Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is taking the next step toward revising some of its rules that apply to commercial power reactors that are being retired and entering decommissioning. The NRC, in the Monday edition of the Federal Register, is publishing a regulatory basis to support a rulemaking on decommissioning. With early retirements being announced for […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday its rulemaking for nuclear power reactor decommissioning will address both physical and cyber security, along with six other operational areas. The list is included in the final regulatory basis for the rulemaking, posted Monday on the NRC website. The commission in December 2014 mandated the rulemaking, which is aimed […]

The U.S. Department of Energy has thrown its support behind limiting compliance to 1,000 years in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s update to its Part 61 rule on storage of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW). “DOE is fully supportive of moving to a single 1,000-year time of compliance and sees no unintended consequences,” according to comments submitted […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will work with the Energy Department and a New York state agency in drafting a scoping plan for Phase 2 cleanup of the West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo, N.Y. In late September DOE asked the NRC to participate in the supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) process to ensure the West […]

AECOM Chairman and CEO Michael Burke said Monday the international engineering and infrastructure company sees decommissioning of nuclear power plants as a potential $200 billion global market. Burke also indicated that AECOM’s experience in cleaning up the legacy of U.S. Cold War nuclear operations, together with the company’s power expertise, makes it a natural for […]

The Government Accountability Office would like federal agencies to increase their collaboration on research into low-dose radiation, and it has recommended the Energy Department lead such an effort. But DOE hasn’t been eager to assume such a role, the GAO said in a Nov. 1 report. People who work at nuclear power plants, defense waste […]

The Government Accountability Office would like federal agencies to increase their collaboration on research into low-dose radiation, and it has recommended the Energy Department lead such an effort. But DOE hasn’t been eager to assume such a role, the GAO said in a Nov. 1 report. People who work at nuclear power plants, defense waste […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Kristine Svinicki and an agency staffer in August 2016 used a chartered flight to reach an isolated area of Saskatchewan, Canada, the NRC told senior members of the House of Representatives. Eugene Dacus, director of the NRC’s Office of Congressional Affairs, responded on Oct. 25 to an Oct. 17 query from […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has requested additional data from Entergy regarding the application to transfer the operations and spent fuel storage licenses for its shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to planned facility buyer NorthStar Group Services. The companies filed the application in February with the federal regulator, with the aim of completing the sale […]

The Government Accountability Office would like federal agencies to increase their collaboration on research into low-dose radiation, and it has recommended the Energy Department lead such an effort. But DOE hasn’t been eager to assume such a role, the GAO said in a Nov. 1 report. The GAO said there were many reasons DOE would […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Kristine Svinicki and an agency staffer in August 2016 used a chartered flight to reach an isolated area of Saskatchewan, Canada, the NRC told senior members of the House of Representatives. Eugene Dacus, director of the NRC’s Office of Congressional Affairs, responded on Oct. 25 to an Oct. 17 query from […]

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Thursday played down any danger of placing nuclear waste in a planned geologic repository under Yucca Mountain in Nevada. “I’m sure that Yucca Mountain is the most studied piece of land in the world. I’m think it’s a safe location. Scientists tell us that it’s a safe location, but […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans by the middle of this month to release the final regulatory basis for its nuclear power reactor decommissioning rulemaking, a senior official said this week. That milestone would be followed by two years of work on the rule itself, with the commission voting on the final document in fall […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects more work on the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle as additional power plants shut down and spent fuel remains stored on-site at those facilities, a senior official said Tuesday. Twenty atomic energy facilities are already in decommissioning status, and a number of others are scheduled for closure […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September spent $66,799 of its remaining Nuclear Waste Fund balance as it gears up for potential resumption of adjudication of the license application for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. That leaves the regulator with $532,220 that has not been spent or obligated until such time as […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled in November to release the final regulatory basis for its decommissioning rulemaking. The agency expects in 2019 to complete the rulemaking, which is intended to clarify and enhance the process of decommissioning nuclear power plants through amendments to current regulations. The focus is on reducing the need for […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General’s Office plans in the current federal budget year to review the most serious potential vulnerabilities facing the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board as part of the IG’s responsibility to examine management and performance of the Energy Department watchdog. In documents released last week, the NRC IG said challenges include […]

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee reiterated their support for a major nuclear-waste policy bill Tuesday, despite misgivings that the measure might delay the day spent reactor fuel is moved away from the power plants that generated it. If the the 45-page Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 became law, it would […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the final stages of revising its draft guidance on reviews of requests for alternative disposal of very low-level radioactive waste. As part of the process, the document is available for public comment through Dec. 18. Very low-level waste, or low-activity waste, is not an official designation, but rather refers […]

Thomas Gardiner The last of three Trump administration nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is headed for a Senate floor vote following approval Wednesday by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The panel backed Commissioner Jeff Baran’s reappointment on a voice vote alongside two nominees for assistant administrator spots at the Environmental Protection Agency […]

The last of three Trump administration nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is headed for a Senate floor vote following approval Wednesday by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The panel backed Commissioner Jeff Baran’s reappointment on a voice vote alongside two nominees for assistant administrator spots at the Environmental Protection Agency and the […]

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee reiterated their support for a major nuclear-waste policy bill Tuesday, despite misgivings that the proposal might delay the day spent reactor fuel is moved away from the power plants that generated it. If the the 45-page Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 became law, it would […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the final stages of revising its guidance on reviews of requests for alternative disposal of very low-level radioactive waste. As part of the process, the draft document is available for public comment through Dec. 18. Very low-level waste, or low-activity waste, is not an official designation, but rather refers […]

During the next 12 months, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of the Inspector General plans to review the most serious potential vulnerabilities facing the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board as part of the office’s ongoing duty to examine management and performance of the Energy Department watchdog. In documents released last week, the NRC IG said […]

A House bill that would make it easier for the federal government to build a permanent nuclear-waste repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain took a big step toward a floor vote this week, though none was scheduled as of Friday. On Thursday, House leadership at last placed H.R. 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Jeff Baran told senators recently he has not determined his position on licensing of the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. “I have not formed an opinion on the merits of the Yucca Mountain geologic repository application. As a Commissioner, I have a responsibility to be open-minded and unbiased […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking input on the draft regulatory analysis that will lay out updated cost and benefit figures for its revised Part 61 rule on low-level radioactive waste storage. The draft analysis was issued in September 2016 alongside NRC staff’s proposed final rule package. The commission itself last month directed a […]

A House bill that would make it easier for the federal government to build a permanent nuclear-waste repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain took a big step toward a floor vote this week, though none was scheduled as of Friday. On Thursday, House leadership at last placed H.R. 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking input on the draft regulatory analysis that will lay out updated cost and benefit figures for its revised Part 61 rule on low-level radioactive waste storage. The draft analysis was issued in September 2016 alongside NRC staff’s draft final rule package. The commission itself last month directed a […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced Friday afternoon that it had scheduled its vote on confirming Jeff Baran for another term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The panel will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday for a business meeting to vote on Baran’s nomination, along with the nominations of four people to serve in […]