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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
Award Recipient Photos
Peter Murray
Paul J. Turinsky
Adolph Garcia
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Best Student Section)University of Florida (Best Student Section)Rensselar Polytechnic Institute (Honorable Mention)University of Missouri-Rolla (Honorable Mention)
Paul Bacca
Alan E. Waltar
Truc-Nam Dinh
Small Local SectionsVirginia (Best Membership, Best Section Management)Savannah River (Best Meetings and Programs, Best Public Information and Education)Large Local SectionsIdaho (Best Overall)International Local SectionsFrance (Best Meetings and Programs,Best Section Management)
Weijun Guo
J. Stephen Herring
USS NautilusCogema La Hague Plant
Roger Stoller
Samim AnghaieHerbert M. FontecillaJohn P. GutteridgeBrian K. HajekAtambir S. RaoTheodore Rockwell
George H. Miley
Robert W. Roussin
Siegfried S. Hecker
Joseph M. Hendrie
Charles H. Moseley
GraduateUniversity of MichiganJeremy Conlin, Chris Kirby, Kevin LynnUndergraduateGeorgia Institute of TechnologyV.L. Beavers, W.A. Casino, J.R. Cheatham, Z.W. Friis, R.D.Green, W.R. Hamilton, K.W. Haufler, J.D. Hutchinson, R.A. Lorio, J.W. Maddox, A.A. Manzoor, M.R. TerryUniversity of FloridaChristian F. Acosta, Bobby Ahmed, Jorge WeirUniversity of TennesseeTyler Cornell, Ryan Giar, Youssef Sharara, Scott Outten, Igor Petrusky
Yassin A. Hassan
Jim Morman
A. Rene RaffrayLance Snead
Mario H. Fontana
South Texas ProjectSTP Nuclear Operating Company
Joe Sheppard STP Nuclear Operating Company
Mihail Balanescu
Richard N. Hwang
Harold B. Ray
