Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

Last week, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Emergency Relief for Federal Contractors Act to allow federal contractors working without pay to withdraw pay from their retirement savings without penalty. Cortez Masto’s district includes the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Nevada National Security Site, the largest NNSA site that conducts underground, subcritical experiments to […]

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told a Senate panel Wednesday if confirmed, he will work to ensure the agency is independent and prioritizes safety. In a statement to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Ho Nieh, a former NRC staffer of 23 years, said his desire to […]

There are things the U.S. and Australia can do to make the AUKUS security agreement stronger and more sustainable, a Defense Department official said Tuesday. During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), John Noh, nominated to be assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, also confirmed a review of the […]

Veolia said this week it has selected Nadège Petit as CEO of the North America Zone, effective Dec. 1. Petit will join the group’s executive committee in a move to support Veolia’s expansion efforts in the United States. Petit is a prominent international executive with much experience in energy, new technologies and business development, Veolia […]

Tim Walsh, a combat veteran and Colorado real estate developer, was confirmed by the full U.S. Senate Tuesday to head the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management. Walsh was confirmed 51-to-47 by the Senate Tuesday as part of a bloc of dozens of nominees from President Donald Trump who have been awaiting a […]

With a new wave of advanced reactors on the way, the United States needs a strategy to utilize nuclear fuel recycling, former Department of Energy assistant secretary of Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said in an opinion piece. “As a former assistant secretary for nuclear energy, I recently watched my successor, Ted Garrish, confirmed by the […]

Management for a Y-12 building found its emergency notification system in “degrading condition” due to its volume levels lowering, according to a September nuclear watchdog report. The buildings in question are Building 9204-2E and Building 9204-2, which are conjoined by a section of a wall. While work orders have been placed to repair the emergency […]

Thomas Summers, the acting chair of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), is scheduled to see his tenure on the safety watchdog for Department of Energy defense nuclear sites come to an end later this month. Summers, a retired Air Force colonel who has also served as a senior adviser in the Office of […]

Senate Republicans are gearing up to vote on another mass package of White House nominees awaiting confirmation, and the group includes Tim Walsh, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Walsh is one of many nominees identified in Senate Resolution 412 who could be voted upon in one […]

WASHINGTON – For technical reasons there is no current need for the United States to conduct above-ground or underground nuclear weapons’ tests, David Beck, President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy administrator of defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), told a Senate hearing Tuesday.  Beck was responding to Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), whose […]

The public has until Dec. 1 to request a hearing before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board on a license amendment authorizing Tri-structural Isotope (TRISO) fuel fabrication at Framatome’s plant in Richland, Wash. Among other things, the Framatome Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland produces uranium dioxide (UO2) powder, pellets, fuel rods and […]

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments concerning litigation brought by two sisters who claim their cancer is connected to radioactive contamination in the St. Louis area dating back to the Manhattan Project.  In a notice made public Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court “invited” the U.S. Solicitor General to file written arguments […]

For the time being at least, the Department of Energy plans to hold a virtual meeting of the chairs for its Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Boards later this month. The online meeting is currently scheduled from  10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Oct. 28. That is according to a Sept. 25 Federal Register notice. […]

The state of Arkansas has contacted EXCEL Services Corporation (EXCEL) to conduct a feasibility study for a new nuclear energy plant within the state. The contract between the Rockville, Md.-based nuclear engineering and licensing service provider and Arkansas was executed on Sept. 26, according to EXCEL’s Monday press release. The study will involve an evaluation […]

President Donald Trump last week signed an order extending the lifespan of 19 federal advisory committees, including one devoted to the study of radiation and worker health, by two years. According to the order, signed Sept. 29 and published in the Monday Federal Register, the advisory committees will continue to operate until at least Sept. […]

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a nomination hearing for Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Ho Nieh Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at the Senate Dirksen Office Building. Nieh, nominated in July by President Donald Trump to serve as a NRC commissioner, will testify alongside Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator for […]

Matthew Napoli, President Donald Trump’s pick for Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), was sworn in Oct. 3 by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Napoli announced the swearing in on his LinkedIn page Sunday.  “A special thank you to the incredible NNSA leadership team of Brandon Williams […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration will move into “emergency shutdown procedures” this week if the government does not reopen, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said last week on Fox News. “We have about eight more days of funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration [NNSA],” Wright said in an Oct. 2 interview with Fox News’s […]

As the Air Force restructures the program for the future intercontinental ballistic missile, it wants to solidify requirements for the missile silos and launch centers before possibly recertifying the program for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) in 2027. In an interview, run by Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily in September at the Air and Space […]

U.S. Air Force Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, is to retire after the White House recently withdrew his nomination as service vice chief of staff. In a LinkedIn post last Wednesday, Bussiere said he and his wife “made the difficult decision to request retirement from the United States Air […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed its Commission meeting that was scheduled on Tuesday Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at Rockville, Md. due to the ongoing government shutdown. No makeup date has been scheduled, according to NRC’s website. The Organization of Agreement States and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors were slated to […]

Deconstruction of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is nearing its completion, according to NorthStar Group Services, in a September decommissioning  update. The Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel met on Sept. 22, where NorthStar senior project manager Corey Daniels reported an update on the Vermont nuclear plant’s decommissioning activities. Daniels said most of the […]

  The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office said last week it has taken down a major 1960s era contaminated facility at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). After three years of labor intensive work, crews directed by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) have dismantled Test Cell C at the Nevada site’s Area 25, […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: October 06 (Cancelled): Hearing: An NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hear oral arguments on Long Mott’s construction permit application starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.  20: Conference: Energy Technology and Environmental Business Association 2025 conference starts at 8 a.m. at […]

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cited the potential impact on in-state military installations as well as the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site as her reason for supporting a Republican-led continuing resolution Tuesday night. “A government shutdown would force tens of thousands of Nevada military personnel, union members, law enforcement agents and military nurses […]

If the government’s lapse in appropriations lasts five days or less, “there would be no disruption” to Department of Energy operations, according to DOE’s shutdown contingency plan. “DOE has historically had sufficient previously appropriated funds that remain available to support operations during a short term lapse,” according to the plan made public Wednesday Oct. 1. […]