By Henry Sokolski Among analysts, the military assault of nuclear facilities is generally viewed in one of two ways. The first is to assume meltdowns, massive radiation releases, and evacuation catastrophes will ensue. The second emphasizes how, despite repeated attacks on reactors, no radiological release has yet occurred and stresses how much safety engineers have … More Guest Commentary: When Nuclear Plants Become Military Targets

By Kennedy Maize In his 1841 essay “Self-Reliance,” American Trancendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” That seems to be the working credo of the current U.S. Supreme Court, at least when it comes to the National Environmental Policy … More Commentary: Chevron lives? “A foolish consistency…?”

By Kennedy Maize The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week approved NuScale Power’s evolutionary small modular reactor design, a 77-MW light water cooled and moderated pressurized water reactor in a six-reactor package. The “US460” SMR is a scaled-up design based on the NRC’s 2020 approval of NuScale’s original 50-MW machine. The NRC staff, in the … More NRC Oks NuScale’s 77-MW SMR design