Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Congressman Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said Wednesday he is considering several legislative measures aimed at fixing the federal government’s decades-long failure to find a permanent disposal space for tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste. One of those steps could involve taking the mission away from the Department of Energy in favor of a Nuclear […]

The next issue of RadWaste Monitor will be published on Thursday, July 2, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking bids for cleanup of the radioactively contaminated Luckey Site in Ohio under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The small business set-aside award would have a five-year base term and an option for another five years, according to the request for proposals issued on June […]

By John Stang A draft federal environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed used nuclear fuel storage site in southeastern New Mexico focuses on a 40-year licensing period, and does not sufficiently consider that the radioactive material might remain there long past that point, opponents of the project argued Tuesday. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held […]

Holtec International faces a criminal probe for “misrepresentations” made in applying for millions of dollars’ worth of tax credits from its home state of New Jersey, a state agency said this week. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority cited the investigation in a June 22 filing for its motion to dismiss a Holtec lawsuit over […]

The Canadian government said Friday it has formally terminated its environmental review of a now-canceled proposal from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for deep geologic disposal of radioactive waste on the grounds of its Bruce nuclear power plant. “The Minister of Environment and Climate Change has terminated the environmental assessment of the Deep Geologic Repository for […]

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has terminated one of the primary contracts for remediation of radioactive contamination at Port Hope, Ontario. As of June 30, Ottawa-based Milestone Environmental Contracting will no longer be in charge of cleanup of Port Hope Harbor and the Center Pier under the Port Hope Area Initiative, according to a press release […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on June 19 locked in its fee collection levels for the current federal fiscal year. The agency collects 90% of its annual budget through annual and service fees, with the rest appropriated by Congress. Lawmakers set the NRC’s budget at $855.6 million for fiscal 2021, which ends on Sept. 30, according […]

By John Stang A coalition of environmental organizations on Wednesday petitioned a federal appeals court to overturn a Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision against several challenges to a proposed consolidated interim used nuclear fuel installation in southeastern New Mexico. This is the second lawsuit from organizations that say the agency has unlawfully prevented them from intervening in […]

International Isotopes’ failure to adequately address the 2018 breach of a radioactive source at its Idaho headquarters contributed to a similar, larger event months later in Seattle, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Following a routine inspection earlier this year, the agency on Monday cited the Idaho Falls-based nuclear medicine company with apparent individual violations […]

Tons of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) held in a railcar that caught fire earlier this month in Illinois will continue on toward final disposal in Texas, officials said this week. “The contents of the railcars are being repackaged into intermodals for removal from site,” under watch by the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to Illinois […]

By John Stang Holtec International and Massachusetts signed an agreement Tuesday under which the commonwealth will drop its objections to the already-completed federal license transfer and sale of the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The deal calls for the New Jersey energy technology company to provide additional financial assurances for complete decommissioning of the single-reactor […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is continuing to weigh licensees’ requests for temporary exemptions from regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic while its staff begins to return to their offices after months of telework. Ninety-eight percent of the regulator’s nearly 3,000 full-time employees began teleworking in the middle of March, a measure intended to help curb the spread […]

An article in the June 12 issue of RadWaste Monitor, “Army Corps Issues Sources-Sought Notice for Alaska Reactor Decommissioning,” should have said APTIM Federal Services’ engineering contract for utility segregation for the retired SM-1A nuclear reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska, is worth roughly $2 million.

Waste Control Specialists continues to study whether it should accept Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste for disposal from the Department of Energy, according to President and Chief Operating Officer David Carlson. The Energy Department in 2018 identified the WCS disposal complex in Andrews County, Texas, as its likely end location for the national stockpile […]

AECOM said Monday that Chief Financial Officer W. Troy Rudd would be elevated to CEO effective Oct. 1. Rudd will succeed Michael Burke, who is retiring after six years as chief executive. Lara Poloni will also move up to president from chief executive of AECOM’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) business, according to a […]

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is scheduled to vote July 1 whether to approve the reduction in a charge for disposal of radioactive waste at a state-owned facility operated by Waste Control Specialists. The rulemaking would amend the Texas Administrative Code’s section on low-level radioactive waste disposal fees, specifically reducing the curie inventory charge […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied two protests filed over RSI EnTech’s roughly $191 million contract to provide support services for the Energy Department’s Office of Legacy Management, which the challengers called unrealistically cheap. The Energy Department previously said the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract could be worth up to $1 billion over five years, depending […]

EnergySolutions hopes this year to receive a state license to finally begin accepting large amounts of depleted uranium at its radioactive waste disposal facility near Clive, Utah. That would mark the end of a regulatory process that has stretched for more than a decade. State legislation enacted in March 2018 set three requirements for the […]

A railcar carrying low-level radioactive waste caught fire last week near Chicago, but contaminants do not appear to have escaped, according to an incident notice posted Friday by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The waste encompassed un-irradiated zirconium fuel cladding and additional waste material being shipped from Veolia subsidiary Alaron Nuclear Services in Pennsylvania to the […]

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) in Canada could by September begin preparing to drill the first test boreholes in the second of two locations still in contention to house a deep geologic repository for spent fuel from the nation’s nuclear power plants. At least two boreholes will be drilled starting this fall in South […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will prepare a full environmental impact statement (EIS) on Westinghouse’s application to renew the license for its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina. The EIS would replace a draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) issued last October by the federal regulator. The agency changed course after […]

Nominations are being accepted through Aug. 31 for the Southeast Compact Commission for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management’s 2021 Richard S. Hodes, M.D. Honor Lecture Award. Nominees can be individuals, companies, or other organizations that have “contributed in a significant way to improving the technology, policy, or practices of low-level radioactive waste management in the United […]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday voted almost unanimously in favor of promoting Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes to the No. 2 position at the Department of Energy. In the panel’s voice vote, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) raised the sole objection to advancing Menezes toward confirmation as deputy secretary of energy […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Tuesday began collecting data from potential vendors for the upcoming decommissioning of the retired SM-1A reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska. The Army Corps emphasized that it is not yet taking bids, but is only seeking capability statements from companies that might perform the work. The eventual contract […]

Tuesday was a good night for congressional incumbents in Nevada, who easily overcame primary challenges. The state’s four members of the House of Representatives all advanced to the Nov. 3 general election, according to unofficials results from the Nevada Secretary of State. Five-term Rep. Dina Titus (D) took home over 86% of the vote against […]

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will next week begin returning to their offices after months of near-total telework due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ninety-eight percent of the federal agency’s nearly 3,000 full-time employees have been working remotely since mid-March to curb the potential spread of the viral disease. That left a small number of […]