Department of Energy

ARLINGTON, Va. – Someone who mistakenly stumbled into the Department of Energy’s National Cleanup Workshop without an agenda might be excused for confusing it with a conference on artificial intelligence (AI). Many conversations from the podium and in the hallways here this week have focused to some extent on the potential and perils of AI. […]

ARLINGTON, Va. – The anticipated expansion of missions and private-sector projects around Savannah River Site could require the surrounding region to build as many as 17,000 homes over the next five years, according to a local official here Tuesday. Chuck Smith, a former city councilman in Aiken, S.C. where Savannah River Site (SRS) is located, […]

ARLINGTON, VA — The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch is about a third smaller than it was a few years ago, although more people could be brought on following a pending regional reorganization. “You know today we are at about 820 federal employees,” Tim Walsh, the head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said […]

ARLINGTON, Va. – Someone who mistakenly stumbled into the Department of Energy’s National Cleanup Workshop without an agenda might be excused for confusing it with a conference on artificial intelligence (AI). Many conversations from the podium and in the hallways here this week have focused to some extent on the potential and perils of AI. […]

ARLINGTON, Va. – Legislation challenges, particularly the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), could pose a potential roadblock to the full implementation of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, a Department of Energy official said. During Wednesday’s session at the National Cleanup Workshop, several panels discussed the early progress of the innovation campuses. Marla […]

ARLINGTON, Va. – Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) told the National Cleanup Workshop here on Wednesday he expects the Energy & Water Development bill for fiscal 2027 to pass during the so-called “lame duck” session after Congress returns following the November election. Fleischmann, a member of the House Appropriation Committee, chairs the Energy & Water subcommittee […]

ARLINGTON, VA — The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch is about a third smaller than it was a few years ago, although more people could be brought on following a pending regional reorganization. “You know today we are at about 820 federal employees,” Tim Walsh, the head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said […]

WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy could consider using the Nuclear Waste Fund to help fund waste management-related facilities to go online at Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. During the House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee hearing Tuesday, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish told the panel that the department and Congress need to […]

The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) at Idaho National Laboratory is still in an outage that began in June, a Department of Energy spokesperson said Monday. “The IWTU entered a scheduled outage in early June to replace the facility’s process gas filters,” the DOE spokesperson said in a Monday email reply to an Exchange Monitor […]

The United States would be willing to provide nuclear fuel to Iran if Tehran resolves concerns surrounding its nuclear program, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, potentially offering a path for civilian nuclear cooperation. Wright reportedly told Bloomberg that the U.S. could provide Iran with nuclear fuel from outside the country. He tied the proposal to […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’’s Energy subcommittee plans a Tuesday hearing on the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses that would co-locate fuel cycle activities with advanced nuclear energy projects.  Announced Sept. 8, the hearing, titled: “Nuclear Spent Fuel Policy: Examining Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses”, will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern […]

The area around the Department of Energy’s Paducah Site in Western Kentucky experienced a rare event last month that some headline writers dubbed a “quake-nado,” in which a tornado and an earthquake strike at the same time. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 2.5 magnitude earthquake centered in Massac, Ky., about eight miles from Paducah, […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recovered about $1.4 billion in indirect costs in fiscal 2024 from work it performed for outside partners, helping offset the costs of maintaining facilities and infrastructure, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). NNSA’s eight contractor-operated laboratories, plants and sites conducted nearly $15 billion in Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP) […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  September: 15: Workshop: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission holds its annual data science and artificial intelligence workshop starting at 9 a.m. E.T. at NRC headquarters in Rockville, MD. 15-16: Conference: The Department of Energy’s National Cleanup Workshop hosted by the Energy Communities Alliance […]

Twenty-five years ago, after terrorists flew airplanes into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Virginia, then-Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham ordered all Department of Energy facilities be placed in high security status. “All non-essential DOE personnel are evacuated and sent home,” according to a DOE webpage on Sept. 11, 2001. As for […]

West Virginia has been selected as a finalist to host a nuclear campus under a high-profile Department of Energy program Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced in a Tuesday press conference. West Virginia is now the sixth state to be considered for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, joining Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah, which were […]

Twenty-five years ago, after terrorists flew airplanes into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Virginia, then-Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham ordered all Department of Energy facilities be placed in high security status. “All non-essential DOE personnel are evacuated and sent home,” according to a DOE webpage on Sept. 11, 2001. As for […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing issued a loan worth up to nearly $2 billion to NextEra Energy to help with efforts to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. The $1.9 billion loan is the largest yet that DOE has issued to help revive a nuclear power plant. The former […]

West Virginia has been selected as a finalist to host a nuclear campus under a high-profile Department of Energy program Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced in a Tuesday press conference. West Virginia is now the sixth state to be considered for a nuclear lifecycle innovation campus, joining Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah, which were […]

A Mexican national living illegally in the United States has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for identity theft and passport fraud after working at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, S.C., under a false identity.  The South Carolina division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Ricardo […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing issued a near $2 billion loan to NextEra Energy to help with efforts to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. The $1.9 billion loan is the largest yet that DOE has issued to help revive a nuclear power plant. The former Three Mile Island […]

Virginia-based BWX Technologies (BWXT), which is involved in everything from supporting Naval nuclear reactors, to nuclear power to weapons cleanup, will hold an Investor Day presentation Sept. 29 in New York City. The event, featuring presentations from BWXT President and CEO Rex Geveden and other top executives, is by invitation only. However, the webcast audio […]

A Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) resident inspector watched an emergency drill at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state in August to see how crews might handle an earthquake that damaged facilities within the tank farms. “An RI [resident inspector] observed an emergency preparedness event-scene limited drill simulating a seismic event […]

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he was nominating Hung Cao as Secretary of the Navy after serving in the role in an acting capacity for over four months. “I am pleased to nominate a true WARRIOR, Hung Cao, to become the next Secretary of the Navy. We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy […]

Multiple blue state attorneys this week announced their opposition to various Nuclear Regulatory Commission rulemakings called for in President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14300 in May 2025.  A coalition of attorneys general made up of California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington submitted comments Monday on the rulemakings affecting radiation […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 Tuesday to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown. The resolution […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced six nuclear energy-related bills out of committee to the full House after a three-hour markup hearing Wednesday. The nuclear bills made up six of the 10 pieces of legislation approved during the markup. All nuclear bills were passed with bipartisan support with none receiving any no-votes. This comes […]

The House of Representatives voted 370-48 Tuesday to pass a conferenced, short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the federal government through Dec. 11, but the House Appropriations chair still criticized the Senate for not working on its individual appropriations bills. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown. The resolution […]