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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.
Harvey A. Wagner
Michael M. R. Williams
University of Florida (First Place)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Second Place)Texas A&M University (Second Place)University of Maryland (Honorable Mention)University of Missouri-Rolla (Honorable Mention)
C. Harry Youngquist
James L. Acord
Hussein S. Khalil
Warren E. Nyer
Philip AndersonRonald K. BayerEugene N. CramerAdolf S. GarciaBrian GrimesWalter Y. KatoRobert G. LacyEdward (Ted) L. Quinn
Small Local SectionsLong Island (Best Overall, Best Membership, Best Meetings and Programs, Best Public Information, Best Section Management)Oak Ridge/Knoxville (Best Section Management)Central Illinois, Northeastern (Meritorious Finalists)Large Local SectionsIdaho (Best Overall)
David I. Poston
Leon C. Walters
Molten Salt Reactor Tower Shielding Facility Zoé reactor (EL-1)
Laural L. Briggs
John GillelandNermin Uckan
William E. BurchillJ. Jason Chao
Eugene P. (Dennis) Wilkinson
Jerry D. Christian
George L. Wessman
GraduateUniversity of TennesseeJeff Banks, Ed Churnetski, Karani Gulec, Jerry Lichtenwalter, Ugur Mertyurek, Dan SmithUniversity of VirginiaThomas D. Burns, Chae J. Han, John D. Muskopf, Lee C. Taylor, John W. Valentino, Reuel F. VillaflorUndergraduatePurdue UniversitySteven A. Hogsett, Michael E. O'Dea, Norha Z. PlumeyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyDwayne P. Blaylock, Michelle L. Guzzardo, Peter G. Newby, Joseph J. Weismann
Neil E. Todreas
Charles Bathke
Donald Hurst
SurryVirginia Power CompanyNorth AnnaVirginia Power CompanyTurkey PointFlorida Power & LightCompany
Jim Schiffer Pacific Gas & Electric
Raymond L. Murray
Charles F. Jones
