• National Cleanup Workshop registration is open! Register today! 
  • 📅 Date: September 14-16
📍 Location: Arlington, VA 🔗 Don't miss out - Register Here!
• Appropriations Update: due to a shuffling of the House calendar last week, the Energy & Water Bill did not reach the floor for debate and will likely not see movement until later this month. Similarly, the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) reached the House floor for debate this week, but voting on the bill was postponed until Congress returns from recess on July 11. 
• Deployable Energy’s demonstration reactor, Unity reached criticality on June 30, marking the third advanced reactor to reach criticality ahead of the July 4 deadline - read more below. 
• New GAO report "Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Changes Needed to Ensure DOE Is Not Prematurely Excluding Less Expensive Options for Large Projects" - read more below. 
• Visit ECA on LinkedIn for regular updates.

DOE ANNOUNCES THIRD REACTOR TO HIT CRITICALITY AHEAD OF JULY 4

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP!

Today is the final day to take advantage of early bird registration rates for the annual National Cleanup Workshop from September 14th - 16th, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. 

$1225 Private Sector Early Bird ​(increases to $1375 on July 1)

$725 DOE Approved Attendees (increases to $875 on July 1)  *use DOE discount registration code

​$475 Virtual

BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS HEARING SCHEDULE

On Capitol Hill, FY 2027 appropriations hearings are in full swing as both House and Senate committees hear testimony regarding the President's Budget Request. 

Incase you missed it! Here are recordings of recently passed hearings: 

• The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hosted a Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2027 Defense Bill- click here to rewatch the hearing.
• The House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing on Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing - click here to rewatch the hearing.
• The House Science Committee held a hearing on An Overview of the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request - click here to tune in to the hearing.The House Committee on Armed Services hosted a Full Committee Markup of National Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 2027- click here to rerewatch the hearing.
• The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hosted a hearing to examine the Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act, The RECHARGE Act, and a discussion draft of the Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act - click here to rewatch the hearing. 
• The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee of Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies hosted a Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2027 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Bill - click here to rewatch the markup.
• House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee of Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee Markup of Fiscal Year 2027 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Bill - click here to watch the recording.
• Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing on Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration atomic energy defense activities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Nuclear Security Program - click here to watch the recording.
• Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to Examine the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget - click here to watch the recording.
• House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on FY27 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities - click here to watch the recording. 
• Senate Committee on Appropriations held a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Nuclear Security Administration - click here to watch the recording. 

As the FY27 appropriations and authorization process continues, stay up to date by visiting the recently updated ECA Federal Budget Tracker!

REGULATORY ROUND UP

New! The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a proposed rule on Modernizing Materials Licensing. The NRC is proposing to amend its regulations for byproduct, source, and special nuclear material to modernize the NRC’s materials licensing requirements. The proposed rule will be open to public comment until midnight on August 10, 2026. Comments can be submitted here. 

Read the entire proposed rule here.

New! The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a proposed rule and draft guidance; public meeting; request for comment on Integrated Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal. The NRC is proposing to amend its regulations that govern the land disposal of low-level radioactive waste to expand regulatory coverage to include certain transuranic wastes. The proposed rule will be open to public comment until midnight on August 17, 2026. Comments can be submitted here. 

Read the entire proposed rule here.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a proposed rule on Modernizing NRC Regulations for Byproduct Material Use. The NRC is proposing to amend its regulations for the licensing of byproduct material, some source material, and some special nuclear material. The proposed rule will be open to public comment until midnight on July 2, 2026. Comments can be submitted here. 

Read the entire proposed rule here.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold the 737th Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards on July 8 - 10, 2026. The Committee will be conducting meetings that will include some Members being physically present at the headquarters of the NRC while other Members participate remotely. You can participate remotely via Microsoft Teams or via phone at 301–576–2978, passcode 136614530#. View a detailed agenda and the Microsoft Teams link here. 

Read the entire meeting announcement here.

The Office of Management and Budget published a proposed rule proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance to improve government-wide policies and requirements related to the management of grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance. OMB is proposing revisions that would improve transparency, accountability, and oversight for Federal awards across the Federal Government. Public comments will be accepted until July 13, 2026 using this link. 

Read the full proposed rule here. 

The Department of Energy published a meeting announcement on Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 16, 2026; 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. CDT at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC), Emerging Technology Center, Room 215, 5100 Alben Barkley Drive, Paducah, Kentucky 42001. and streamed on YouTube (link here), no registration is necessary.

Read the entire announcement here.

The Department of Energy published a meeting announcement on Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Savannah River Site. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 21 from 9:00 am - 4:00pm EDT at the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative at 4345 Trolley Line Road, Aiken, South Carolina 29801 and streamed on YouTube (link here), no registration is necessary.

Read the entire announcement here.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Department of Transportation (DOT) published a request for comment on the Development of a Commercially Viable System-Centric Small Modular Reactor Concept for Deployment in the Marine Transportation System to support the development of a U.S.-built scalable, repeatable, commercially viable, system-centric, small modular reactor (SMR) and their deployment within the marine transportation system. This Request for Information (RFI) for a single vessel or technology demonstration seeks public feedback on proficient system architecture, including liability frameworks, insurance pathways, port acceptance, workforce development, and standards integration for vessel deployment. The request for comment will be open to public comment until midnight on August 5, 2026. Comments can be submitted here.

Read the entire request for comment here. 

CATCH UP ON PAST WEBINARS

Click the button below to visit ECA's YouTube Channel to rewatch past webinars, and find the recordings from our most recent webinars on our YouTube channel!