For months now, the Department of Energy has been working to establish a Blue Ribbon Panel which will evaluate options and provide a new policy course for how we manage and ultimately dispose of our spent nuclear fuel and high level waste. Yet, the recommendations of the yet to be established Blue Ribbon Panel [...]

This week’s House Budget Committee hearing appeared finally to unmask Energy Secretary Chu’s decision that “Yucca is not an option” as both DOE and Department of Justice witnesses pitifully pleaded of being out-of-the-loop and unaware of any technical or scientific bases that would render Yucca Mountain as unsuitable as a geologic repository.  Even more disturbing [...]

According to informed Capitol Hill sources, the House Rules Committee has apparently ruled out any consideration of Yucca related amendments when the House meets to consider the FY2010 Energy and Water Development bill, H.R. 3183.  Historoically, the House has always voted overwhemingly in favor of the project and House Democratic leadership may  have wanted to [...]

In what appears to be a common sense approach, the House Appropriations Committee in its committee report accompanying the FY2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill stated that the Blue Ribbon Commission review “should be based on scienitif ic information and scientific merit” and that it was diffcult to understand why Yucca Mountain should not be [...]

On Monday this week, newly-appointed NRC Chairman Jaczko delivered his first speech as chairman to an audience assembled at the Heritage Foundation. In what appeared to be intended as a low-key speech titled “A Decisive Regulator Built on a Firm Foundation”, Chairman Jaczko outlined six broad areas that he would like to focus on during [...]

The Energy Daily reported this morning that MIT Professor Apostolakis is under consideration for an Obama administration appointment as NRC Commissioner, although the White House has declined any comment.  Apostalakis currently serves as a member of NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).  As reported by the Energy Daily, there is some speculation that the [...]

This week marks the end of NRC Commissioner Pete Lyons’ term of office. The NRC statute has no provision for commissioners to be held over if the administration has not made a decision to renominate before the term expires. Spectulation has it that the Obama administration will use the vacancy to nominate a Democratic appointee, [...]

In a hurry up and wait mode, the NRC this week first released a proposed final rule on Waste Confidence, followed by an abrupt meeting notice cancellation. Word has it that the long-awaited and anticpiated Commission meeting and discussion will be held in July sometime.