Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The state of California should by the first quarter of 2019 give formal approval for major decommissioning to begin on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), an executive with the decommissioning general contractor said on June 8. SONGS Decommissioning Solutions, a partnership of AECOM and EnergySolutions, expects the California State Lands Commission will by the […]

Nevada last week formally requested that one of the newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recuse himself from any decision-making on the license for the planned radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain in the state. Commissioner David Wright’s participation in the NRC adjudication of the Department of Energy license application would essentially disregard the […]

Louisiana-based PacTec Inc., a maker of industrial containment bags used at both Energy Department and commercial nuclear cleanup sites, said in a new federal lawsuit that another company is violating its patents. PacTec claims Pennsylvania-based ICE Service Group and two Tennessee-based affiliates, ICE Packaging and Strategic Packaging, are “making, using, offering for sale, selling, or […]

Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) late Tuesday secured her party’s nomination to oppose Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) for a U.S. Senate seat in November’s general election. Rosen, who was endorsed by the Democratic National Committee shortly after declaring she would run to take Heller’s seat, defeated four opponents in Nevada’s closed Demcoratic primary. Rosen collected 77 […]

By John Stang Significant technical challenges remain to the eventual rail shipment of the nation’s used nuclear reactor fuel to temporary storage or permanent disposal, issue experts acknowledged Wednesday. To start, there is not yet an approved railcar to carry commercial spent fuel – though a specially designed railcar is in development. Also, no agency […]

Executives with a major U.S. utility and the trade group for the nuclear industry last week said they were largely satisfied with the set of proposed regulations for power reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. “Overall, we’re pretty pleased with the proposal as it came out. Our main goal obviously was just to […]

Interim Storage Partners — a joint venture of Orano USA and Waste Control Specialists (WCS) — on Monday submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a renewed license application to build and operate an interim storage facility for used nuclear reactor fuel. The consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) pad would be built on WCS’ 14,900-acre waste […]

The federal fund intended pay for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada was valued at $44.5 billion at the end of fiscal 2017, down by $1.5 billion from the prior year, according to a newly released report from the Department of Energy Inspector General’s Office. The Nuclear Waste Fund as of Sept. 30, […]

For the second year in a row, the full House has passed a Department of Energy budget bill that would fund the agency’s application to license Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev., as a permanent repository for nuclear waste. And, also for the second consecutive year, the measure faces stiff opposition in the Senate, where […]

Stakeholders urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move cautiously as it studies potentially establishing a new designation and disposal approach for what is now informally called very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW). More than 40 separate comments were submitted ahead of the May 15 deadline after the agency in February initiated a broad program to enhance […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says its regulatory framework accounts for potential effects from “changing environmental conditions” on spent fuel storage installations at U.S. nuclear power plants. The agency on May 29 responded to an April 23 letter from Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who had expressed concerns about potential impacts of climate change on used […]

Colorado Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne on Wednesday signed legislation enabling the state to establish regulations for management of certain radioactive materials. Lynne assumed the duties of governor while Gov. John Hickenlooper was out of the state. The state’s Radiation Control Act prohibited Colorado from establishing regulations on naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally […]

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 1 dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas demanding that the federal government complete licensing proceedings on the long-planned radioactive waste disposal site at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Writing for a three-judge panel, Judge Patrick Higginbotham said Texas had failed to submit its claim in […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Texas company are making plans for the shipbreaking of the STURGIS barge. The Army Corps in May issued a $1.9 million contract to International Shipbreaking Ltd., which is expected in September to tow the formerly nuclear reactor-equipped vessel to its facility in Brownsville. “We are currently working […]

By John Stang In the wake of President Donald Trump ordering the federal government to help keep struggling nuclear and coal-fired power plants afloat, FirstEnergy Solutions contends it still needs help from the governments of Ohio and Pennsylvania to keep its four reactors online. Several news organizations reported a week ago that Trump has ordered Energy […]

NASHVILLE — A Waste Control Specialists-Orano team could be within days of formally refiling a license application for consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel in West Texas, an executive said Thursday. The companies have previously said they would revive Waste Control Specialists’ suspended license application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the end of […]

By John Stang Proposed changes in federal rules for nuclear reactors transitioning into decommissioning this week drew little or no concern from three nuclear power providers. Last week, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unveiled a set of proposed regulations that would be specific to reactors that are no longer operational, covering areas ranging from physical […]

Months of testing in 2017 provided strong evidence that spent nuclear fuel can be safely transported by sea, road, and rail, according to a researcher with the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories. A team of researchers from the United States, South Korea, and Spain over 54 days from June to October collected 8 terabytes […]

The two newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been sworn into office as of Wednesday. Commissioner Annie Caputo was sworn in Tuesday by NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki, followed by Commissioner David Wright on Wednesday. The Senate last week confirmed the two, nearly a year after President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate […]

Exelon expects to spend nearly $1.5 billion over more than six decades for decommissioning, spent fuel management, and site restoration of its soon-to-close Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The power company’s Exelon Generation subsidiary will close the single-reactor power plant by Oct. 31 of this year – more than a year earlier […]

By John Stang The California state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would allow Pacific Gas & Electric to charge its ratepayers to retain personnel at its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The bill, which passed the Senate by vote of 31-4, is now in the California General Assembly. “This community has borne the risk of having […]

By John Stang The New Mexico Legislature’s Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee will likely hold more public hearings before recommending how the state should respond to plans to build an interim used nuclear fuel storage site. The panel met on May 17 to hear testimony from representatives of Holtec International and the Eddy-Lea Energy […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to conduct some portion of the potentially resumed proceeding on licensing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., in the state, NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki told Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) in a recent letter. Svinicki responded on May 19 to a letter earlier in the month from Nevada’s […]

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality this week initiated a rulemaking that would reduce a number of charges for disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) at the Waste Control Specialists complex in Andrews County. Without discussion during a meeting Wednesday, the three-member commission approved a hearing and publication of proposed amendments to the Texas Administrative […]

NorthStar Group Services on Monday told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it will have sufficient funds to both decommission the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and manage its spent fuel. The New York City company was responding to the agency’s latest request for additional information as it reviews the application to transfer the NRC license […]

International Isotopes grew its sales by nearly $1 million in the first quarter of 2018, driving the company to positive net income after a decade of losses, according to the company’s May 18 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Net income for the Idaho Falls, Idaho, nuclear medicine provider came in at […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday unveiled a set of proposed rules for nuclear reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. The recommendations developed by NRC staff are intended to reduce the need for nuclear plant operators to request exemptions to federal regulations or license amendments for facilities that pose […]