Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Oral arguments scheduled later this month on petitions for interventions and hearings in the license application for a planned spent nuclear fuel storage facility in southeastern New Mexico will not be livestreamed, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission board adjudicating the requests ruled. Eighteen entities have claimed standing to intervene in Holtec International’s request for a 40-year […]

Representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec International are scheduled to meet on Jan. 9 to discuss two possible violations of federal regulations in the energy services firm’s updated design for a spent nuclear fuel storage canister. The apparent violations, identified during a May 2018 inspection of Holtec headquarters in Camden, N.J., could lead […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved significant reductions in the amounts of insurance the newly retired Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station must carry. The reductions cover both on-site and off-site insurance plant owner Exelon must keep at the single-reactor New Jersey facility, according to Dec. 28 notices in the Federal Register. Exelon […]

A federal appeals court has dismissed the state of Nevada’s petition seeking to force a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to recuse himself from any decision-making on licensing the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The ruling arrived as issue observers anticipate the Trump administration will in a matter of weeks again request […]

A federal appeals court has dismissed the state of Nevada’s petition seeking to force a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to recuse himself from any decision-making on licensing the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. There is no cause yet to require Commissioner David Wright’s recusal because he might never be called on […]

Oral arguments scheduled later this month on petitions for interventions and hearings in the license application for a planned spent nuclear fuel storage facility in New Mexico will not be livestreamed, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission board hearing the case ruled. Eighteen entities have filed claimed standing to intervene in Holtec International’s request for a 40-year […]

Representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec International are scheduled to meet on Jan. 9 to discuss two possible violations in the energy services firm’s design for a spent nuclear fuel storage cask. The apparent violations, identified during an inspection in May of Holtec headquarters in Camden, N.J., could lead to fines or other […]

The operator of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has requested a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss potential safety violations connected to an Aug. 3 mishap in transfer of spent reactor fuel. “As discussed, SCE has decided to use Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference (PEC} for the two apparent […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved leaving problem waste from the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) disposal facility in Texas for up to two more years, and Texas regulators are expected to follow suit. The head of NRC’s Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Marc […]

Last-minute efforts this week on Capitol Hill to funnel money into programs for storage and permanent disposal of the nation’s nuclear waste sputtered out quietly, overshadowed by Congress’ showdown with President Donald Trump over the federal budget. The seeminly quixotic endeavors were connected to congressional efforts to craft a budget funding the Homeland Security Department […]

After a fair amount of fanfare, a House bill to push forward development of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada appears to have run out of time in the waning days of the 115th Congress. But, in securing strong votes of approval in committee and on the House floor, Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-Ill.) […]

The U.S. Senate late Wednesday approved a short-term appropriations bill to keep all federal agencies operating through Feb. 8, but once again left the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository in Nevada unfunded following an apparent push by supporters of the long-delayed project. Senators passed the latest continuing resolution by voice vote just after 10 p.m. […]

Despite chatter in recent weeks on Capitol Hill, it appeared unlikely Tuesday that Congress would provide the Department of Energy with funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in a federal appropriations bill needed to keep a number of federal agencies open past Friday. “Members and staff are working on completing [the] year-end spending […]

The majority owner of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California has requested a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss potential safety violations connected to an Aug. 3 mishap in transfer of spent reactor fuel. “As discussed, SCE has decided to use Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference (PEC} for the two apparent […]

Leaving problem waste from the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) at the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site in Texas for two more years should not cause any significant environmental risks, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With the current extension to a 2014 order set to expire in days, the NRC is publishing an […]

A panel of three administrative judges at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday rejected a motion that it be disqualified from adjudicating the license application for a planned spent nuclear reactor fuel site in West Texas. The matter now goes to the full commission for a final ruling, according to the memorandum and order from […]

The sitting leaders of the Senate Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee plan to remain in place when the next Congress convenes in January. Staffers for both subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) confirmed their bosses’ intentions this week. Alexander has held the post since 2015, taking over from Feinstein […]

By John Stang Companies that want to assist in decommissioning the retired Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant have until Dec. 28 to submit requests for proposals. Staff at the Omaha, Neb., Public Power District told its board of directors that three companies are expected to submit bids, but did not identify the firms. The […]

The United States needs an all-new organization separated from the federal government if it hopes to finally end the decades-long impasse in building a permanent resting place for the nation’s nuclear waste, a panel of experts said Monday. That was one of a long series of recommendations listed in the 126-page “Reset of America’s Nuclear […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy said Monday it plans before the close of the year to buy a South Carolina company that produces equipment for decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The Wilmington, N.C., nuclear services provider did not say how much it will pay to acquire REI Nuclear and “certain assets.” Founded nearly six years […]

By John Stang Holtec International and Exelon are urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject requests from Lacey Township, N.J., and the Sierra Club for intervention and public hearings on the proposed transfer of the federal operations license for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. The 49-year-old Oyster Creek boiling-water reactor ended operations on Sept. […]

Pacific Gas and Electric said Thursday it will need an additional $1.6 billion from ratepayers to fund the anticipated $4.8 billion price tag for decommissioning its Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The California utility plans to shut down the San Luis Obispo County nuclear facility’s two reactors on the dates their Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses expire: […]

Despite some pushback from members of his own party, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will become the Democrats’ ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Manchin, a former West Virginia governor, has been a member of the committee since being elected to the Senate in 2010. He has served as a champion for […]

The Sierra Club should be allowed to intervene in part in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s review of a license application for a planned spent nuclear reactor fuel storage facility in Texas, according to agency staff. However, staff said a coalition of environmental groups led by Don’t Waste Michigan failed to show standing or submit viable […]

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) hopes to remain chairman of the Senate Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee when the next Congress convenes in January, a staffer confirmed. The longtime lawmaker has held the post since 2015. There was no word Tuesday on whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) expects to stay on as her party’s ranking […]

Pacific Gas and Electric has confirmed the specific dates at which it will retire the two reactors at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California. The utility said in a Nov. 27 letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it plans to shut down reactor Unit 1 on Nov. 2, 2024, and Unit […]

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have recommended rejection of a motion to dismiss a board of administrative judges that will adjudicate the license application for a spent nuclear reactor fuel site in West Texas. The central concern from the Sierra Club, Don’t Waste Michigan, and a number of other advocacy organizations and one individual […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in October spent $14,325 from its remaining Nuclear Waste Fund balance on federal court costs, according to its latest monthly update to Congress. That represented the large majority of the $15,727 spent from the fund during the month and left the agency with an unspent, unobligated balance of $415,019 as […]

Vocal proponents for establishing a permanent strategy for disposal of the nation’s nuclear waste, possibly at the always controversial Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, are preparing to ascend to leadership posts in Congress that have central roles in advancing the issue. When Democrats take control of the House of Representatives next month, Rep. Frank Pallone […]

In approving a very-short-term federal appropriations bill this week, Congress postponed a possible tussle over funding for the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Several federal agencies are still waiting on a full budget for fiscal 2019, operating on a continuing resolution since Oct. 1. That bill expires today. Rather than try to […]