Nuclear Power
President Obama has ordered a comprehensive energy strategy review to ensure federal policies continue to address changing energy requirements. On January 9, 2014, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing a Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) to enhance the federal government’s capability to provide a comprehensive and integrated energy strategy to meet challenges posed by rising energy…...
The Senate Finance Committee’s latest energy tax reform proposal focuses on technology-neutral and performance-based energy tax credits. On December 18, 2013, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) released an energy tax reform draft that would overhaul federal energy-related tax incentives and consolidate provisions supporting renewable energy. Notably, the proposal focuses on establishing tax credits…...
EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projects a 56 percent increase in natural gas production by 2040, overtaking coal as the largest share of U.S. electric power generation. On December 16, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the AEO 2014 Early Release Overview presenting updated projections for U.S. energy markets through 2040. The AEO…...
The annual MIT Venture Capital conference is a summit where VCs from Menlo Park to Boston come together and present their views on the next hottest startup investments to eager MBA students, entrepreneurs, and fellow investors. As global leaders in engineering and technology, it’s no surprise that MIT has always been a pillar for energy…...
NRC has resumed safety review of the proposed Yucca Mountain waste repository in response to a U.S. appeals court order. On November 18, 2013, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced an Order directing its staff to complete the safety evaluation report (SER) on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) license application for the proposed Yucca Mountain…...
DOE has announced the end of a 1993 U.S.-Russia nuclear nonproliferation program, which converted 500 metric tons of Russian HEU into LEU for U.S. nuclear power plants. On November 14, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the culmination of a 1993 nuclear nonproliferation program to convert Russian weapons-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) into…...
The latest U.S.-Russia agreement on nuclear research and development builds on the 2011 Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. On September 16, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the U.S. and Russia have entered into an agreement to advance collaborative research and development in nuclear energy and…...
Governor Cuomo took the first step in the New York Green Bank capitalization process to facilitate private capital flow for clean energy projects. On September 10, 2013, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo formally launched the $1 billion Green Bank initiative, the central part of innovative clean energy proposals announced during his 2013 State…...
The U.S.-France Joint Statement on Liability for Nuclear Damage calls for adherence to enhanced nuclear liability instruments and supports the formation of a global nuclear liability regime. On August 29, 2013, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Energy, Philippe Martin signed the Joint Statement on Civil Liability for…...
The 40+ year-old Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant will shut down by Q4 2014 due to high cost structure and low natural gas and wholesale energy prices. On August 27, 2013, Entergy Corporation announced plans to close and decommission the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vermont in Q4 2014, after the current fuel cycle. Once the plant…...
A U.S. appeals court has ordered NRC to resume its review of DOE’s license application to build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, ruling that NRC violated federal law. On August 13, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to resume its…...
The House passed the 2013 Nuclear Iran Prevention Act by a 400-20 vote facilitating broader economic sanctions and increased oversight for enforcing existing Iran sanctions. On July 31, 2013, the House of Representatives passed the 2013 Nuclear Iran Prevention Act (H.R. 850) aimed to impose tougher sanctions against Iran’s petroleum sector and other industries, in…...