Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to conduct some portion of the potentially resumed proceeding on licensing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., in the state, NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki told Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) in a recent letter. Svinicki responded on May 19 to a letter earlier in the month from Nevada’s […]

Stakeholders urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move cautiously as it studies potentially establishing a specific definition and category for what is now informally called very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW). In February, the agency issued a Federal Register notice seeking input on opportunities to enhance its regulatory framework for VLLW, given the significant amounts anticipated […]

The two newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been sworn into office as of Wednesday. Commissioner Annie Caputo was sworn in Tuesday by NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki, followed by Commissioner David Wright on Wednesday. The Senate last week confirmed the two, nearly a year after President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to conduct some portion of the potentially resumed proceeding on licensing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., in the state, NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki told Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) in a recent letter. Svinicki responded on May 19 to a letter earlier in the month from Nevada’s […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday unveiled a set of proposed rules for nuclear reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. The recommendations developed by NRC staff are intended to reduce the need for nuclear plant operators to request exemptions to federal regulations or license amendments for facilities that pose […]

By John Stang Several New Mexico state legislators wondered last week if a proposed temporary used nuclear fuel storage site east of Carlsbad could become permanent by default. Opponents of Holtec International’s planned consolidated interim spent fuel facility also asked, during a May 18 hearing of the New Mexico Legislature’s Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee, […]

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed all three nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, just hours after the chamber’s Appropriations Committee approved a budget proposal that provided no money for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository in Nevada. While no one would say so on the record, the connection appeared reasonably certain – particularly given […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a fiscal 2019 funding bill that provides nothing for development of the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository, instead again backing consolidated interim storage of spent fuel from U.S. nuclear reactors. The $43.8 billion energy spending measure, covering the Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other agencies, could […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday unveiled a set of proposed rules for nuclear reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. The proposed rules developed by NRC staff are intended to reduce the need for nuclear plant operators to request exemptions to federal regulations or license amendments for facilities that pose a reduced danger […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would get a sizable budget boost in fiscal 2019, almost entirely from funding for its review of the license application for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository in Nevada, under the energy and water funding bill approved Wednesday by the House Appropriations Committee. The panel’s roughly 90-minute markup ended without any […]

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration said Wednesday it is gearing up to provide another $40 million in cooperative agreements supporting commercial programs to develop production capabilities for the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). That would be on top of $100 million pledged in recent years to four projects led by three companies: NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, […]

The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday rejected an amendment to its fiscal 2019 energy and water bill that would have siphoned away certain increased funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and Energy Department environmental cleanup programs. During the committee markup of the bill, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) proposed the amendment to help restore […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission might not sign off on the sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until the third quarter of the year, according to the head of prospective buyer NorthStar Group Services. NorthStar CEO Scott State made that observation on May 11 during an evidentiary hearing in the […]

The House Appropriations Committee again teed up an inter-chamber debate about the future of U.S. nuclear waste disposal this week when it voted along party lines to give the White House $100 million more than it sought in fiscal year 2019 for Yucca Mountain. In a Wednesday markup, the committee also shot down an amendment, […]

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration said Wednesday it is gearing up to provide another $40 million in cooperative agreements for production projects for the medical isotope molybdenum-99. That would be on top of $100 million pledged in recent years to four projects led by three companies: NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, SHINE Medical Technologies, and General […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would get a sizable budget boost in fiscal 2019, almost entirely from funding for its review of the license application for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository in Nevada, under the House Appropriations energy and water bill to be marked up today. The nuclear industry regulator asked for $958.1 million for […]

In a vote more than a decade in the making, the House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would smooth the way for the Department of Energy to build a permanent nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev. The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2018 (H.R. 3053), shepherded through […]

The House Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee on Monday approved a roughly $36-billion fiscal 2019 Department of Energy budget bill, which heads to the full committee for a markup Wednesday. The Energy Department would receive a 5-percent budget raise from 2018, if the bill the House Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee marked up […]

The House Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee on Monday approved a $44.7-billion energy funding bill for fiscal 2019, including extra money for the planned Yucca Mountain radioactive waste disposal repository in Nevada. A full committee markup is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday. The bill report, which provides a more detailed look at proposed funding for […]

The members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday received a proposed package of rules for commercial nuclear power reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. “The proposed rule package was signed out by the Office of Executive Director and sent to the Office of the Secretary yesterday, so … the Commission has it,” […]

By John Stang Entergy and NorthStar Group Services are delaying providing extra financial information to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the planned sale of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant by just over two weeks. The NRC has questions about whether Entergy and NorthStar have their finances in order to complete decommissioning of the […]

The House Rules Committee late Tuesday afternoon approved the rules of debate for a policy bill that would make it easier to send radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain in Nevada for permanent disposal. The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2018 is now slated for a floor vote Thursday. Lawmakers proposed 17 amendments to the […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the end of March had $464,544 remaining in its available balance from the fund that pays for its licensing activities for the planned Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository in Nevada, according to the latest update to Congress. The agency spent $42,506 of its Nuclear Waste Fund carryover during the […]

The members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday received a proposed package of rules for commercial nuclear power reactors making the transition from operations to decommissioning. “The proposed rule package was signed out by the Office of Executive Director and sent to the Office of the Secretary yesterday, so … the Commission has it,” […]

Entergy and NorthStar Group Services are delaying providing extra financial information to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the proposed Vermont Yankee sale by little more than two weeks. Approval by NRC and the Vermont Public Utility Commission are required for the sale to proceed. The NRC has questions about whether Entergy and NorthStar have […]

The House Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee approved a roughly $36-billion Department of Energy budget bill Monday, which heads to the full committee for a markup that had not been scheduled at deadline for Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. The Department of Energy (DOE) would receive a 5-percent budget raise over all from 2018, if […]

Centrus Energy is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to amend its nuclear material license at the Energy Department’s Portsmouth Site in Ohio. The application was filed as the company is closing out decommissioning of its American Centrifuge uranium enrichment demonstration project. In a May 1 Federal Register notice, the NRC is seeking comments on […]

The federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board has scheduled a June 13 meeting in Idaho to consider key technical issues to be dealt with prior to transport of radioactive waste from around the country for interim storage or permanent disposal. The meeting could lead to recommendations to Congress and Energy Secretary Rick Perry as they […]

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Waste Control Specialists and Orano USA plan within the next two months to formally request that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission resume its review of a stalled license application for consolidated interim storage of spent fuel in West Texas, according to the executive leading their partnership. The companies expect in the second quarter […]

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should next week receive agency staff’s proposed rule package for nuclear power reactors transitioning from operations to decommissioning, a senior official said Wednesday. The proposal is going through its final concurrence process by NRC offices, and as of this week was at the Office of the Executive Director […]