The Department of Energy issued a request for information (RFI) Wednesday seeking states interested in hosting Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.
The proposed campuses must support capabilities of the full nuclear fuel cycle, such as fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and disposal of waste, according to DOE’s press release.
The approach could be more attractive to states than merely asking communities to host spent fuel storage or disposal facilities, according to at least one source Exchange Monitor spoke with recently. Politico recently reported that states could receive incentives to deal with nuclear waste.
While an upcoming winter blast won’t cover as much of the nation as last week’s, another nasty weather weekend is ahead for Department of Energy nuclear sites.
The 310-square-mile SRS on the Georgia-South Carolina line would be in for three to five inches of snow this weekend, according to some projections.
Based on a brief Friday-morning Internet search, it looks like severe weather watches, warnings or advisories are in place this weekend for the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, the Paducah Site in Kentucky and the Portsmouth Site in Ohio.
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) is looking for new members to help provide nuclear cleanup advice for the former plutonium production complex at Richland, Wash.
Formed in 1994, HAB predates most other DOE Office of Environmental Management Advisory Boards. The panel provides “informed recommendations” to not only DOE but also the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington state Department of Ecology, according to a Tuesday press release.
Membership terms will begin on Oct. 1, 2026, and run for two years.Applications are due no later than Feb. 6 and should be emailed to HABMembership@rl.gov. The HAB has a total of 38 seats, according to a state spokesperson. Many of those seats also have the option to have an alternate member that can represent the seat when the primary is unavailable.
Seth Cohen, a former Kirkland & Ellis attorney, announced via LinkedIn Wednesday that he is now the Department of Energy’s head of nuclear law and policy. Since mid-2025, Cohen has held legal posts within the federal government including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and DOE.
“Proud to work at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), prouder to be an American,” Cohen said “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Wright for your incredible leadership on this,” Cohen said on LinkedIn. He was referring to the recent DOE announcement seeking information from states interested in nuclear lifecycle hubs.
The National Nuclear Security Administration will conduct low-altitude helicopter flights starting Feb. 2 through Feb. 4 over San Francisco, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl Feb. 8, the agency said Thursday.
The NNSA’s aerial measuring system conducts preventative radiation missions in preparation for high-profile events, including the Super Bowl, political party conventions, and the presidential inauguration. The San Francisco public may see a Leonardo AW-139 helicopter, equipped with radiation-sensing technology, flying at low levels over the city, NNSA said.
NEST is part of the Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation, which aims to provide early threat indications, inform of nuclear materials globally, and prevent adversaries from obtaining and detonating a nuclear device.
ARLINGTON, VA – Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit Wednesday there was a “pretty cohesive desire” to finish funding the government, but “whether we get it done by Friday” he was unsure.
Friday, Jan. 30 is the final day of funding in the current continuing resolution (CR), which extended fiscal 2025 funding levels until that date to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. If Congress cannot agree on a stopgap spending bill by then, the government will enter a partial shutdown, meaning only agencies that did not receive funding from the six enacted fiscal 2026 appropriations would be affected and start to furlough employees and close non-essential operations.
Fortunately for those who work in the Department of Energy, President Donald Trump signed a recently-passed minibus spending package, which includes the Energy and Water appropriations bill that funds DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), into law Jan. 23.
Defense company Babcock International Group said Jan. 23 David Lockwood, group chief executive, will retire at the end of 2026 and be replaced by Harry Holt, current chief executive officer of Babcock’s nuclear sector.
Holt will assume the role of deputy CEO and join Babcock’s board in June, staying on the nuclear sector until then, which is the biggest sector in Babcock globally, according to a press release by the company. Babcock is a U.K.-based defense company and parent of Cavendish Nuclear.
Holt spent seven years on the executive team at Rolls Royce prior to joining Babcock, including as president of its nuclear division, and has taken on a range of roles in nuclear sectors at other organizations, the release said. Holt also had a career as an officer in the British Army prior to his industrial tenure.