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Conference Spotlight
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.
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
March 1
Presented at the
Annual or Winter Conference
Monetary Award
$1,000
The W. Bennett Lewis Award recognizes individuals who have made major lifetime contributions in nuclear science and engineering towards minimizing environmental footprint, attaining long-term global sustainable energy and development, and having shown great foresight in elucidating these goals as recorded in archival publications. Nominees need not be ANS members. Not awarded posthumously.
The award consists of an engraved plaque and may be accompanied by a monetary gift to be decided by the DESD Executive Committee at its discretion. It is presented at a DESD function at either the ANS Annual or Winter Conferences.
This award was established by the Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences Division (formerly Environmental Sciences Division) in 2006 to honor Dr. W. Bennett Lewis, a visionary who understood the importance of providing a clean and abundant source of energy to support the world population for generations to come.
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
Nominations should include evidence of having made major lifetime contributions in nuclear science and engineering towards attaining long-term global sustainable energy and development and having shown great foresight as recorded in archival publications.
Nominations are submitted to the chair of the DESD Honors and Awards Committee.
View Award