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Tag: Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Domestic Nuclear Power Plant Licensing and Foreign Ownership and Control: Heating Up Cold War Policies

Domestic Nuclear Power Plant Licensing and Foreign Ownership and Control: Heating Up Cold War Policies

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By: Lindsay Hall, Notes Editor Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA) during the Cold War political climate, and it reflects an ideology of American nuclear supremacy and fear of nuclear catastrophe at the hands of foreign entities. In the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster,[1] and in light of the tensions over Iran’s nuclear capacity,[2] the safety and non-proliferation concerns behind the AEA remain relevant today. However, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is facing pressure from the…

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The Continuing Delay In Nuclear Power Plant Licensing

The Continuing Delay In Nuclear Power Plant Licensing

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By: Peter Glaser, Associate On October 1st, 2013, the government of the United States of America ordered 800,000 “non-essential” federal employees to stay home.[1] Though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) was able to remain open for a period of time, about a week later it, too, ran out of money.[2] As a consequence of the shutdown, hearings on a new waste confidence decision (“WCD”) were postponed, extending the current directive to avoid issuing final decisions on licensing issues for nuclear…

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Changes in the Regulation of Foreign Ownership of Nuclear Plants

Changes in the Regulation of Foreign Ownership of Nuclear Plants

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By: Sydney Barron, Associate The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requested comments on their interpretation of foreign ownership, control, or domination given increasing globalization of energy corporations.[1] There is disagreement, however, about what changes the NRC can and should make.[2] Section 103(d) of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) states that “[n]o license may be issued to an alien or any corporation or other entity if the Commission knows or has reason to believe it is owned, controlled, or dominated by an…

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NRC’s Newest Proposed WCD: Enough to Survive Challenges like New York v. NRC?

NRC’s Newest Proposed WCD: Enough to Survive Challenges like New York v. NRC?

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By: Allison In, Associate In 1979, the D.C. Circuit ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) to generically determine whether a permanent offsite disposal solution for spent nuclear fuel (“SNF”) would be available at the expiration of two nuclear reactors’ operating licenses, which had been scheduled for 2007 and 2009, and, if not, whether SNF could be safely stored at those reactors until such solution became available.[1] As a result, in 1984, NRC published the Waste Confidence Decision (“WCD”), codified at…

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