A federal appeals court in Cincinnati has ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) acted properly in licensing the use of ventilated, dry storage casks for spent nuclear fuel at Consumer Power Co.'s Palisades nuclear plant. Despite challenges from public interest groups and the attorney general of Michigan, the court found adequate input from the public in the NRC licensing process, which is used for all reactor sites nationwide. Michael G.
Thirteen of the nation's largest public utilities signed agreements with the Department of Energy (DOE), committing themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a combined total of 2.5 million metric tons by 2000. Last year, over 800 utilities pledged to cooperate with the Clinton Administration's goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2000 in all industrial sectors.
Over 300 bills were introduced in the first week of the new Congress that convened in January, among them a bill by Sen. J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA) aimed at correcting the government's seriously flawed nuclear waste storage program. Johnston heralded S.
Paul J. Evanson was named president of Florida Power & Light Co. to succeed Stephen E. Frank, who resigned in January. Frank led the company through a tough restructuring process. Evanson, 53, previously was v.p., finance, and CFO for both Florida Power & Light and FPL Group Inc. Evanson will be succeeded by Michael W.
The Department of Energy (DOE) will definitely be leaner in the future, if not outright abolished by the newly Republican Congress. To get a jump on Republicans as well as to help pay for a middle-class tax cut, President Clinton proposes to cut DOE's budget by $10.6 billion over the next five years-a 10-percent cut in the agency's $18-billion annual budget.
Energy Secretary Hazel R.
In the energy industry, no question defies resolution more than electromagnetic fields (EMF).
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) reported in late December that electric utilities have contributed close to $80 million for EMF research since the early 1970s. And new efforts are taking shape.
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Nuclear plant licensees could face an added level of state regulation just as they move to cut costs.Permanent disposal capacity for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and spent nuclear fuel, long a top priority for the nuclear industry, has not yet become a reality. But the storage question draws more attention for its impact on nuclear power costs as electric generation grows more competitive.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has delayed until January 19 a hearing on its proposal to weigh external environmental costs when setting efficiency requirements for electric appliances, air conditioners, and other consumer goods. The hearing will consider selection and application of economic theory, the role of the regulatory process, scientific basis for proposed action, and economic impact of such a far-reaching shift on the economy. (em LB
At the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' quarterly meeting in Reno, NV, Edward M. Davis, president of NAC Holding Inc. and former president of the American Nuclear Energy Council, praised regulators for recognizing the need for a centralized interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel by 1998 as well as the need for development of a transportation infrastructure.
2 percent of California's gross state product. Competitively priced electricity is vital to California's $800-billion-a-year economy, one would think.