Nuclear Regulatory Commission

AGs vs. Utilities

State attorneys general target energy policy issues.

As energy issues take center stage in the policy debate, state attorneys general increasingly are using their political influence and legal authority to affect a wide range of areas—from greenhouse-gas emissions to siting and development of infrastructure projects. Working constructively with state AGs can help utilities avoid becoming targets of investigation and litigation.

The Safety Vote

A prerequisite for sustained nuclear renaissance.

The nuclear renaissance requires safety as its central focus. Industry vigilance at all levels is key to accident prevention, but only favorable public opinion will allow the industry to realize its enormous potential.

Five Nuclear Challenges

Building reactors requires new federal commitment.

Several key barriers prevent the construction of a new U.S. nuclear power fleet. These barriers must be overcome to prevent a power-shortfall emergency.

Water Worries

With new plants pending, cooling requires serious thought.

Cooling water shortages might force nuclear project developers to get creative.

Memo to the President-Elect (Part 2)

A clear and present need for nuclear energy expansion.

Addressing climate change will require extending the life of today’s nuclear fleet and laying the foundation for new plants.

Memo to the President-Elect (Part 1)

A clear and present need for nuclear energy expansion.

The new administration might be our last, best hope for recapturing America’s technological and economic superiority. The time has come to institute an “Apollo Project” level of effort to convert to a carbon-free energy infrastructure while tossing aside the business-as-usual model. The future lies in nuclear power.

Fixing Depreciation Accounting

Accumulated provisions for depreciation belong on the right side of the balance sheet.

The time has come to revisit where the accumulated provision for depreciation belongs. Utilities objected—some 50 years ago—when it was moved from the right side of the balance sheet to the left side, with good reason. Consistency, comparability, reliability and relevance all demand an end to this strange accounting practice.

Nuclear Revolution

How to ease the coming upheaval in the nuclear power industry.

The U.S. nuclear power industry faces a yawning talent gap. Half of the industry’s employees are over 47 years old, and more than a quarter of nuclear workers already are eligible to stop working. Meanwhile, as the baby boomers retire, there will be far fewer available replacements with nuclear knowledge.

Navigating Nuclear Risks

New approaches to contracting in a post-turnkey world.

Sponsors of new nuclear power projects face a gauntlet of development challenges, from fickle regulatory policies to supply chain uncertainties. By preemptively addressing risks and taking a systematic, hands-on approach to development, companies can improve chances for a nuclear renaissance in America.

Depreciation Shell Game

Accounting reforms might force regulators to abandon their live-now, pay-later practices.

When an advisory committee of the SEC voted recently to phase out special accounting treatment for various industries, it signaled the end may be near for power plant depreciation deferral mechanisms. Such mechanisms are a mainstay of regulatory accounting in many states, and their discontinuation could send plant owners and regulators back to the drawing board to find a new, GAAP-compliant way to recognize asset depreciation in financial reports.