Feature ArticleANS Task Force: Accelerating nuclear R&D investment is key to securing America’s clean energy futureStrategic federal investment in nuclear research and development is needed to rapidly deploy cost-effective, flexible energy choices for a zero-carbon future while strengthening national security and the economy.Nuclear NewsFebruary 17, 2021, 11:58AM|ANS StaffThe ANS Task Force on Public Investment in Nuclear Research and Development has just issued a report titled “The U.S. Nuclear R&D Imperative.” Visit ans.org/policy/rndreport/ to learn more and to read the report in its entirety.The following article, originally published in the February 2021 issue of Nuclear News, describes the formation of the Task Force and the principles that guided its members as they developed specific nuclear R&D funding recommendations to ensure that a new generation of nuclear energy technologies is ready for deployment in 2030 and beyond.To continue reading, log in or create a free account!Tags:ans leadershipchristina backmark peterspolicyresearch and applicationsthe u.s. nuclear r&d imperativeShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
ANS Fellows elected to National Academy of EngineeringMagwoodPetersANS Fellows William D. Magwood IV and Mark T. Peters have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).Magwood, an ANS member since 1983, is the secretary general for the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. He was elected for “leadership and contributions to research programs that drive innovation in global nuclear energy enterprises.”Peters, an ANS member since 2007 and the executive vice president for Laboratory Operations at Battelle, was elected “for leadership and contributions in advancing U.S. nuclear energy capabilities and infrastructure.”Go to Article
ANS touts benefits of nuclear energy in letter to FERCThe American Nuclear Society recommended that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) consider recognizing the reliability and resiliency benefits that carbon-free nuclear electricity generation provides to the bulk power system. ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar and Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy submitted these comments in a letter during a FERC meeting on Thursday morning.Go to Article
Candidates for Young Member seat on ANS Board offer statementsThis is the fourth in a four-part series spotlighting the candidates for the upcoming 2021 ANS national election. Seven leadership positions are on the ballot.Today we feature statements from the nominees for the Young Member director position, which was approved by the ANS Board of Directors in September. The nominees are Benjamin A. Holtzman, of the Nuclear Energy Institute, an ANS member since 2007, and Catherine M. Prat, of Westinghouse Electric Company, an ANS member since 2011.Ballots will be sent electronically on February 22 and must be submitted by 1 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, April 13.Go to Article
Candidates for ANS Board of Directors offer statementsThis is the third in a four-part series spotlighting the candidates for the upcoming 2021 ANS national election. Seven leadership positions are on the ballot. Today we feature statements from the nominees for the U.S. director at-large positions. There are 10 candidates for four open spots on the ANS Board of Directors. The nominees are Harsh Desai, Nuclear Energy Institute; Julie G. Ezold, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Jess C. Gehin, Idaho National Laboratory; Kathryn D. Huff, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jeffrey C. King, Colorado School of Mines; Stephen P. LaMont, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Jean-Francois Lucchini, Los Alamos National Laboratory; John M. Mahoney, High Expectations International; Jessika V. Rojas, Virginia Commonwealth University; and Tracy E. Stover Jr., Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.Ballots will be sent electronically on February 22 and must be submitted by 1 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, April 13.Go to Article
Task force issues assessment of U.S. nuclear energy R&D funding for 2020sLa Grange Park, IL –A task force commissioned by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) issued an assessment of U.S. nuclear energy research and development funding needs for the 2020s. The study is a prospectus for appropriations as Congress and the Biden administration consider ways to support and expand America’s largest carbon-free energy technology, nuclear energy.Go to Article
Klann, Wharton offer candidate statements for ANS treasurerThis is the second in a four-part series spotlighting the candidates for the upcoming 2021 ANS national election. Seven leadership positions are on the ballot.Today we feature statements from the nominees for treasurer.The nominees are Ray Klann, an ANS member since 1991, who is a senior scientist in the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and W. A. “Art” Wharton III, an ANS member since 2004, who is a vice president at Studsvik Scandpower. Wharton, the current ANS treasurer, is running for a second term.Ballots will be sent electronically on February 22 and must be submitted by 1 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, April 13.Go to Article
Candidates for ANS vice president offer statementsToday we feature statements from the nominees for vice president/president-elect. The nominees are Steven A. Arndt, an ANS Fellow and member since 1981, who is a senior technical advisor with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Corey McDaniel, an ANS member since 2008, who is chief commercial officer at Idaho National Laboratory.Ballots will be sent electronically on February 22 and must be submitted by noon (CDT) on Tuesday, April 13.The first-ever ANS vice president candidate discussion forum will be held Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 6:00-7:00 pm EST. Register now for the event to hear directly from candidates Steven Arndt and Corey McDaniel. Go to Article
Columbia University report sets out nuclear waste policy optionsA new report out of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) offers a number of recommendations for improving the management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States.The report, Forging a Path Forward on U.S. Nuclear Waste Management: Options for Policy Makers, explains how the United States reached its current stalemate over nuclear waste disposal. It then examines productive approaches in other countries, and a few domestic ones, that could guide policymakers through options for improving the prospects for finding a disposal path for U.S. spent fuel and HLW.Part of the center’s wider work on nuclear energy, the report echoes previous recommendations for U.S. spent fuel and HLW management, such as the use of a consent-based siting process and the formation of an independent waste management organization, both of which were recommended in the Blue Ribbon Commission’s 2012 report to the Secretary of Energy and Stanford University’s 2018 report, Reset of U.S. Nuclear Waste Management Strategy and Policy.Go to Article
New year brings into force a new U.K.-EU nuclear pactAlong with the wider Trade and Cooperation Agreement it signed late last month with the European Union to address post-Brexit realities, the U.K. government concluded a stand-alone Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with the European Atomic Energy Community, better known as Euratom. The NCA went into effect January 1.Go to Article
The new normal?Mary Lou Dunzik-GougarHappy New Year! I sincerely hope that each of you found time to refresh and rejuvenate over the holidays, or at least have fun. Many indicators suggest that 2021 will be a better year than 2020, including a growing understanding of COVID-19 and its impacts and the availability of a vaccine. So many have suffered from job loss or even loss of businesses in 2020. Even for those of us fortunate enough to be healthy, gainfully employed, and able to work from anywhere thanks to Zoom and its competitors, uncertainty is still a challenging aspect of the pandemic.Go to Article