Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is suspending its search for sites in Nevada that could host hearings on the license application for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository until the agency has a better idea regarding whether it will need such a facility. The NRC in 2005 began leasing a facility near McCarran International Airport in […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in August spent $5,892 from its remaining Nuclear Waste Fund balance, with some of it going to legal costs in a petition against one of the commissioners. The agency after that spending had $443,310 remaining in unexpended, unobligated money from the fund intended to pay for development of the planned […]

The Board of Directors for the Omaha, Neb., Public Power District (OPPD) voted Thursday to expedite decommissioning of the shuttered Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant. The new approach is expected to shave nearly four decades from the timeline for decommissioning, starting less than two years from now and wrapping up in 2028. It should […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has tentatively determined there would be no environmental impact from renewing the license for a storage pad for waste from reactor Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The Department of Energy has requested a 20-year renewal of the license for the independent spent fuel […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on this week approved the license transfer application for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, putting the retired facility one step closer to being sold. The next and last major step in the regulatory process is approval from the Vermont Public Utility Commission, which site owner Entergy and prospective buyer NorthStar […]

By John Stang Staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recommended that two environmental organizations be allowed to intervene in deliberations over Holtec International’s license application to build and operate a used reactor fuel storage site in southeastern New Mexico. However, staff also determined several watchdog organizations and spent fuel storage container manufacturer NAC […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has tentatively determined there would be no environmental impact from renewing the license for a storage pad for radioactive waste from reactor Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The Department of Energy has requested a 20-year renewal of the license for the independent spent […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in August spent $5,892 from its remaining Nuclear Waste Fund balance, with some of it going to costs for a federal legal petition against one of the commissioners. The agency after that spending had $443,310 remaining in unexpended, unobligated money from the fund intended to pay for development of the […]

Two members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation on Monday demanded assurance that the planned sale and decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will not endanger the public’s safety or security. Sen. Ed Markey (D) and Rep. Bill Keating (D) made their case in letters to power company Entergy and energy technology firm Holtec International, respectively […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Sept. 28 it expects to need at least a couple extra weeks to issue its decision on the license transfer for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. “[W]e have been saying we anticipated issuing a decision by the end of the third quarter,” NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said by email. […]

A nuclear watchdog organization and two private oil and gas entities are contesting the stance from the staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they cannot request dismissal of license applications for facilities to store tens of thousands of tons of spent nuclear reactor fuel in Texas and New Mexico. Beyond Nuclear and the teaming […]

Expediting decommissioning of the newly retired Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey could shave hundreds of millions of dollars from the price tag for the project, according to prospective buyer Holtec International. The New Jersey energy technology company wants to buy the power plant, which ended operations on Sept. 17, and then assume […]

A nuclear watchdog organization and two private oil and gas entities are contesting the position from staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they cannot request dismissal of license applications for facilities to store spent nuclear reactor fuel in Texas and New Mexico. Beyond Nuclear and the teaming of Fasken Land & Minerals and Permian […]

Two members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation on Monday demanded assurance that the planned sale and decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will not endanger the safety or security of local stakeholders. Sen. Ed Markey (D) and Rep. Bill Keating (D) made their case in letters to power company Entergy and energy technology firm Holtec […]

Two Richland, Wash.-based contractors serving the Energy Department and other federal clients have formed a joint venture to promote a material sorting technology that will be shown off this week. The two small businesses, Federal Engineers & Constructors (FE&C) and ISO-Pacific Remediation Technologies, said Sept. 19 the venture, Innovative Remediation & Integrated Systems LLC (IRIS), […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday it expects to need at least a couple extra weeks to issue its decision on the license transfer for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. “[W]e have been saying we anticipated issuing a decision by the end of the third quarter,” NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said by email. “However, […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is beginning the formal review of the license transfer application for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey from owner Exelon to planned owner Holtec International. The regulator informed Exelon by email Thursday that it had completed the acceptance review of the Aug. 31 application. The document was […]

By John Stang All used nuclear fuel has been removed from the newly retired reactor at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, according to a Sept. 25 letter from plant owner Exelon to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The short message, submitted by Exelon Vice President for Licensing and Decommissioning Michael Gallagher, […]

By John Stang Staffers for two U.S. lawmakers and others on Tuesday raised concerns about whether there is enough money available for decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The issue came up during a Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting ahead of the anticipated application next month to transfer the plant’s operational license from owner […]

President Donald Trump on Sept. 21 signed the first congressionally approved “minibus” appropriations bill for fiscal 2019, which cuts out all proposed funding at the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission for licensing a nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The White House made no mention of the matter in statements on […]

After a delay of more than a year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Tuesday gave Jacobs Field Services North America the green light to begin cleanup at the Shallow Land Disposal Area near Pittsburgh. The Army Corps awarded the $350 million radiological remediation contract to the Houston-based Jacobs subsidiary in April 2017, […]

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is recommending rejection of two separate motions calling for dismissal of license applications for facilities to store spent nuclear reactor fuel in Texas and New Mexico. The motion from the advocacy group Beyond Nuclear and a joint filing from energy firm Fasken Land and Minerals and the Permian Basin […]

All used nuclear fuel has been removed from the newly retired reactor at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, according to a Sept. 25 letter from plant owner Exelon to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The short message, submitted by Exelon Generation Vice President for Licensing and Decommissioning Michael Gallagher, also provides […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday handed off some authority for regulation of radioactive materials in Wyoming to the state government. The five-person federal commission approved establishing Wyoming as an NRC agreement state, though details of its decision were not immediately available. Agency Chairman Kristine Svinicki and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead signed the agreement. […]

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is recommending rejection of two separate motions for dismissal of license applications for facilities to store spent nuclear reactor fuel in Texas and New Mexico. The commission should dismiss the motion from the advocacy group Beyond Nuclear and a joint filing from Fasken Land and Minerals and Permian Basin […]

President Donald Trump on Friday signed the first congressionally approved “minibus” appropriations bill for fiscal 2019, which cuts out all proposed funding at the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission for licensing a nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The White House made no mention of the matter in statements on the […]

The Energy Department apparently still hasn’t submitted a report to Congress due Feb. 1 on classifying certain defense nuclear waste. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 2018, signed last December, said the “Secretary of Energy shall conduct an evaluation of the feasibility, costs, and cost savings of classifying covered defense nuclear waste as […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has submitted the first of what is likely to be several requests for additional information on Holtec International’s license application to build and operate a facility for storage of used fuel from commercial nuclear power reactors. The agency’s Sept. 13 letter to Holtec encompasses more than 90 distinct requests, primarily […]

Decommissioning of the nearly retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts could be largely complete in less than a decade if it can be sold, according to its owner and prospective buyer. Otherwise, the process could stretch on for decades, power company Entergy and energy technology firm Holtec International will tell the Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]

While not much has appeared to happen for the majority of the past year, there is still reason for optimism that the federal government will find a way forward to establish a means for permanent disposal of the most radioactive form of low-level waste, an industry executive said. Congress did not address the issue of […]