On July 9, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Federal Register notice, Systematic Assessment for How the NRC Addresses Environmental Justice in Its Programs, Policies, and Activities. Comments on the notice are due August 23, 2021.
In the notice, the NRC is seeking stakeholder input on the Commission’s handling of environmental justice as
New Nuclear
Legal and Policy Advancements for Advanced Reactors
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American Nuclear Infrastructure Act Makes a 2021 Comeback
Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators re-introduced the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA), which is aimed at improving the nation’s nuclear infrastructure and supply chain, growing the economy, creating jobs, reducing carbon emissions, and strengthening U.S. energy and national security. The bill was re-introduced by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member…
Nuclear and Fusion Power at the Forefront of Deep Space Exploration
There is a new space race developing, with higher stakes and more ambitious goals than just going back to Earth orbit or the Moon. The U.S. has developed a sizable technological lead in rockets and satellite technology, which has in turn grown our national and global space ambitions. Now that it is feasible to get…
Grid Reliability Report Highlights Benefits of Pairing Advanced Nuclear with Renewables to Ensure Power Stays On
Many advanced reactor developers are designing their technologies to pair with renewables. A recent report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the government entity responsible for overseeing America’s bulk power system, underscores the benefits that can be achieved through an advanced nuclear/renewable energy partnership to compensate for the intermittent nature of solar and…
Continued White House Support for Nuclear & Climate Initiatives Through FY22 Budget
On May 28, 2021, President Biden submitted a proposed federal budget for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) that included a significant funding increase for clean energy initiatives. The budget proposal, which complements the President’s American Jobs Plan, among other things affirms support for nuclear energy as an option to combat climate change by allocating $1.85…
DOE Announces New ARPA-E Opportunity for Advanced Reactor Waste Management
Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new funding program issued by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). An impressive $40 million in funds are being set aside to support the new Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems (ONWARDS) program. This endeavor will focus on preventing or reducing nuclear waste and…
NRC Seeking Comment on NEPA Categorical Exclusions
Today the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment on categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA requires that federal agencies conduct environmental reviews for any “major Federal action” that significantly affects “the quality of the human environment.”
As a background to NEPA, for…
U.S. Dept. of Energy Opportunity to Demonstrate Innovative Uses of Nuclear Energy
On April 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) announced it is soliciting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from industry stakeholders and technical experts on innovative uses of nuclear energy. The EOI should be for a multi-phase demonstration program in partnership with the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) and the…
Advanced Nuclear Energy can Support a Just Transition for Communities that were Reliant on Coal
The White House demonstrates its continued support for fossil fuel communities during the current clean energy transition by standing up the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communicatees and Economic Revitalization (“Working Group”). The Working Group aims to deliver federal resources to revive the local economics of coal, oil and gas areas, particularly…
A Spotlight on Advanced Nuclear after the White House Climate Summit
On April 22 and 23, President Biden hosted forty world leaders virtually at the Leaders Summit on Climate (“Climate Summit”) to employ a “whole of government” approach in the fight against climate change. The world leaders announced a variety of commitments to include creating global partnerships, setting financial benchmarks, and transforming current energy supply…
White House Climate Summit and its implications around the globe
Today, we issued a Client Alert summarizing the White House Climate Change Summit from last week. We are replicating it below for the benefit of our blog readers.
President Biden hosted the Leaders Summit on Climate (Climate Summit) on 22-23 April. The Climate Summit is a next step in the President’s plan to employ a…
Advanced Nuclear Included in Biden’s American Jobs Plan
On March 31st, President Biden unveiled a massive $2 trillion infrastructure and clean energy plan called the American Jobs Plan that aims, in part, to tackle what the White House calls two of the greatest challenges of our time: the climate crisis and competition with China. Among the proposed investments, the American Jobs Plan calls…
Senate Committee holds Hearing on Advanced Reactors, With Amy Roma Testifying
On March 25, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing entitled “The Latest Developments in the Nuclear Energy Sector with a Focus on Ways to Maintain and Expand the Use of Nuclear Energy in the United States and Abroad.” A recording of the hearing is available here. This full…
Biden Administration Reinvigorates the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases
On Friday, February 26, the Biden Administration’s newly-resurrected Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (IWG) announced new values for three specific metrics that seek to monetize the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases: the Social Cost of Carbon, Social Cost of Nitrous Oxide, and Social Cost of Methane. Collectively these are known as…
Reports Envision a Leading Role for Nuclear in this Administration
On February 16, the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) and the Partnership for Global Security (PGS) issued a report to help guide the Biden Administration in its support of nuclear amidst the President’s ambitious climate agenda. The report, U.S. Advanced Nuclear Energy Strategy for Domestic Prosperity, Climate Protection, National Security, and Global Leadership, provides detailed…
President Biden takes Executive Actions with Impact on Advanced Nuclear
President Biden ran on an energy and environmental platform calling for a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In pursuit of this clean energy plan, he also called for a modernized energy infrastructure that supports advanced nuclear commercialization. Advanced nuclear technology is capable of generating power with net-zero emissions and…