House passes nuclear energy production tax credit bill The Hill June 20,
2017 The House quickly passed a
bill extending a nuclear energy tax credit on Tuesday. The bill, bipartisan legislation from Reps. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and others, would increase the number of utilities that can qualify for the tax credit and remove construction deadlines for facilities that use
it.
The House passed the bill, which would cost $16 million over 10 years, on a voice
vote.
The legislation lifts a requirement that nuclear facilities be placed into service by the end of 2020 in order to receive the
1.8-cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit. >>Continue readingA reactor in Idaho could change the future of nuclear energy The Washington Post June 20, 2017 The future of the nuclear energy in the United States may well run through rural Idaho, where the federal Energy Department, a nuclear technology company and a power utility are collaborating on a power plant that nuclear advocates hope will boost the industry’s flagging
fortunes.
While the rest of the industry has struggled — with
old plants shuttering and the first new reactors built in decades labor through massive delays and cost overruns — advocates are promising the Idaho project will be different. There, the companies and federal government are collaborating on what’s known as a small “modular” nuclear reactor. Unlike their larger relatives, modular reactors are to be factory-built, eliminating the safety and installation issues that often bloat construction costs, and they come with fewer nuclear waste concerns.
>>Continue readingNuclear power on the 'front burner,' says Energy Secretary Rick Perry CNBC June 19, 2017 The Trump administration sees nuclear power as "a very important part" of an all-of-the-above energy strategy, Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry said
Monday.
"Bringing our nuclear energy industry back, small modular reactors for instance, that's on the front burner so to speak," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit, which promotes investment in the
U.S.
Perry's comment offers some insight into the administration's spending priorities as it seeks to slash funding for Energy's research and development programs by 54 percent from 2016 levels. Offices that would see deep cuts — unless Congress intervenes — include those responsible for promoting energy efficiency and extending the life of nuclear power
plants. >>Continue readingEnergy Department awards $67 million for advanced nuclear technology projects Daily Energy Insider June 16, 2017 The United States Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced nearly $67 million in awards for advanced nuclear energy technology across 85 projects in 28
states.
The awards will support nuclear energy research, facility access, crosscutting technology development and infrastructure development through the Nuclear Energy University (NEUP) Program, Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF), Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) programs and the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN)
initiative.
“Investing in the future of nuclear energy is an important strategic priority for the Energy Department,” Ed McGinnis, DOE’s acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy, said. “Nuclear energy technologies contribute to our economy, our environment, and our national security, and I look forward to seeing these projects add to those contributions in the years ahead.”
>>Continue reading Klotz Responds To Concerns Over Safety Culture At NNSA Sites The Los Alamos Daily Post June 20, 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Administrator Frank Klotz: Safety is paramount at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). We have uncompromising standards for our plants and laboratories to perform work in a safe and secure manner that protects our employees, our facilities, and the
public.
An article published Sunday by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), the first in a planned series on safety at NNSA sites, attacks the safety culture at Los
Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) without offering all of the facts and the full context. >>Continue readingSen. Alexander: Uranium Processing Facility project on time, under $6.5B budget Knoxville News Sentinel June 14, 2017 Y-12's Uranium Processing
Facility construction is on time and under budget, Sen. Lamar Alexander said Wednesday in a hearing in Washington, D.C., on President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 budget for the National Nuclear Security
Administration.
The NNSA is an agency within the Department of Energy that is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. It also manages the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak
Ridge.
Alexander credited the announcement to considerable oversight over the past five years, including "regular meetings" with Department of Energy leadership to rein in the cost of the facility.
>>Continue readingPerry backs Yucca Mountain, proposes an interim waste storage site in Nevada Las Vegas Review Journal June 20, 2017 WASHINGTON — Energy
Secretary Rick Perry defended a $28 billion budget proposal Tuesday, citing the need for $120 million to restart licensing of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project and develop interim storage that could include the Nevada National Security
Site.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, said the suggestion of the Nevada National Security Site was a “complete blindside” by the energy secretary
and a plan that is “ill-conceived, irresponsible and likely illegal.”
Perry told the House Appropriations subcommittee on energy that proposed funding for Yucca
Mountain would accelerate the fulfillment of the federal government’s obligation to permanently dispose nuclear waste from power plants nationwide.
The energy secretary said the country has a “moral obligation” to move nuclear waste from 120 sites in 39 states to a safe, permanent storage repository despite the controversy surrounding Yucca Mountain.
>>Continue readingInterim private storage could be best next step for nuclear waste, senator says Daily Energy Insider June 12, 2017 Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said at a budget hearing last week that private, interim facilities could be the quickest and least expensive for the federal government to start meeting its obligations regarding nuclear
waste. “To ensure that nuclear power has a strong future in this country, we must solve the 25-year-old stalemate over what to do with used fuel from our nuclear reactors,” Alexander said. “To solve the stalemate, we need to find places to build geologic repositories and temporary storage facilities so the federal government can finally meet its legal obligation to dispose of nuclear waste safely and
permanently.” Two private companies have submitted applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for consolidated storage facilities for used nuclear fuel, one in Texas and one in New Mexico.
>>Continue reading DOE scraps 'consent-based' wording from site in nod to Yucca E&E News June 12, 2017 The Department of Energy has scrapped a section of its website dedicated to vetting publicly acceptable solutions for storing nuclear waste, a possible nod to the Trump administration's pivot toward advancing Yucca
Mountain.
No longer does the website tout the former Obama
administration's aggressive agenda for collecting public comment on ways to best transport, store and dispose of nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from power plants and defense activities. Also gone are studies the agency was conducting on storing and transporting spent reactor
fuel. >>Continue readingNevada moves to dismiss lawsuit that could restart Yucca Mountain licensing KNVR News 4 June 15,
2017 CARSON CITY, Nev. — The state of Nevada has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that aims to restart licensing for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
site.
Gov. Brian Sandoval's office released a statement announcing the motion, saying in a statement the suit, filed by Texas, would "undercut Nevada's opposition" to
Yucca.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals previously granted Nevada's motion to intervene as a party in the lawsuit. >>Continue
reading |
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| June
2017 | | 21 | Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing on DOE FY18 Budget
Request |
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| June 2017 | | 21 | EM SSAB Meeting,
Nevada |
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| June 2017 | | 22 | Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Hearing on DOE FY18 Budget
Request |
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| June
2017 | | 22 | EM SSAB Meeting, Idaho National Laboratory |
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| August 2017 | | 8-9 | Intermountain Energy Summitt |
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| August
2017 | | 16-17 | INVITATION ONLY ECA Peer Exchange: Implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Richland, WA |
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| September 2017 | | 5-7 | Radwaste Summitt 2017 Summerlin, NV |
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| September 2017 | | 12-14 | 2017 National Cleanup
Workshop Alexandria,
VA |
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| September 2017 | | 13 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
Event Washington,
DC
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Find the most recent ECA Bulletin here |
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