro2Serve) is now a 100% employee-owned company, the Department of Energy contractor said in a Monday news release. In addition to reaching the 100% staff-owned milestone, through its Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Pro2Serve also announced newly appointed board of directors members.  Every employee can own a stake in Pro2Serve by participating […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public input on Fermi America’s combined license application for Project Matador based in Carson County, Texas. NRC has opened up a 30-day comment period to gather feedback on the scope of its draft environmental impact statement it is preparing for the application. The period closes on April 20, according […]

Over half of thefts involving nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorized transport, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) database showed Monday. More often than not, stolen radioactive material is not recovered, IAEA also said.  The ITDB is IAEA’s collection of illicit trafficking incidents, […]

The Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board will hear presentations Tuesday on everything from liquid waste cleanup to use of drones at the Department of Energy Site near Aiken, S.C. The agenda for the advisory board includes the usual updates from DOE’s Office of Environmental Management field office and the South Carolina regulatory agency as […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has published the final environmental impact statement for Florida Power and Light St. Lucie Nuclear Plant’s subsequent license renewal. A subsequent license renewal extends a reactor’s operation from 60 to 80 years and comes after the first license renewal that extends potential operating life from 40 to 60 years. In […]

Hadrian Automation on March 20 announced a $2.4 billion public-private partnership with the Navy that will result in three artificial intelligence (AI)-powered factories, with its first facility focused on producing submarine parts within a year. The facilities are aimed at helping produce parts for the Navy’s maritime industrial base, according to a statement by Hadrian. […]

X-Energy said Friday it has started the process to become a publicly-traded company, announcing it filed a draft registration statement with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). X-Energy, a nuclear company based in Rockville, Md., plans to trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol XE, according to the company’s March 20 […]

An hour-long webcast  is now available online from Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony at the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site in Ohio for the new energy and artificial intelligence data center. The Donald Trump administration officially announced Friday March 20 that the DOE gaseous diffusion plant site in Piketon, Ohio has been selected for a new multi-billion-dollar […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:    March:  24: Hearing: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will meet to examine arms control functions at the State Department, featuring testimony from Thomas DiNanno, undersecretary for arms control and international security at the State Department. The hearing will start at 10:30 a.m. […]

The Navy last week awarded General Dynamics’ (GD) Electric Boat Corp. a $15.38 billion modification in more Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) work related to industrial base development support. This award covers additional Columbia-class submarine design, lead yard support and sustainment, “integrated enterprise plan initiatives for the class, and submarine industrial base supplier development […]

After a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility early Friday, Iran retaliated with a strike on a town near Israel’s secret nuclear facility, Negev, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and major news outlets. Afterward, an international nuclear monitor said it has not identified any increase in offsite radiation following the exchange.  […]