August, 2012

This past weekend, NRC set up information booths at two events that each drew several thousand attendees. On Thursday, Aug. 23, the resident inspectors from the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant joined two public affairs officers as well as the Director of...

A panel of judges on the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has completed its hearing on challenges to an application to build a new nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland. Board hearings are one part of the NRC’s process for determining...

As Tropical Storm Isaac develops off the Gulf coast, one only hopes that it will lessen in force and simply bring much needed rains. But the reality is that NRC staff prepares for adverse conditions — to include hurricane force winds in excess of...

The unusually hot summer across much of the country has not only taken a toll on our lawns and plants, it’s also slowly raised the temperature of some of our lakes and rivers. Many nuclear power plants rely on lakes or rivers for water to cool the plant...

Early in the afternoon last August 23, people living near the small town of Mineral, Va., felt a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. That earthquake also hit the nearby North Anna Nuclear Power Station. The plant, operated by Dominion, automatically shut down and...

Over the past two years, the NRC has undertaken a number of initiatives to support President Obama’s emphasis on Open Government. We have, for example, made public 29 high-value datasets and embraced a variety of social media channels, including this...

On April 26, 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine spewed radioactive material into the environment — with immediately tragic effects. Two workers at the site died within hours of the explosion from non-radiation...

Who decides if the U.S. is going to use nuclear energy to meet this country’s electric needs? It’s a question we get here at the NRC not infrequently. The short answer: Congress and the President. Together they make the nation’s laws and policies directing...

A public meeting held last week near the three-unit Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama discussed the Tennessee Valley Authority’s preparations for the next phase in the NRC’s supplemental inspection associated with a “red” inspection finding, the most...

On Tuesday, the five-member Commission issued an Order directing the staff not to issue licenses for new reactors or to issue renewed licenses for existing reactors for the time being. The Order, understandably, caused a flurry of interest among news...

It’s been a little over four weeks since I was sworn in as chairman of the NRC, and to describe it as busy would be putting it mildly. I have so far had the opportunity to visit our regional office in Atlanta, the NRC training facility in Chattanooga...

“Protocol is creating the right conditions for business and diplomacy to succeed.” Chris Young, President, Protocol and Diplomacy, International Protocol Officers Association As the Director of Protocol at the NRC, my days are always varied, filled with...