Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

More than three-dozen nuclear critics and environmental groups contend in a recent letter that President Donald Trump’s executive actions could weaken radiation protections and endanger public health. “The Trump White House has issued numerous executive orders (EO), including one directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to revise its long-standing radiation rule, Standards for Protection Against […]

A new pro-nuclear group in New Mexico has emerged and seeks to play a role in the state’s transition towards clean energy with nuclear power. The New Mexico Nuclear Alliance, founded in July, is a non-partisan membership organization that operates out of Santa Fe, N.M. The new group has partnered with the Carlsbad N.M. Department […]

The Department of Energy told the Exchange Monitor Monday that, despite media outlets saying otherwise, President Donald Trump will not be meeting in the Oval Office with high-level nuclear weapons complex officials. News outlets such as CNN reported Friday that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) head Brandon Williams, and officials […]

The United Kingdom’s government has selected Wylfa on Anglesey in North Wales as the location for a set of Rolls-Royce small modular reactors (SMRs). The Wylfa site, home to a nuclear power plant being decommissioned, is expected to host three Rolls-Royce SMRs. There is potential the site could add five more such units in the […]

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the lawyers who successfully sued the Department of Energy over the Savannah River Site’s mismanaged Mixed Oxide (MOX) plutonium facility are entitled to $75 million of the $600 million settlement the state received.  The ruling was issued last Wednesday Nov. 12. South Carolina has litigation against DOE dating to […]

Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, who spent 15 years with the Department of Energy, has been selected to head the DOE Alumni Network, Tarak Shah, former DOE chief of staff during the Joe Biden administration, announced last week on LinkedIn. “Having gotten to know Jocelyn over this search process, I am SO excited that she is going to […]

Virginia regulators have approved Appalachian Power’s decision to spend money on site development and evaluation for a possible small modular reactor (SMR) deployment. The Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Nov. 12 order approved the American Electric Power utility’s request to spend money on site development, which allows it to seek cost recovery at a later date, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold a hybrid public meeting at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 19 to discuss its reactor oversight process. The meeting will be held at its NRC One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. It can also be viewed via Microsoft Teams. According to the meeting’s description, […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) November  18: CANCELLED: A meeting of DOE’s Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board set for University […]

Government and commercial imagery could help fill a void in on-site nuclear inspections, given the upcoming lapse in the New Strategic Arms Reduction (New START) Treaty protocol next February, a new report by the Federation of American Scientists said. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonproliferation-focused nonprofit founded in 1945 by Manhattan Project scientists, […]

The House voted 222-209 Wednesday to approve a stopgap spending bill that will fund the government until Jan. 30 with a loose promise from the GOP that Congress will negotiate on healthcare once the government reopens. The continuing resolution (CR), alongside a three-bill spending package, would head to President Donald Trump’s desk at 9:45p.m. Eastern […]

The future of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in California is uncertain after a state agency denied a key approval necessary for its continued operation until 2030. At the California Coastal Commission Nov. 6 meeting, the agency denied Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) request for a coastal development permit as the agency said it needed […]

An EnergySolutions proposal to take low-level radioactive waste from Ontario, Canada at its Clive, Utah disposal site will be the focus of an upcoming special meeting of the Northwest Interstate Compact On Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management. According to a public notice, the Nov. 25 public meeting will consider a draft for “possibly accepting LLRW  waste […]

Ernest Moniz, former energy secretary and head of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour returning to explosive nuclear testing would have a “quite terrible” impact “on multiple dimensions.” When asked about President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would return to nuclear testing “on an equal basis” with other countries, […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s report on a national waste management plan is coming together, DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory senior policy advisor Bradley Williams said this week at the American Nuclear Society (ANS) conference. Driven by President Donald Trump’s executive order “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base”, DOE, in conjunction with other agencies, is […]

BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va., has appointed Toby Smith as its new senior vice president and general counsel, replacing Ronald (Chip) Whitford, the company said last week. BWXT expects that Whitford will stay on in an advisory role through early 2026, the company said in a Nov. 6 press release. BWXT said Smith has logged more […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With sweeping changes coming to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), culture change might be the most crucial piece in NRC reform, panelists said Tuesday at the American Nuclear Society conference. President Donald Trump ordered an overhaul of NRC as part of his May 23 nuclear-related executive orders. The president called for streamlining […]

The Australian government early this month announced a strategic contract setting up an industry partnership that will potentially see Australian battery technology used in the SSN-AUKUS submarine design.  The Australian-based PMB Defense is partnering with the United Kingdom’s BAE Systems in contracts worth over $34 million to enable potential integration of its advanced nickel zinc […]

President Donald Trump’s White House statements during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent visit confirmed Trump supports advancing AUKUS, regardless of an ongoing Department of Defense review, a DoD nominee said last week.  Austin Dahmer, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, made these comments during his testimony to the […]

Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the Department of Energy’s operations contractor for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is on the lookout for potential office space around Idaho Falls, according to an online procurement notice. As it kicks off its market research, the prime contractor is asking for expressions of interest (EOI) from providers capable of leasing […]

While the federal government might reopen soon, a regular meeting of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board in South Carolina scheduled for next week has been called off. The SRS Citizens Advisory Board was to meet next Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the new Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative center at the University […]

The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Ho Nieh to be a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Nov. 18. The Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the Senate Cloakroom’s Monday post on X. If confirmed, Nieh […]

The Senate late Monday voted 60-40 to open the government with a spending package that would fund the government until Jan. 30 sans the extension of health care subsidies Democrats were fighting for. As early as 4 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, the House will vote on the same spending package, according to a notice by […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To meet rising energy demands, the United States needs to prioritize building large nuclear reactors, several federal officials said during the American Nuclear Society conference Monday. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) said during various panel discussions that small modular reactors will […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) November  09 – 12 – American Nuclear Society (ANS) 2025 Winter Conference and Expo in Washington […]