December, 2011

Enough news space has been devoted over the years to the prospects for new reactors in the U.S. to lay waste to several small forests and countless electrons. However, there is a different means by which the nation’s share of nuclear-generated electricity...

The NRC hosts hundreds of public meetings each year. For the most part, these meetings go well — discussions take place, participants get what they need, and the parties move forward with plans and actions. From time-to-time, though, NRC staff members...

The NRC’s five Commissioners have approved a rule that certifies the amended AP1000 reactor design for use in the Unites States. The Commissioners took this final step in the certification process after four years of review by the NRC’s technical staff...

Yes, it’s true – the NRC has just unveiled an even better ADAMS. The NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System, which is available from our website, now boasts a number of enhancements – some implemented directly as a result of public input...

Did you know the smoke detectors in your home contain radioactive material? A small piece of a radioisotope called americium-241 is what alerts you if your house catches fire – the americium ionizes the air, making it conductive, so that any smoke particles...

As the year comes to an end, the NRC continues to evaluate the lessons learned from the March 2011 nuclear accident in Japan to ensure that appropriate safety enhancements are implemented at nuclear power plants here in the U.S. We at the NRC take the...

In recent months, the NRC has identified additional performance and technical issues that will need to be resolved before the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station can restart. The plant, located about 19 miles north of Omaha, Neb., shut down on April 9 for a...

Do the cracks discovered in the shield building at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Station compromise its ability to stand up to tornadoes and earthquakes? Can the shield building still protect the reactor vessel from being hit by heavy outside objects? The NRC...

The NRC will hold several meetings next week in Rockville, Md., with industry representatives to continue discussions on proposals for implementing recommendations from the NRC’s Japan Near-Term Task Force. The task force examined issues raised by the...

Thanks to the NRC’s agreement with China’s nuclear agency to exchange construction knowledge, I traveled there last summer to observe ongoing work on two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear units. In July, I arrived in Shanghai, a sprawling, modern city full...

While nuclear power plants are an important source of electricity in the U.S., they also contain radioactive material and produce radioactivity that needs to be contained – both under ordinary circumstances and during accidents. The NRC requires many...

Many of us who work at the NRC are scientists and engineers. So as with anyone who works in a specific field, we spend our time at work thinking and speaking in jargon. Even within the NRC, different program offices use different jargon – and we may sometimes...