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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.
The 2020 ANS Change Plan initiated the establishment of the ANS Local and Student Section Strategic Fund. The fund is supported through a portion of ANS membership dues from members who choose not to opt in to a Local or Student Section, and through voluntary donations on membership renewal forms.
The purpose of the fund is to support new or expanded activities that will, in the words of ANS bylaw 9.2, “further the mission and goals of the Society in its locality.” Grant applications will be accepted all year round, however there are only two evaluations cycles which coincide with the ANS Annual and Winter conferences (see timeline below).
View Recipients
Local Sections Committee and Student Sections Committee
Activities the grant is intended to support include:
Restrictions on Funds
Grant funds are not intended to support:
By submitting an application, you are agreeing to:
Application Deadline
Review/Evaluation
Recipients Notified
Annual Meeting - May 1
May 31
Mid-June
Winter Meeting - October 1
October 31
Mid-November
Last modified May 5, 2025, 3:01pm CDT