In the wake of the federal government shutdown, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed two public meetings on the long-term storage of used nuclear fuel that were scheduled for the week of Oct. 6.

The first of 12 public meetings held by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the 75-day comment period on its proposed rule and environmental study on the effects of extended storage of used nuclear fuel was well-attended by a balanced group of stakeholders, including representatives of the nuclear energy industry and pro-industry groups.

As the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission considers how to comply with a court order to restart its stalled review of the license application for the Yucca Mountain used fuel repository, agency staff this week recommended that remaining Yucca-specific funds be used to complete the safety evaluation reports and the supplemental environmental impact statement.

The nuclear energy industry has submitted preliminary draft guidance to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin discussions on a process that ultimately would help plants make safety improvements more quickly.

The public aligns strongly with the nuclear industry’s views on managing used fuel, favoring development of a permanent repository and consolidated storage facilities and creating a new organization to oversee used fuel activities, a new Bisconti/Quest Global Research poll says.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should not expedite the transfer of used nuclear fuel from storage pools in nuclear plants into dry containers, agency staff recommended. The plan, which was brought up in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident in Japan by an NRC task force, would "neither provide a substantial increase in the overall protection of public health and safety nor sufficient safety benefit to warrant the expected implementation costs," staff said. SNL Financial (free content) (10/3)...

The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission will allocate space for Vermont's used nuclear fuel under a 20-year-old deal between the parties, said Robert Wilson, the commission's chairman. Vermont is seeking assurance for such space, since Entergy has decided to shut down its Vermont Yankee nuclear facility. Brattleboro Reformer (Vt.) (10/3)...

Bechtel has failed to adequately assess the equipment that will be used in development of a radioactive waste treatment facility at the Hanford site in Washington, a report from the Department of Energy's inspector general determined. The $12.2 billion facility would vitrify about 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste at the site. The report also criticized the department over its shortcomings in monitoring the project. The Hill (10/3)...