Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

New Mexico is citing the Department of Energy and its prime contractor at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) with violations and giving them until Sept. 24 to deliver a plan for fixing aging assets at the disposal site for transuranic waste. An order by a branch of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) gives […]

Tennessee lawmakers recently modified certain tax laws related to nuclear facilities, including Orano USA’s multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge.  In Senate Bill 885/House Bill 1133, sponsored by state senator Shane Reeves (R) and   state representative Clark Boyd (R), expanded the definition of “certified green energy production facility” to include nuclear energy […]

As if coping with South Carolina’s July heat isn’t bad enough, workers at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site recently encountered a radioactive wasp nest. On July 3, a radiological control staffer “discovered a wasp nest on a stanchion near 241-127F (adjacent to Tank 17) in a controlled area,” according to an occurrence report […]

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a high-security mobile vault to be rapidly deployed and safeguard critical minerals in remote locations, according to a July 15 press release by the lab. The project is in response to a request by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Stockpile Responsiveness Program, and is led by Sandia’s Transportation Safeguards […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says demolition and disposal has been completed at the old Albuquerque Complex on the grounds of the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The $8.4 million demolition, started in March 2024, was overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alabama District through an interagency […]

Ontario Power Generation has received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to construct and operate the Pickering Component Storage Structure at the Pickering Waste Management Facility. The Pickering nuclear plant is located near Toronto.  The Pickering Component Storage unit is required for storage of low- intermediate-level waste that results from refurbishment of Pickering Nuclear […]

Northrop Grumman said on Tuesday that the company and the U.S. Air Force completed the first qualification test of a stage-two solid rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The test was completed at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tenn., and “conducted in a vacuum chamber simulating flight conditions, […]

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Wednesday morning in an 11-to-nine vote advanced the nomination of Tim Walsh to head the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management. Ranking member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the committee Democrats in voting against Walsh and two other nominees, in an identical partisan split in something […]

Earnings rose at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Knoxville, Tenn., in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, which the federal utility attributed to higher rates and sales. The net earnings of the third quarter of fiscal 2025 ended June 30 were $212 million, up from $181 million, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Quarterly […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General needs better cost estimates for audits of DOE’s big contractors. Four years ago, DOE’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) set up an Incurred Cost Audits Division in order to get a better handle on management and operating (M&O) contractors. […]

Australia and the United Kingdom signed a treaty July 26 with aims to deepen long-term cooperation on developing nuclear-power submarines under the AUKUS agreement, a statement by both defence ministries said. The Geelong Treaty, which Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and U.K.’s Secretary of State for Defense signed in Victoria, puts a 50-year commitment to collaborate […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said Pantex management and operating contractor PanTeXas Deterrence concluded reviewing nuclear explosive operations in one of its weapons programs, according to a July 4 report. The prime contractor at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site, has a number of issues […]

Second-term commissioner Annie Caputo has decided to resign from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an NRC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday morning.  Caputo’s resignation announcement comes the day after David Wright was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on NRC for a new five-year term.  “It has been my honor and privilege to serve as a commissioner, […]

The U.S. Senate confirmed David Wright’s nomination to serve a new five-year term with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a 50 – 39 vote Monday night. Nearly all Republican senators voted in support of Wright’s confirmation, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) did not vote. All 39 votes against Wright’s confirmation […]

The full Senate voted Monday evening to limit debate on the renomination of David Wright to serve a new five-year term with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a key procedural vote that concluded after 6 p.m. Eastern Time with an unofficial tally of 51-to-45, the Senate invoked cloture, or limited debate on the Wright nomination. […]

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and a privately-held artificial intelligence company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week to use AI to streamline licensing for new nuclear projects.  The agreement was signed with California-based Atomic Canyon at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop held in Knoxville, Tenn. July 22-23. The MOU […]

Westinghouse and Emirates Nuclear Energy Company recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore speeding up deployment of AP1000 reactors in the United States. Emirates Nuclear Energy Company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, signed the agreement with Westinghouse in Washington, D.C. on Friday July 25. Westinghouse said the MOU supports President Donald Trump’s goal […]

The Department of Energy announced Monday that Rick Stockburger was appointed as chief executive officer of the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI), FESI is the DOE’s first independent agency-related foundation, the press release said, and it aims to accelerate commercializing energy technology, including next-generator nuclear technology, and expand collaboration between the private and […]

Chief of Naval Operations nominee Adm. Daryl Caudle told a Senate confirmation hearing last week that  shipyard recruitment has to expand and that more outsourcing production is needed. The Senate Armed Services Committee heard testimony from Caudle on July 24. “There’s more outsourcing opportunity that we need to do, even for our Virginia-class, the modular […]

The Department of Energy and Washington state have agreed to grant federal and contract managers a 75-day extension until Oct. 15 to start making glass from some of the less-radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. The prior deadline was Aug. 1 and DOE officials announced this latest extension in a Monday […]

The Nine Mile Point Nuclear Plant in Oswego, N.Y. is being considered as a potential deployment site for an advanced nuclear reactor, a New York television station WSTM reported July 25.  Last month New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), announced plans to deploy an advanced nuclear plant that can produce at least 1,000 megawatts. She […]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee could vote Wednesday morning on whether to advance the nomination of Colorado developer Tim Walsh to be assistant secretary of energy for Environmental Management. The business meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time at 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Barring a postponement, the committee […]

A federal district judge in Texas has agreed to suspend proceedings until Sept. 29 in a lawsuit by Texas, Utah and Last Energy that challenges Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing for small reactors. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle issued the latest extension in the case June 30 at the request of the parties. “Since the […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: July: 28: Senate could vote on nomination of David Wright to serve on another term on Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 29: Quarterly update by the Tennessee Valley Authority starts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  30:  Waste Isolation Pilot Plant community forum available online starting […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet on July 31 to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2026 defense spending bill. The panel’s markup follows the Senate Armed Services Committee’s recent approval of its version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included adding a $32 billion topline increase. Both the […]

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is starting market research to find an “innovative missile defense launcher” and support equipment technologies that could be delivered within two years as part of the Golden Dome initiative. A Request For Information (RFI) published last week said the agency is seeking responses encompassing system-level, component-level, upgrades to existing systems, […]