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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Bipartisan Fusion Energy Act pushes for regulatory clarity
Padilla
Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) introduced the Fusion Energy Act (S. 4151) last month with a bipartisan group of cosponsors—John Cornyn (R., Texas), Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Todd Young (R., Ind.), and Patty Murray (D., Wash.). The legislation would codify the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems to streamline the creation of clear federal regulations that will support the development of commercial fusion power plants—and would require a report within one year on a study of risk- and performance-based, design-specific licensing frameworks for “mass-manufactured fusion machines.
“Congress must do everything in its power to ensure continued U.S. leadership in developing commercial fusion energy facilities,” said Padilla as he introduced the bill. “The Fusion Energy Act would provide regulatory certainty for investors as the NRC develops and streamlines frameworks for such facilities.”
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by OPD
Monday, November 13, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EST|Kalorama
Session Chair:
William N. Mann
Alternate Chair:
Nicolas E. Stauff
Session Organizer:
Nuclear energy is already playing an important role in the energy transition by decarbonizing the electricity sector. In the future, nuclear can play an even larger role in decarbonizing other sectors of the economy, for instance through hydrogen and industrial heat production. Another barely considered opportunity for nuclear energy to contribute to decarbonization is to couple it with negative emission technologies (NETs). Nuclear power generates heat and/or electricity that can be used in various NETs to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Several types of NETs could be compatible with nuclear energy such as Direct Air Capture (DAC), biomass-based processes, indirect seawater capture, or enhanced weathering. This session will discuss efforts in the U.S. to investigate the compatibility of nuclear energy with NETs and this potential new market opportunity.
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