—NRC recommends EPA research on particulates “” Future research on particulate matter should focus on which chemical components and other characteristics of these air pollutants are the most hazardous, the National Research Council recommends in a report released on March 24. Particulates are one of the major air pollutants regulated by EPA, and they may consist of dust, soot, sulfur dioxide, or other materials emitted by vehicles, power plants, and forest fires. The NRC report concludes that EPA-sponsored research has led to a better understanding of health problems associated with particulates but says the emphasis of this work should shift. Future research should determine which groups of the population are most susceptible to health effects from particulates, the report says.
March 29, 2004
At the same time, a host of energy groups have requested that NRC halt relicensing of older nuclear power plants, particularly the U.S.’s 23 General Electric Mark 1 reactors whose design is identical to the damaged Japanese ones. A week after the March 11 earthquake and after a daylong congressional grilling, NRC Chairman Gregory B.
by Jeff Johnson | April 04, 2011
Chemical & Engineering News: Latest News - Nevada Sues NRC Over Yucca License Latest News September 8, 2005 GOVERNMENT & POLICY Nevada Sues NRC Over Yucca License State claims federal agency has prejudged licensing process for nuclear waste facility Glenn Hess Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that accuses the agency of prejudging the outcome of the Department of Energy’s upcoming application for a license to open a nuclear waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, in Nevada.
by Glenn Hess | September 12, 2005
—Watchdog Finds Nuclear Problems “” A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that a series of significant safety lapses at U.S. nuclear power plants in 2011 happened because plant owners—and often the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)—tolerated known problems or failed to address them adequately.
by Jeff Johnson | March 05, 2012
The timing of the data's release is intended to meet a requirement of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the data be publicly available six months before DOE applies to NRC for a license to build and operate the high-level radioactive repository in Nevada. DOE is aiming to have an application ready by the end of the year. The material must be placed on NRC's Licensing Support Network, a public and searchable database of all Yucca Mountain licensing information. So far, however, NRC has received from DOE 500,000 documents, less than half the 1.2 million total. Also, DOE has asked NRC to withhold this information from the public until DOE can determine if all privacy information has been deleted, an NRC official says. The official adds that NRC cannot index and process more than 150,000 documents a week, which will stall input of the material for more than a month. The official was unclear on how DOE's restrictions or delay will affect timing of the application; DOE officials would not comment. On July 7, NRC appointed G. Paul Bollwerk III, chief of NRC's Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Panel, to the position of "pre-license application officer" to resolve this licensing dispute and others. Meanwhile, DOE says the material is available at its website, http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov. /articles/82/i28/DOE-releases-flood-Yucca-Mountain.html 20040712 Concentrates 82 28 /magazine/82/8228.html DOE releases flood of Yucca Mountain data con govpol environment DOE PHOTO DOE releases flood of Yucca Mountain data Chemical & Engineering News DOE releases flood of Yucca Mountain data DOE releases flood of Yucca Mountain data
July 12, 2004
—NRC Approves New Enrichment Plant “Foreign-owned nuclear fuel facility would be first of its type to be built in U.S.” A gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility was approved on June 23 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to be built in the dry lands of rural southeastern New Mexico. The facility will supply low-enriched nuclear fuel, about 5% U-235, for nuclear power plants. It is the first enrichment facility to be built in the U.S. using the more modern centrifuge technology to concentrate the amount of U-235 in uranium for use as commercial reactor fuel and the first major nuclear project approved by the NRC since 1978. The $1.5 billion plant will supply about one-quarter of current U.S. demand for enriched uranium for commercial reactors when fully operational.
by Jeff Johnson | July 03, 2006
—NRC Urges Better Monitoring Of Stored Arms “” The Army has been monitoring its aging stockpile of chemical weapons for leaks for 30 years, yet a recent study by the National Research Council urges improvements to protect the environment, workers, and adjacent communities. More than 3 million sarin-, VX-, and mustard gas-filled weapons are stored at eight U.S. sites and are being or will be destroyed. Three decades of monitoring has resulted in a massive amount of data, but the Army has mismanaged much of the collected information, the NRC committee finds. Scarce or missing is information on the age of leaking munitions and the temperature at which the weapons are stored. Leaks may increase with temperature and with aging, the committee warns.
by LOIS EMBER | February 16, 2004
—Pathogens: Biodefense Lab Planned For Kansas Could Hurt Cattle, NRC Report Says “” The Department of Homeland Security is underestimating the risk that a dangerous animal pathogen could accidentally be released from a proposed biodefense laboratory in the heart of Kansas cattle country, a panel of scientists said last week.
by Glenn Hess | November 22, 2010
—NRC On Impacts Of Rising Temperatures “” A report from the National Research Council estimates how much change in precipitation and crop yields may occur for each degree of human-caused global warming. The report differs from other analyses by linking these changes to global average temperature rise rather than to atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases. Most of the effects of climate change will stem from rising temperatures, says Katharine Hayhoe, a member of the NRC committee that prepared the report. A notable exception is ocean acidification, which will result from increased CO2 levels, adds Hayhoe, an associate professor of geosciences at Texas Tech University.
by Cheryl Hogue | July 26, 2010