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Meltdowns in Japan drive an ambitious agenda in the U.S. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has released a "Near Term Report" ( full text ) this week that calls for a wide range of safety improvements for the U.S. fleet of 104 nuclear reactors. The report ominously calls for "redefining...

NRC Commissioners talk about Yucca Mountain The New York Times has excellent coverage this week of two speeches by NRC Commissioners Gregory Jazcko (right) and Dale Klein.  What’s significant about them is that both proceed from the point of view of the chairman’s role.  Jazcko is the current...

It’s the slowest day in the weekly news cycle except Saturday The White House has announced a new nomination for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to replace outgoing former chairman Dale Klein. Bill Ostendorff is currently the Director of the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy...

Halloween comes early for the AP1000 Westinghouse engineers are burning the midnight oil in Pittsburgh this week, and it’s not because they are filling trick-of-treat goodie bags.  The reason is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) threw a scare into the company and with it set teeth on edge...

Former chairman asks President Obama to fill his seat NRC Commissioner Dale Klein (left) has submitted his resignation to  President Barack Obama.  Klein also committed to serve in his post until his successor takes office.  His term expires in June 2011. In his letter Klein wrote he looks...

The commissioner seats have been open for some time Both appointments have been rumored for some time.  Last July the New York Times published an assessment by Climate Wire. Business groups were reported to be worried that with the appointment to the NRC of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's...

Government action is a necessary precursor to award of $40 billion in nuclear reactor construction The Wall Street Journal reports an independent nuclear regulatory body has been set up in the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) under a new law that paves the way for up to $40 billion in new nuclear reactor...

NRC’s Dale Klein says the agency must be clear about what it does and how it explains its decisions to the public Dale Klein, currently a Commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory  Commission ( NRC ), and its former chairman under the previous administration, has two objectives for his agency. He said...

It’s open to the public and includes real-time online access Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a workshop at the agency headquarters in Rockville, Md., on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8 and 9, to discuss generic issues regarding potential applications for so-called “small and medium-sized” nuclear...

Some reactor projects at the front of the line might be better off moving to the back If you add up the number of new reactors with license applications  submitted to the NRC, what you get are way too many projects chasing not nearly enough capital much less sufficient  manufacturing capability...

If licensed it will be the 4th uranium enrichment plant slated for start-up by 2014 The clock is ticking on the U.S. Russian “ Megatons-to-Megawatts ” program which ends in 2013.  Once it wraps up there could be as many as four uranium enrichment plants slated for start-up in 2014. There could not...

Ameren calls it quits Ameren switched gears this week asking the NRC to stop its review of the utility’s license application for a new nuclear power plant at Callaway, MO.  The action by Ameren probably means the Callaway II new nuclear build is dead.  It is an exasperating defeat for pro-nuclear...

News comes in three forms – good, bad, and ugly – catching up from spending a week of live blogging from ANS Atlanta NRC cites utility shortfalls – says no free rides for decommissioning funds The Wall Street Journal reported June 20 that six nuclear utilities have until the end of calendar year 2009...

A modest proposal to avoid killing off innovative reactor designs due to cost recovery for design certification reviews In a widely read OP ED published in the Wall Street Journal on June 25, Bob Metcalfe , a well-known entrepreneur and venture capitalist, complained about the “high costs and astronomical...

The nuclear industry is not happy about some aspects of the process One of the more significant misconceptions about licensing a new nuclear power  plant is that if you throw more money at the Nuclear Regulatoy Agency (NRC), it will speed up the approval process for new reactor projects and designs...

NRC license application for Idaho Eagle Rock uranium enrichment plant will change Areva Enrichment Services will ask the NRC to change  its license application to double the capacity of the planned $2.4 billion ‘ Eagle Rock ’ Enrichment Facility in Idaho Falls.  The change in the license application...

Opponents at Indian Point, Vermont Yankee may find it harder to prevail The nation’s oldest operating commercial nuclear reactor is going  to get older, and continue operating. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), by a vote of 3-1, will renew the license for the 650 MW Oyster Creek nuclear power...

Comanche Peak and Nine Mile mark milestones in progress towards NRC license and breaking ground The planned expansion of the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant  in Glen Rose, TX, could get an NRC license by 2011 based on a schedule published by the regulatory agency this month.  The project...

Dan Packer, former Entergy CEO, is a candidate for the NRC’s open seat Platts reports that NRC Chairman Dale Klein (right) says he plans to remain  at the agency, either as chairman or as a commissioner, and he has not been told by President-elect Barack Obama's administration transition team...

NRC public meeting is rally point for 'Eagle Rock' uranium enrichment plant On a cold winter night in Idaho more than 400 people turned out  in Idaho Falls packing a hotel conference room to standing room only in a show of support for Areva's planned $2.4 billion 'Eagle Rock'...

The federal agency will kick off public participation in the licensing process for the Eagle Rock uranium enrichment plant Areva's planned $2.4 billion uranium enrichment plant , to be built  about 18 miles west of Idaho Falls as the crow flies, needs a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory...

Vermont Yankee is a case in parallel with Indian point The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) found itself in an  awkward position last week when it wrote a letter of apology to former Vermont Governor Thomas Salmon . The letter was sent after an NRC regional administrator lost control of a public...

Agency's top man heads a special inspection team The Nuclear Regulatory Commission launched a special  inspection last week into the circumstances surrounding a new leak in one of the cooling towers at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vt. It sent top-level structural engineering...

Entergy will spend $600 million on regulatory compliance The Indian Point Unit 2 & Unit 3 each got a passing  grade from the NRC last week for safety, but plant officials also got a two-hour grilling by federal regulators about what they need to do to keep that rating.  The Poughkeepsie...

Wide travels bring a strong message to the nuclear industry Dale Klein, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has been traveling a lot giving a speech to NEI's annual meeting, an interview in Tampa, Fl, and talks in university settings. He has been on the road so much lately that I'm...