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NRC Working Group Finalizing Recommendations on Decommissioning Financial Assurance
Friday, February 21st, 2020
A working group of staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled in March to issue a formal set of recommendations to enhance financial assurances for decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Senior managers at the agency established the working group last September to consider the matter in the face of a growing trend in the […]
READ MOREWrap Up: New Mexico Senate Votes Down Rad Waste Oversight Bill
Friday, February 21st, 2020
The New Mexico Senate on Monday voted down a bill intended to increase state oversight of a planned commercial storage facility for radioactive spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power plants. Senators voted 25-16 against the legislation from Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Democrat from Las Cruces. Senate Bill 95 would have instituted several updates to the […]
READ MORENRC Plans $728.5 Million in Fees for FY20
Friday, February 21st, 2020
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday it will need to collect $728.5 million in fees to fund its operations for the current federal budget year. That figure meets the agency’s mandate under the 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act to recover 90% of its yearly funding from licensee and service fees, according to a Federal Register […]
READ MORENuclear Waste Experts’ Board Wants $2M Budget Boost
Friday, February 21st, 2020
The federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) is requesting a $2 million increase to its annual budget as it eyes added authority. The small agency’s spending cap has held steady at $3.6 million since fiscal 2016. But in the congressional budget justification for the upcoming 2021 funding year, it asked for $5.6 million. Much […]
READ MORENRC Urges Court to Dismiss Industry Petition on VLLW Disposal Authority
Friday, February 21st, 2020
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking a federal appeals court to dismiss a petition challenging its sole authority to regulate disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) from nuclear power plants in the agency’s agreement states. The Nuclear Energy Institute missed the 60-day window set under the Atomic Energy Act and Hobbs Act to file […]
READ MOREEntergy Increases Earnings for 4Q, Full-Year 2019
Friday, February 21st, 2020
By John Stang Strong investment returns on the decommissioning trust funds for the Pilgrim and Indian Point nuclear power complexes helped Entergy improve its financial pictures for 2019. The better numbers came from a mix of financial sources – along with the decommissioning trust returns, Entergy benefited from more favorable income tax returns, lower asset […]
READ MOREEnergy Dept. Retreats From Undersecretary’s Comments on Yucca Mountain
Friday, February 21st, 2020
The Trump administration this week publicly played down any appearance that recent comments from a senior Department of Energy official indicate continuing commitment to building a nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain, Nev. Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes “and The Department of Energy fully support finding an alternative to Yucca Mountain for the storage of […]
READ MOREWrap Up: DOE Undersecretary Menezes to be Nominated for Deputy Energy Secretary
Friday, February 14th, 2020
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he plans to nominate Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes to take over as deputy secretary for the Department of Energy. Menezes would succeed Dan Brouillette, who in December was confirmed and sworn in as secretary of energy. The nomination for the No. 2 spot at DOE had not been […]
READ MOREExelon Needs State Assistance to Support Nuclear Plants, CEO Says
Friday, February 14th, 2020
By John Stang Power company Exelon repeated Tuesday that it still needs additional legislative help from states to keep its nuclear plants open. The message from President and CEO Chris Crane, speaking to financial analysts during a teleconference on the company’s 2019 earnings, echoed concerns he has raised repeatedly – most recently during the company’s […]
READ MORENew York AG Seeks Hearing on Indian Point License Transfer
Friday, February 14th, 2020
By John Stang The New York state Attorney General’s Office and three other parties this week filed petitions for hearings with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the proposed license transfer and sale of the Indian Point Energy Center. Along with the Attorney General’s Office, the petitioners are: jointly the town of Cortlandt, village of Buchanan, […]
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