Nuclear Regulatory Commission

SUMMERLIN, Nev. — The state of Nevada plans to submit 30 to 50 new contentions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission against building a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, the state’s point man on the project said Wednesday. Should the NRC ultimately approve a license for construction of the underground storage site, state lawsuits […]

The drive to restart the Energy Department’s application to license Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev., as a permanent nuclear-waste repository has stalled at least for another three months under a stopgap budget bill expected to become law soon. Both chambers of Congress by Friday had approved a continuing resolution that funds the federal government for […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission member called “relatively unknown outside Capitol Hill” when he was confirmed for the post in 2014 was nominated Tuesday by the White House for another term. Jeff Baran joined the commission on Oct. 14, 2014, for a term that ends June 30, 2018. If approved by the Senate, he would serve […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July spent just shy of $149,000 of its remaining balance from the Nuclear Waste Fund on activities related to licensing of the planned Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Nearly all of the money — $143,744 – went toward knowledge management reports that provide technical data to assist in the review […]

The state of Nevada objected to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recently announced plan to this fall prepare to resume its review of the Energy Department’s application to license the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nye County, Nev. The NRC on Aug. 8 said it would spend about $110,000 on “information-gathering activities” to gather input about […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July spent just shy of $149,000 of its remaining balance from the Nuclear Waste Fund on activities related to licensing of the planned Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Nearly all of the money — $143,744 – went toward knowledge management reports that provide technical data to assist in the review […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is allowing the Energy Department to send Belgium only about half the highly enriched uranium by weight the country sought for production of medical isotopes, according to a letter the commission sent to a group of nonproliferation advocates who opposed the transfer. An export license filed by DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear […]

By Wayne Barber The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not patronized Trump hotels or other businesses since Donald Trump became president, the regulator officially told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In an Aug. 8 letter to NRC Chair Kristine Svinicki, Democrats on the committee asked if the agency had expended funds “on products or […]

The Vermont Public Utility Commission is giving extra time to the town where the now-retired Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is located to file testimony on the station’s proposed sale from Entergy to NorthStar Group Services. The PUC on Tuesday agreed to the request from the town of Vernon’s Planning and Development Commission for two additional […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Aug. 16 that it has completed its inspection of the dry cask storage facilities at Entergy’s retired Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and found no significant safety concerns. The NRC in May and June inspected work on the second independent spent fuel storage installation being built at the plant. Inspectors observed […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission believes that licensed operators of U.S. nuclear plants are providing sufficient resources to counter cyber threats, according to the agency’s response to a letter from Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.). Markey raised concerns in a July 10 letter to the heads of the NRC and several other federal agencies following news reports […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has upheld a key violation finding against the operator of a Washington state nuclear power plant in connection with shipment of radioactive waste to a disposal site last fall. Energy Northwest, owner of the Columbia Generating Station, said Wednesday it is still considering whether to appeal the NRC decision. In November […]

Although it has yet to officially rematerialize, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is preparing to review the Energy Department’s application to license the planned Yucca Mountain permanent nuclear-waste repository in Nevada. The regulator announced this week it will spend some $110,000 on “information-gathering activities,” to include a virtual meeting of the commission’s Licensing Support Network Advisory Review […]

The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tiptoed carefully around barbed inquiries from Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) about the Energy Department’s plan to license Yucca Mountain in Nevada as a permanent nuclear waste repository, according to recently released correspondence between the two. Heller has been prodding DOE and NRC officials about Yucca Mountain practically from […]

By Wayne Barber Executives at two U.S. radioactive waste disposal companies said this week they aren’t worried that the Energy Department is taking longer than initially anticipated to report to Congress on plans for disposal of Greater Than Class C (GTCC) waste. In February 2016, DOE issued the final environmental impact statement for disposal of GTCC […]

Holtec International must submit dozens of pieces of additional data before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can proceed with its initial review of the company’s license application for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico. To start, the Camden, N.J.-based energy services company must, per NRC rules, affirm under oath that all the […]

By Wayne Barber Entergy CEO Leo Denault said this week the company is determined to “finish strong” as it winds down operations at its non-utility nuclear power plants including the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. “With critical decisions behind us, our strategy to execute a planned orderly exit of our Merchant business remains on […]

By Wayne Barber Entergy’s efforts to sell the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after its retirement could set a pattern for the nuclear power plant operator, Chairman and CEO Leo Denault said Wednesday. “As we move toward the complete wind-down of our merchant operations we will continue to look for opportunities to divest our nuclear […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday issued a confirmatory action letter laying out the operational corrections power provider Entergy has pledged to make at its Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The nuclear industry regulator in 2015 placed Pilgrim in Column 4 of its Action Matrix, the lowest safety rating for an operating nuclear reactor, following […]

Holtec International must submit dozens of pieces of additional data before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can proceed with its initial review of the company’s license application for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico. To start, the Camden, N.J., energy technology company must, per NRC rules, affirm under oath that all the information […]

The Donald Trump administration is close to a mostly Republican Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but is still operating with a Democratic-leaning Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The White House in January began an ideological shift at both five-member groups, but the NRC, which regulates commercial nuclear power plants and civilian nuclear waste, is further along in its […]

The Vermont Public Utility Commission this week issued a new schedule that extends by several months its review of the planned sale of the shuttered Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station from owner Entergy to decommissioning specialist NorthStar Group Services. The schedule updates specific dates for document filings and hearings through the week of Jan. 29, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June spent $17,699 of its remaining available Nuclear Waste Fund balance contesting a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas over the future of the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. In total, the regulator used $145,842 of its unexpended Nuclear Waste Fund money last month, according to the latest update […]

By Wayne Barber It appears increasingly likely that the two remaining Trump administration nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission won’t get a vote by the full U.S. Senate until this fall – at which time their confirmation might be tied to a potential second term for Commissioner Jeff Baran. On July 12, the Senate Committee […]

By Wayne Barber The House of Representatives on Thursday approved fiscal 2018 appropriations legislation that would provide more than $939.1 million for Nuclear Regulatory Commission salaries and expenses. The NRC funding is included within the energy appropriations section of the so-called “mini-bus” bill, which also covers defense, legislative, military construction, and veterans affairs operations. It […]

The House of Representatives has approved a fiscal 2018 Energy Department budget that would allow the agency to restart its application to license Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev., as a permanent nuclear-waste repository — something the Senate’s corresponding spending plan would prohibit. The House voted 235 to 192, on a highly partisan line, to […]

The Donald Trump administration is close to a mostly Republican Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but is still operating with a Democratic-leaning Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The White House in January began an ideological shift at both five-member groups, but the NRC, which regulates commercial nuclear power plants and civilian nuclear waste, is further along in its […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June spent $17,699 of its remaining available Nuclear Waste Fund balance contesting a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas over the future of the Yucca Mountain storage facility. In total, the regulator used $145,842 of its unexpended Nuclear Waste Fund money last month, according to the latest update sent […]

The House of Representatives on Wednesday was considering fiscal 2018 legislation that would provide more than $939.1 million for Nuclear Regulatory Commission salaries and expenses. Floor debate on the bill, which covers appropriations for energy, defense, and other federal operations, was ongoing at deadline for Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. Of the base funding amount for […]

The House of Representatives on Wednesday began considering a massive appropriations package that includes its recommended fiscal 2018 budget for the Energy Department, but debate had not concluded at press time for Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. The “mini-bus” appropriations bill, which also includes funding recommendations for the Defense Department, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans […]