NEI Nuclear Notes

From a new administration in Washington, D.C., to the debate on climate change, 2009 was a busy year for the nuclear industry as the domestic fleet continued to operate at near-record capacity. The following summary of nuclear energy in 2009 was eloquently written and compiled by one of NEI’s writers, TJ Swanek. Hope you enjoy and find it useful! BIG CHANGES IN WASHINGTON At the federal level, many changes took place that will affect the nuclear industry. Steven Chu, confirmed as energy secretary, oversaw increases in funding for long-term nuclear energy research in the budgeting process , including research dollars for advanced fuel cycles and Generation IV reactors. At the NRC , Gregory Jaczko was appointed chairman, succeeding Dale Klein, who had been serving in that role since July 2006. President Obama nominated George Apostolakis , William Magwood and Bill Ostendorff as NRC commissioners to fill two vacant seats and replace Klein on the commission. If the nominees are a...

The National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) board of directors has endorsed nuclear energy as part of a policy revision, the first completed by the association in decades. In supporting the continued use and development of nuclear energy in the United States, the NAM favors construction and operation of facilities covering all parts of the fuel cycle and nuclear energy generation. This includes power plants, fuel enrichment facilities, fuel fabrication plants, low- and high-level waste handling, and disposal operations and other related facilities critical to supporting and expanding the nuclear energy industry. The business association supports policies “that allow the federal government to fulfill its legal obligation to remove used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and manage its long-term disposal.” The NAM also backs efforts to close the fuel cycle while a permanent disposal facility, which is needed even if the fuel cycle is successfully closed, is developed. “Nuclea...

Kevin Smith, NAM 's director of research, is in France on a trip sponsored by NEI to visit AREVA's nuclear processing center at La Hague. Click here for more details.

This week's edition of America's Business , NAM's radio program , is featuring an interview with Michael McMurphy, President and CEO of AREVA NC, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of AREVA. For a nice digest of recent news on the company, click here .

I wanted to take a moment to note that one of NEI's best friends in the blogosphere, Pat Cleary of Shop Floor , the blog of the National Association of Manufacturers , will be leaving NAM effective today to join Fleishman-Hillard as Director of Digital Public Affairs. From the start, Pat and his colleagues at NAM Blog have understood the critical role nuclear energy plays in the nation's energy mix, and how it supports American manufacturing. He's a great blog buddy, and everyone at NEI wishes him nothing but success in his new role at Fleishman-Hillard.

Scott Peterson, NEI's Vice President of Communications, is a guest on this weekend's edition of America's Business. He'll be talking about the global nuclear renaissance. Click here to listen.

Over at NAM Blog , Carter Wood writes about how he ran into a USPIRG canvasser who wanted to ignore the connection between affordable and reliable electricity and rock 'n roll .

At a luncheon hosted by our friends at NAM , House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC), offered an unqualified endorsement of nuclear energy .