Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
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Friday, June 5, 2026
WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for 5/31-6/5: Trump official shares vision of desal plants lining California coast; DWR confronts subsidence on the California Aqueduct; Desal startup hopes to rewrite California’s water future; Defining reasonable use, one regulation at a time; and more ... ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Schoolhouse Hot Rocks -
From Heatmap
Federal regulators clear the way for Three Mile Island’s restart
"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given Constellation Energy, the nation’s largest operator of nuclear plants, approval to transfer the right to connect to the grid from its Eddystone gas-fired plant outside Philadelphia to the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. The approval marks a major step forward for Constellation’s plan to turn the defunct atomic station into its new Crane Clean Energy Center and begin producing electricity as early as next year. Previously, PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, had warned that the plant could not begin supplying new power until 2031. But Constellation said this week’s waiver puts it back on track for a 2027 restart.
Meanwhile, Europe’s top producer of nuclear fuel is ramping up its capacity in the U.S. Urenco, the nuclear fuel enricher co-owned by the British and Dutch governments, on Tuesday announced plans to expand capacity at the only U.S. commercial uranium enrichment facility by nearly 50%, marking what it called a major commitment to strengthening the domestic supply chain. The multi-billion-dollar investment will increase the output from the firm’s National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, New Mexico. “For more than 15 years, Urenco USA has provided its U.S. utility customers with a reliable domestic supply of enriched uranium to power their nuclear reactors,” Boris Schucht, the chief executive of Urenco Global, said in a statement. “This expansion reinforces our commitment to a resilient U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain focused on meeting the long-term needs of our customers as well as supporting U.S. energy security through continued investment by Urenco.”
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Monday, June 1, 2026
NRC Launches Accelerated Review of New U.S. Uranium Enrichment Facility to Strengthen Nuclear Fuel Supply 26-057.pdf
26-057.pdf
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created as an expert, technical agency to protect public health,
safety, and security, and regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials, including enabling the deployment of
nuclear power for the benefit of society. Among other responsibilities, the agency issues licenses, conducts
inspections, initiates and enforces regulations, and plans for incident response. The NRC is collaborating with
interagency partners to implement reforms outlined in new Executive Orders and the ADVANCE Act to
streamline agency activities and enhance efficiency.
No: 26-057 May 21, 2026
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
NRC Launches Accelerated Review of New
U.S. Uranium Enrichment Facility to Strengthen Nuclear Fuel Supply
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Friday, May 29, 2026
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Monday, May 25, 2026
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Friday, May 22, 2026
26-057.pdf The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created as an expert, technical agency to protect public health, safety, and security, and regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials, including enabling the deployment of nuclear power for the benefit of society. Among other responsibilities, the agency issues licenses, conducts inspections, initiates and enforces regulations, and plans for incident response. The NRC is collaborating with interagency partners to implement reforms outlined in new Executive Orders and the ADVANCE Act to streamline agency activities and enhance efficiency. No: 26-057 May 21, 2026 CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200 NRC Launches Accelerated Review of New U.S. Uranium Enrichment Facility to Strengthen Nuclear Fuel Supply
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Assistant Secretary Walsh Tours WIPP, Applauds Workforce on Safety Record; Savannah River National Laboratory Makes Strong Showing at 2026 AI+ Expo; and much more! - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
Assistant Secretary Walsh Tours WIPP, Applauds Workforce on Safety Record; Savannah River National Laboratory Makes Strong Showing at 2026 AI+ Expo; and much more! - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
Assistant Secretary Walsh Tours WIPP, Applauds Workforce on Safety Record
CARLSBAD, N.M. — Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management (EM) Tim Walsh recently viewed cleanup progress and safety improvements at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's only deep, geologic repository for defense-generated transuranic nuclear waste, a critical part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) remediation of Cold War nuclear production sites.
Walsh and other EM leaders took part in a two-day tour that included a look at operations to safely and permanently dispose of the nation's transuranic waste more than 2,150 feet underground in an ancient salt formation left over from the Permian Sea.
“WIPP is such an important piece to the overall EM mission and broader national security priorities,” Walsh said.
The EM team visited both the surface and underground portions of WIPP and viewed a newly completed system to significantly increase airflow through the WIPP underground. Air exiting the underground passes through a HEPA filtration system made up of 22 filtration units.
“The new Underground Ventilation System, now the most advanced of its kind in our enterprise, significantly enhances airflow, reliability and worker safety,” said Mark Bollinger, manager of EM’s Carlsbad Field Office, who led the tour along with leaders from WIPP management and operations contractor Salado Isolation Mining Contractors.
While touring 2,150 feet below the surface, the EM team witnessed the scale of the operation to emplace transuranic waste and how safety plays a major role in WIPP’s success. They also viewed portions of the waste emplacement process, from when the waste arrives at the site to waste processing.
“What impressed me is this is a unique operation. It's not like a typical commercial mining operation where you're going to extract some sort of mineral, and it's all about production,” Walsh said. “This is really all about safety.”
Walsh also spoke at an employee rally, citing WIPP’s impeccable safety record — a major workforce milestone.
“Achieving 3.2 million worker hours without a lost-time accident is a huge accomplishment and a testament to how you not only look out for yourself, but you look out for each other. This is an amazing facility,” Walsh said.
During the visit, Walsh joined CAST Specialty Transportation management on a tour of the company’s new, state-of-the-art trucking terminal in Carlsbad. CAST safely transports transuranic waste shipments from generator sites across the DOE complex to WIPP. Walsh had a chance to get in the driver’s seat of a CAST truck and honk the airhorn.
-Contributor: Rebecca Valdez
Monday, May 18, 2026
Sunday, May 17, 2026
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