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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.
10:00–11:50AM CDT
Senate A/B
Session Chair: Brian Grierson|Alternate Chair: Lauren M. Garrison
Assembly
Session Chair: Andrew G. Sowder|Alternate Chair: Ben Lindley
University Room AB
Session Chair: Dina Yuryev|Alternate Chair: Paul W. Humrickhouse
Madison Ballroom
Session Chair: Sunday C. Aduloju|Alternate Chair: Iole Palermo
1:00–2:50PM CDT
Session Chair: Rosaria Villari|Alternate Chair: Iole Palermo
Session Chair: Arnold Lumsdaine|Alternate Chair: Ross F. Radel
Session Chair: Tyler Guin|Alternate Chair: Paul W. Humrickhouse
3:15–5:05PM CDT
Session Chair: Iole Palermo|Alternate Chair: Ethan Peterson
Session Chair: Ross F. Radel|Alternate Chair: Gerald Kulcinski
Session Chair: Charles Hirst|Alternate Chair: Lauren M. Garrison
Session Chair: Stephanie Diem|Alternate Chair: Paul P. Wilson
5:00–7:00PM CDT
Wisconsin Ballroom
Session Chair: Paul P. Wilson|Alternate Chair: Ross F. Radel
Session Chair: Lauren M. Garrison|Alternate Chair: Charles Hirst
Session Chair: Jonathan E. Menard|Alternate Chair: Ben Lindley
Session Chair: Michael J. Loughlin|Alternate Chair: Iole Palermo
Session Chair: Andrea Saltos|Alternate Chair: Michael J. Loughlin
Session Chair: Susana Reyes|Alternate Chair: Pierre-Clément A. Simon
Session Chair: Jun Ren|Alternate Chair: Minami Yoda
Session Chair: Thomas Fuerst|Alternate Chair: Sara Ferry
Session Chair: Lauren M. Garrison
8:00–9:50AM CDT
Session Chair: Monica Gehrig|Alternate Chair: Juliana Pacheco Duarte
Session Chair: Diana Grandas|Alternate Chair: Paul P. Wilson
Session Chair: Trey Gebhart|Alternate Chair: Michael Loughlin
10:15AM–12:05PM CDT
Session Chair: Kate Borowiec|Alternate Chair: Ethan Peterson
Session Chair: Paul W. Humrickhouse|Alternate Chair: Lane Carasik
Session Chair: Pierre-Clément A. Simon|Alternate Chair: Junliang Liu
1:15–3:05PM CDT
Session Chair: Fernando Arranz|Alternate Chair: Lane B. Carasik
Session Chair: Heena Mutha|Alternate Chair: Thomas Fuerst
Session Chair: Paul P. Wilson|Alternate Chair: Stephanie Diem
