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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
Noel R. Corngold
Robert E. Wilson
John W. Landis
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Best Section)Texas A&M University (Honorable Mention)
Clyde R. Ward
Jeremy T. Busby
Chauncey Starr
Small Local SectionsOak Ridge/Knoxville (Best Membership)Virginia (Best Meetings and Programs)Virginia (Best Public Information and Education)Oak Ridge/Knoxville (Best Section Management)Large Local SectionsIdaho (Best Overall)
Xiaogang Han
Donald R. Orlander
Experimental Fast Reactor JOYO Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA) Reactor F-1
Nancy M. Larson
Said Abdel-Khalik
Robert D. BuschJeffrey ClayKevin CookNils J. DiazJonathan EpsteinThomas J. HironsPeter B. LyonsCitizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA) & James M. (Mal) McKibben, Executive DirectorEdward L. (Ted) QuinnKristine L. SvinickiLoyd A. Wright
Gunter H.R. Kegel
William T. Sha
C. Paul Robinson
Chien Chang (Johnny) Lin
Robert J. Budnitz
GraduateUniversity Of California - BerkeleyM. Fratoni, Lance Kim, Sara Mattafirri, Robert PetroskiUniversity of Texas at AustinScott Whitney, Derek Haas, Kevin Jackman, Emilio Alvarez, Stephen WilsonUndergraduateUniversity of California - BerkeleyMartin Robel, Lydia Im, H. Kim, Paul Monasterio, Robert Petroski, Adam Tan, Beth Ellen RosenbergPenn State UniversityA. S. Bielen, M. J. Meholic, D.J. Skilone
Fan-Bill Cheung
David Heinrichs
Joseph A. Murphy
Beaver Valley Power StationFirstEnergyLimerick Generating StationExelon
Scotty Hinnant Progress Energy
William Cavanaugh, III
