Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire
Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Report: WIPP problem not duplicated
Report: WIPP problem not duplicated
http://www.abqjournal.com/411779/news/scientists-hit-dead-end-in-wipp-investigation.html
Interrogation of Helen Caldicott’s Responses
Interrogation of Helen Caldicott’s Responses
http://www.monbiot.com/2011/04/04/interrogation-of-helen-caldicotts-responses/
Opponents Make Assertions, Shaffer Tells Truth
Opponents Make Assertions, Shaffer Tells Truth
http://yesvy.blogspot.com/2014/06/opponents-make-assertions-shaffer-tells.html#.U5Nx6yiGeVo
Atomic Show #216 – Just the Fracks, Ma’am
Atomic Show #216 – Just the Fracks, Ma’am
http://atomicinsights.com/atomic-show-216-just-fracks-maam/
Kudankulam becomes India’s first nuclear plant to generate 1,000MW power
Kudankulam becomes India’s first nuclear plant to generate 1,000MW power
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kudankulam-becomes-Indias-first-nuclear-plant-to-generate-1000MW-power/articleshow/36206145.cms?
Conclusive Link' Between Fracking, Aquifer Contamination Found in Texas
Conclusive Link' Between Fracking, Aquifer Contamination Found in Texas
Scientists say water samples from Texas man's well show identical chemical signatures from nearby gas drilling operations
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/06/06-1
The Preventable Tragedy of Energy Poverty
The Preventable Tragedy of Energy Poverty
http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/06/the_preventable_tragedy_of_energy_poverty_.html
Dr. Helen Caldicott versus emission-free nuclear energy
Dr. Helen Caldicott versus emission-free nuclear energy
http://atomicinsights.com/dr-helen-caldicott-versus-emission-free-nuclear-energy/
The Nuclear Way
The Nuclear Way
We can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by moving to nuclear power.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/379599/nuclear-way-jonathan-lesser
We can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by moving to nuclear power.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/379599/nuclear-way-jonathan-lesser
TerraPower
Case
| HBS Case Collection
|
November 2012
(Revised December 2013)
TerraPower
http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=43679
No reliable A-bomb with thorium reactors
No reliable A-bomb with thorium reactors
http://www.iol.co.za/business/opinion/no-reliable-a-bomb-with-thorium-reactors-1.1699405
Boxer allows Markey 16 minutes to grill NRC Commissioners
Boxer allows Markey 16 minutes to grill NRC Commissioners
http://atomicinsights.com/boxer-allows-markey-16-minutes-grill-nrc-commissioners/
Friday, June 6, 2014
Sustained Collaboration Key to Ocean Health
Sustained Collaboration Key to Ocean Health
Black Clown fish. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
- Videos: Protecting the Environment With Nuclear Technology
- Keeping the Planet Blue - Nuclear Applications for a Healthy Marine Environment, 17 September 2013
- Ocean Acidification
- The Blue Planet - Nuclear Applications for a Sustainable Marine Environment, Scientific Forum, 16-20 September 2013
- Listen to this story
Story Resources
"It's easy to become despondent about threats like pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification. But I have great faith in the international community. I have faith in the capacity of our Member States to actively address the problems facing our oceans," says Osborn, who is the Director of the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco and Seibersdorf, Austria. "The key to success is informed, targeted and sustained collaboration. Only by working together do we have the power to protect the ocean."
One of the IAEA's most significant areas for enhanced collaboration in marine affairs is ocean acidification (OA), which occurs as oceans absorb the rising quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When dissolved, the carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, creating a more acidic environment, which can threaten marine ecosystems.
The Agency helps its Member States address the problem by funding and conducting research on the effects of OA on marine life, ecosystems and coastal environments.
"If Member States are armed with the correct information about the changes occurring at a broad level and at an individual species and ecosystem level, and about the changes occurring in the short and long term, they have the capacity to put in place the policy reforms and legislation needed to address these challenges.
"Because of the work that the IAEA and the global scientific community are undertaking to provide governments and policymakers with these key answers, I am positive about the oceans. I'm concerned, but I'm also positive at the same time," says Osborn.
The IAEA actively seeks to foster cooperation among Member States, international entities, and private organisations, as well as build partnerships that will address the issue of OA.
In this vein, the IAEA launched the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre in 2012 to support activities in the field, as well as facilitate, promote and communicate global actions on ocean acidification. It serves the needs of not only the scientific community, but policymakers, universities, media and the general public.
The Centre is overseen by an Advisory Board consisting of representatives from leading institutions, including the U.N. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, the OA-Reference User Group, as well as leading scientists and economists in the field.
The IAEA's activities also include promoting discussion that can lead to action.
Last year's Scientific Forum, held on the margins of the 57th IAEA General Conference, brought together scientists, experts and policymakers from different fields to initiate dialogue about the protection and preservation of ecological balance, which is vital for the survival of coastal regions and the marine environment.
- By Sasha Henriques, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication
Duke plans storage facility for spent fuel
Duke plans storage facility for spent fuel
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/morning-edition/2014/06/duke-plans-storage-facility-for-spent-fuel.html
What Obama could learn from Germany's failed experiment with green energy
What Obama could learn from Germany's failed experiment with green energy
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/06/05/what-obama-could-learn-from-germany-failed-experiment-with-green-energy/
Senators should butt out and let NRC handle safety
Senators should butt out and let NRC handle safety
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140606/OPINION/406060316/-1/OPINION02
Obama’s GHG reduction plan: kicking alcoholism by switching from wine to beer
Obama’s GHG reduction plan: kicking alcoholism by switching from wine to beer
http://canadianenergyissues.com/2014/06/06/obamas-ghg-reduction-plan-kicking-alcoholism-by-switching-from-wine-to-beer/
Biomass generation pitched for VY site
Biomass generation pitched for VY site
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20140606/THISJUSTIN/706069929
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20140606/THISJUSTIN/706069929
Nuclear Regulatory Chair Hears Concerns About Plants in West Michigan
Nuclear Regulatory Chair Hears Concerns About Plants in West Michigan
http://fox17online.com/2014/06/05/nuclear-regulatory-chair-hears-concerns-about-plants-in-west-michigan/#axzz33tCNRStV
US carbon regulations may spur new nuclear capacity in long term: S&P
US carbon regulations may spur new nuclear capacity in long term: S&P
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/us-carbon-regulations-may-spur-new-nuclear-capacity-21723537
Transatomic Power's Safer Reactor Eats Nuclear Waste
Transatomic Power's Safer Reactor Eats Nuclear Waste
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-05/transatomic-powers-safer-reactor-eats-nuclear-waste
The surprising winner of the EPA's power plant rules
The surprising winner of the EPA's power plant rules
http://washingtonexaminer.com/the-surprising-winner-of-the-epas-power-plant-rules/article/2549401
Obama Carbon Plan Could Give Much-Needed Boost to Troubled US Nuclear Industry
Obama Carbon Plan Could Give Much-Needed Boost to Troubled US Nuclear Industry
Kazakhstan announces date for first nuclear power plant construction
Kazakhstan announces date for first nuclear power plant construction
Kazakhstan announces date for first nuclear power plant construction
http://www.azernews.az/region/67783.html
How to Protect Floating Nuclear Power Plants
How to Protect Floating Nuclear Power Plants
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/How-to-Protect-Floating-Nuclear-Power-Plants-2014-06-05
Chart: EPA's Carbon Rules Encourage States to Invest in Troubled Nuclear Power
Chart: EPA's Carbon Rules Encourage States to Invest in Troubled Nuclear Power
http://www.ibtimes.com/chart-epas-carbon-rules-encourage-states-invest-troubled-nuclear-power-1595509
Fuel cycle roundup #27
Fuel cycle roundup #27
• First consignment from Cooke • Business as usual at Kazakh operations • Areva wins Vattenfall contract • Paladin progress • Skyharbour buys into Athabasca Basinhttp://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ENF-Fuel-cycle-roundup-27-0606147.html
• First consignment from Cooke • Business as usual at Kazakh operations • Areva wins Vattenfall contract • Paladin progress • Skyharbour buys into Athabasca Basinhttp://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ENF-Fuel-cycle-roundup-27-0606147.html
Contract for Iter remote handling system
Contract for Iter remote handling system
A contract has been awarded for the supply of a remote handling system for installing, maintaining and recovering components of the international Iter fusion project's Tokamak during its operational life.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Contract-for-Iter-remote-handling-system-0606144.html
A contract has been awarded for the supply of a remote handling system for installing, maintaining and recovering components of the international Iter fusion project's Tokamak during its operational life.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Contract-for-Iter-remote-handling-system-0606144.html
Six new nuclear reactors per year planned in China
Six new nuclear reactors per year planned in China
The Chinese government has said many times
since the end of 2013 that it will build more nuclear power plants in
the coastal areas of eastern China without compromising the region's
safety.
On May 16, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Environment Protection disclosed a program, saying that they will press forward with the construction of safe and efficient nuclear power plants, which they said are one of the country's important energy sources.
Pan Ziqiang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Shanghai's China Business News that nuclear power was a practical option for China to check air pollution.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1201&MainCatID=12&id=20140605000162&utm_content=buffer52c86&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Six new nuclear reactors per year planned in China
On May 16, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Environment Protection disclosed a program, saying that they will press forward with the construction of safe and efficient nuclear power plants, which they said are one of the country's important energy sources.
Pan Ziqiang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Shanghai's China Business News that nuclear power was a practical option for China to check air pollution.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1201&MainCatID=12&id=20140605000162&utm_content=buffer52c86&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Opinion: Europe Needs Gas Supply Diversification Now
Opinion: Europe Needs Gas Supply Diversification Now
By Ryan Ouwerkerk
In
light of recent events in Ukraine, it is in imperative that the
European Union break the stranglehold that Russia currently has on the
European natural gas market, and begin the search to diversify their
sources of natural gas. By doing so, the European Union can insulate
itself from the deleterious economic effects that may
Why Barclays just downgraded the entire utility sector
Why Barclays just downgraded the entire utility sector
By Smart Grid News
Quick
Take: We’ve talked a lot about the dangers utilities face if they
ignore disruptive technologies such as solar + storage. Here’s another
challenge. They could end up paying more for the cost of capital. Some
analysts think utilities are blind to the coming realities and they are
warning investors to stay away. – Jesse Berst Barclays
The Year of Concentrating Solar Power: Five New Plants to Power America with Clean Energy
The Year of Concentrating Solar Power: Five New Plants to Power America with Clean Energy
By US Department of Energy
Solar
is increasingly providing clean, sustainable energy for our nation’s
homes, businesses and industries. Clocking record-breaking growth and
reaching a total of more than 4,700 megawatts of new installed capacity,
2013 was a big year for solar photovoltaic systems. But we’re also
excited to watch 2014, which will mark a major milestone for a different
Pennenergy's Top Power Headlines 6/6
Top Power Headlines | |||
|
EPA unveils CO2 emissions rule for
existing power plants (Video) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under direction of the Obama administration has released a proposal that will set the first-ever national carbon pollution standards limits for America’s existing power plants Full Article Share: |
||
|
Moving Coal Up the Value Chain
Employing biotechnology in coal conversion could help overcome many challenges faced by the coal industry in creating clean energy while producing high-value products Full Article Share: |
Top Power News
• Doosan completes 800 MW supercritical thermal power plant boiler
• FAU signs lease to install world's first ocean current energy test site (Video)
• MIT: A new way to harness waste heat
• Unplanned outage prompts NRC inspection at Millstone nuclear plant
• Climate Assessment touches on grid modernization and oil production
• NERC proposes new grid security standard for physical threats
• Proposed act may offer tax credit for rural wind power installations
• Two of the largest solar power plants in South Africa come online
• Space-based power emissions monitoring
• API says EPA proposal not consistent with ‘all of the above’ energy strategy
• ABB funded Kid Grid powers up energy education through play
• AREVA selected for upgrades at Gosgen nuclear plant in Switzerland
• Doosan completes 800 MW supercritical thermal power plant boiler
• FAU signs lease to install world's first ocean current energy test site (Video)
• MIT: A new way to harness waste heat
• Unplanned outage prompts NRC inspection at Millstone nuclear plant
• Climate Assessment touches on grid modernization and oil production
• NERC proposes new grid security standard for physical threats
• Proposed act may offer tax credit for rural wind power installations
• Two of the largest solar power plants in South Africa come online
• Space-based power emissions monitoring
• API says EPA proposal not consistent with ‘all of the above’ energy strategy
• ABB funded Kid Grid powers up energy education through play
• AREVA selected for upgrades at Gosgen nuclear plant in Switzerland
CNBC at VC Summer
CNBC at VC Summer
Mary Thompson of CNBC filed this report from VC Summer Nuclear
Station on hiring in the nuclear industry. She'll be filing another
report later today during CNBC's Power Lunch:
The Wide Appeal of Batteries for the Renewable Energy Market
The Wide Appeal of Batteries for the Renewable Energy Marketby Bruce Dorminey, Correspondent | June 5, 2014 | Post Your Comment |
|||
Battery technology has come a long way since the days when your granddad had to periodically peak under the hood to add water to his lead-acid battery. Full Article | |||
|
Meeting Iran's nuclear fuel supply needs
Meeting Iran's nuclear fuel supply needs
http://thebulletin.org/meeting-irans-nuclear-fuel-supply-needs7224
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Atomic Show #215 – Armond Cohen, Clean Air Task Force (CATF)
Atomic Show #215 – Armond Cohen, Clean Air Task Force (CATF)
http://atomicinsights.com/atomic-show-215-armond-cohen-clean-air-task-force-catf/
The Godzilla Movie and the Parallel with Fukushima
The Godzilla Movie and the Parallel with Fukushima
There is a parallel between the new Godzilla movie and Fukushima, but not as it appears on the surface. In both cases, a nuclear plant accident is used as a cover-up for the real problem-at-hand.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
Call for greater use of nuclear energy
Call for greater use of nuclear energy
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=50260&icid=a&d_str=
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=50260&icid=a&d_str=
Nuclear accident won’t increase most cancers, study says
Nuclear accident won’t increase most cancers, study says
http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/06/05/nuclear_accident_wont_increase_most_cancers_study_says.html
Robot Inside Fukushima Reactor Discovers Source of Water Leaks
Robot Inside Fukushima Reactor Discovers Source of Water Leaks
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-06-05/robot-inside-fukushima-reactor-discovers-source-of-water-leaksRelated articles
Slovenia's sole nuclear power plant has completed a major review
Slovenia's sole nuclear power plant has completed a major review
http://www.balkans.com/open-news.php?uniquenumber=193832
Oceans worth up to $222 bln annually in CO2 capture
Oceans worth up to $222 bln annually in CO2 capture
Bonn (AFP) June 04, 2014 - By absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, the seas avert climate damage worth up to $222 billion (163 billion euros) every year, according to an estimate released on Thursday. Fish catches are worth another $16 billion annually, according to the report by a non-governmental watchdog, the Global Ocean Commission, which hopes that by setting an economic price on the value of internati ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Oceans_worth_up_to_222_bln_annually_in_CO2_capture_999.html
Bonn (AFP) June 04, 2014 - By absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, the seas avert climate damage worth up to $222 billion (163 billion euros) every year, according to an estimate released on Thursday. Fish catches are worth another $16 billion annually, according to the report by a non-governmental watchdog, the Global Ocean Commission, which hopes that by setting an economic price on the value of internati ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Oceans_worth_up_to_222_bln_annually_in_CO2_capture_999.html
Wave energy finally gets its day in the water off the Oregon coast
Wave energy finally gets its day in the water off the Oregon coast
http://grist.org/list/wave-energy-finally-gets-its-day-in-the-water-off-the-oregon-coast/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%2520June%25205&utm_campaign=daily
Related articles
How Ambitious Are the EPA’s Proposed Carbon Dioxide Reductions?
How Ambitious Are the EPA’s Proposed Carbon Dioxide Reductions?
Everything Depends on Your Assumptions About the Future
http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/programs/energy-and-climate/how-ambitious-are-the-epas-proposed-carbon-dioxide-reductions
Dynegy among bidders for Duke Energy midwest power plants
Dynegy among bidders for Duke Energy midwest power plants
http://seekingalpha.com/news/1787663-dynegy-among-bidders-for-duke-energy-midwest-power-plants?uprof=46
China Angry About U.S. Tariff Hike On Solar Panels
China Angry About U.S. Tariff Hike On Solar Panels
http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Angry-About-U.S.-Tariff-Hike-On-Solar-Panels.html
How Acidification, Overfishing and Plastics Threaten the World’s Oceans
How Acidification, Overfishing and Plastics Threaten the World’s Oceans
http://ecowatch.com/2014/06/03/ocean-acidification-plastics-overfishing/
Westinghouse Picks 3 Bulgarian Companies for Kozloduy NPP -
Westinghouse
Picks 3 Bulgarian Companies for Kozloduy NPP - See more at:
http://www.novinite.com/articles/161060/Westinghouse+Picks+3+Bulgarian+Companies+for+Kozloduy+NPP#sthash.ifXIHtvW.dpuf
Westinghouse Picks 3 Bulgarian Companies for Kozloduy NPP http://www.novinite.com/articles/161060/Westinghouse+Picks+3+Bulgarian+Companies+for+Kozloduy+NPP
Idaho Lab turns minor waste pact change into $25 million in programs
Idaho Lab turns minor waste pact change into $25 million in programs
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/06/04/3219061/idaho-lab-turns-minor-waste-pact.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/06/04/3219061/idaho-lab-turns-minor-waste-pact.html
Study findings: TVA should not be sold; analysts reject Obama's call to privatize utility
Study findings: TVA should not be sold; analysts reject Obama's call to privatize utility
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/jun/05/tva-should-not-be-sold/?breakingnews
Literature Review of Environmental Conditions and Chloride-Induced Degradation Relevant to Stainless Steel Canisters in Dry Cask Storage Systems
Literature Review of Environmental Conditions and Chloride-Induced Degradation Relevant to Stainless Steel Canisters in Dry Cask Storage Systems
http://www.epri.com/abstracts/Pages/ProductAbstract.aspx?ProductId=000000003002002528
Sellafield sludge plant handed over
Sellafield sludge plant handed over
A new £240 million ($402 million) facility to handle radioactive sludge at the UK's Sellafield site has been handed over for final trials after the completion of a six-year construction project.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-Sellafield-sludge-plant-handed-over-0506147.html
A new £240 million ($402 million) facility to handle radioactive sludge at the UK's Sellafield site has been handed over for final trials after the completion of a six-year construction project.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-Sellafield-sludge-plant-handed-over-0506147.html
Fuel loading at Fuqing 1
Fuel loading at Fuqing 1
The loading of fuel assemblies into the reactor core of unit 1 at the Fuqing plant in China's Fujian province is underway in preparation for startup.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Fuel-loading-at-Fuqing-1-0506145.html
The loading of fuel assemblies into the reactor core of unit 1 at the Fuqing plant in China's Fujian province is underway in preparation for startup.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Fuel-loading-at-Fuqing-1-0506145.html
Fukushima Updates 6/5/14 -
Fukushima Updates 6/5/14 -
Tepco has found a leakage point out of unit #1 primary containment (PCV)... Construction of the “ice wall” at Fukushima Daiichi has begun... The on-going sea discharge of uncontaminated groundwater goes virtually un-noticed... The Asahi Shimbun says that government inspectors were the first to flee the Fukushima accident... Tokyo says they will release transcripts of 772 interviews recorded during the Diet’s accident investigation in 2012... The latest international nuclear plant issue is volcanic eruptions... Oxford Physics Professor Wade Allison says we should not fear radiation.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome. com/fukushima-accident- updates.html
Tepco has found a leakage point out of unit #1 primary containment (PCV)... Construction of the “ice wall” at Fukushima Daiichi has begun... The on-going sea discharge of uncontaminated groundwater goes virtually un-noticed... The Asahi Shimbun says that government inspectors were the first to flee the Fukushima accident... Tokyo says they will release transcripts of 772 interviews recorded during the Diet’s accident investigation in 2012... The latest international nuclear plant issue is volcanic eruptions... Oxford Physics Professor Wade Allison says we should not fear radiation.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
Science | From AAAS
Science | From AAAS
From the Science Podcast: an interview with Peter Burns about the properties of damaged nuclear fuel and developing better models for nuclear reactor
accidents.
From the Science Podcast: an interview with Peter Burns about the properties of damaged nuclear fuel and developing better models for nuclear reactor
accidents.
UK will have to gamble with nuclear safety to provide power, analyst warns
UK will have to gamble with nuclear safety to provide power, analyst warns
Safety limits of Britain's ageing nuclear power plants may have to be extended to avoid major blackouts
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/04/uk-may-need-to-gamble-with-nuclear-safety-to-avoid-blackouts
Most read on The Energy Collective
Most read on The Energy Collective
- » 10 Key Questions for Assessing EPA's Proposed Carbon Rules Under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act
- » Paying Too Much for Demand Response? DC Circuit Court Throws Out FERC Rule
- » Krugman: Climate Action Is 'Remarkably Cheap,' New EPA Rules Would Give 'U.S. Economy A Boost'
- » Improving a New Breed of Solar Cells
- » Climate Change and the American Economy
America’s Shale Revolution and the Dangerous Myth of Energy Independence
http://www. worldfinancialreview.com/?p= 1820
America’s Shale Revolution and the Dangerous Myth of Energy Independence
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
Proponents
of energy independence enshrine America’s so-called “shale revolution”
as a geopolitical game changer, enabling the United States to leverage
its prospective exports of
shale oil and gas to weaken uncooperative hydrocarbon powers. Below,
Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett argue that the shale revolution
will not give the United States anything close to meaningful energy
independence—something America shouldn’t seek
anyway. The authors suggest that embracing the mythology of energy
independence reinforces official Washington’s aversion to serious
diplomacy with strategic rivals, thereby exacerbating America’s
self-damaging and unnecessary confrontations with countries
like Russia and Iran.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Improving NRC’s Internal Processes
Improving NRC’s Internal Processes
In 2006, recognizing the need for standardization to replace procedures that varied by office, the NRC created an agency-wide “non-concurrence” process. The process encourages employees to bring different views to management related to policy papers, technical and administrative determinations, and other agency actions. And to do it as the supporting draft documents make their way through the management approval chain. The process is meant to promote the airing of views before final management decisions are made—in an effort to empower everyone involved and reach better decisions.
The NRC is fortunate to have so many talented, dedicated professionals–who may not always agree–and we appreciate their willingness to speak up. We encourage critical thinking and a questioning attitude not just among our licensees, but throughout our agency. As a safety regulator, the NRC recognizes the importance of an open, collaborative work environment, where people can raise concerns and differing views without fear of reprisal. Having an environment where people feel comfortable making varied views known supports our safety mission and makes for better decision-making.
My office recently evaluated the effectiveness of our non-concurrence process and used the results to revise the procedure for professional disagreements on draft documents. We feel confident these revisions will improve the process and allow the NRC to make the best possible decisions.
Our assessment provided encouraging feedback, but also identified areas where we have more work to do. On the positive side, we are encouraged NRC employees see the process as a way to be heard, understood and responded to. It’s also gratifying to see that most employees are aware of the process and would be willing to use it. On the other hand, some users of the process felt they faced negative consequences, or that their views were not reflected in final decisions. In many respects, the negative feedback was the most useful because it helps us target the areas where further improvement is needed.
For one thing, we are looking at ways to provide better training and clarify through that training and the revised procedure what is expected of supervisors who receive differing views, such as providing positive feedback for raising concerns. We are also working to make information on non-concurrence experiences (both positive and negative) more widely available.
Register for the 37th IAEE International Conference: Energy & the Economy [From Our Partner]
| |||||||||||
June 15–18, 2014 37th IAEE International Conference: Energy & the Economy New Yorker Hotel 481 Eighth Ave. (bet. 34th and 35th Sts.) Dear Energy Colleague, We are looking forward to having you at the 37th IAEE Conference, New York City, NY, June 15-18, 2014. This year's conference will focus on the relationship between economic growth and energy. Linkages between two grow ever more important as economies around the world struggle to reinvigorate themselves and develop energy resources in sensible, sustainable ways. As the financial center of the United States, New York City is a place where multibillion-dollar bets are being laid on future growth and the technologies that will drive transformational change. The conference, as always, will also offer plentiful networking opportunities for professionals and students through informal receptions, breaks between sessions and interactive presentations. We are pleased to announce that the conference registration is now open, come listen to and meet many of the world's leading energy economic experts for what promises to be one of the best IAEE conferences ever. For more information and to register please visit http://www.usaee.org/ Some of the significant program updates and useful links include:
We are looking forward to seeing you in NYC!
|
|||||||||||
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)