PolicyWaste

Spent Fuel Storage Goes to the Supreme Court

It was bound to happen sometime. The problem of Yucca Mountain has once again reared its ugly head—this time, in the form of the Supreme Court case Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas. The case deals with a license the NRC awarded to allow the construction of a private, temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the […]

FusionPolicy

The Fusion Energy Caucus Takes the Stage

In a country where it’s tough to find broad bipartisan support for most anything, fusion energy has managed to buck the trend. At least, that’s how it sounded from the stage Wednesday afternoon at the Fusion Industry Association meeting, where the US House Fusion Energy Caucus co-chairs and vice chairs reassured the industry that they’re […]

Policy

The NRC Proposes Cheaper Rates for Advanced Reactors

It’s pricey to get a new reactor design approved. That comes as no surprise to the advanced nuclear sector, which is all too familiar with the extended timelines and high price of licensing its tech. But now, it appears the NRC has heard the industry’s pleas. In a notice published Feb. 19 in the Federal […]

CivilPolicy

Cut That Red Tape, Says UK Prime Minister

The US and its new DOGE office aren’t the only ones slashing government programs in the name of efficiency and productivity. The UK has taken up the gauntlet, too. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken aim at the rules and regs governing the nuclear industry at home—namely, those restricting nuclear energy development to a […]

Policy

Nuclear Policy Under Trump, Pt. II

President Donald Trump is back in office, and true to style, he kicked off his second presidency with an audacious (and large) batch of executive orders. We don’t have to tell you that.  If the president’s day-one changes set the tone for the next four years, we might expect streamlined government licensing processes and shorter […]

Policy

Pew Finds Most People Support Nuclear Expansion

Despite the important role that nuclear plants play in supplying the US with carbon-free, reliable baseload power, they get a bad rap. Historical concerns over the safety of nuclear energy after accidents, comparisons to nuclear weapons tech and proliferation, and pushback from environmentalists over waste and radiation have all negatively contributed to the public’s ever-changing […]

CommercialPolicyReactors

AWS’ Nuclear-Powered Data Center Gets Pushback

There’s a fight brewing in Pennsylvania over the future of an AWS project that would hook a new data center directly up to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. The story so far: In March, AWS made waves when it announced it had purchased a $650M data center campus from Talen Energy that had a direct […]

Policy

Fission and Fusion Get Through Congress

Congress was busy last week talking nuclear energy. A bill that spearheads regulatory changes for both fusion and fission energy has now passed both chambers of Congress and awaits only the president’s signature. The legislation passed under the banner of the Fire Grants and Safety Act, though the bulk of the bill’s text was dedicated […]

Policy

Team Up To Move Forward, Says NIA

Linking industry with public and legislative support is the key to unlocking a new wave of advanced nuclear energy projects in the US, per a new Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) report.