Latest news with #NuclearRegulatoryCommission
LBCI
10 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Saudi Nuclear Regulatory Authority: Any attack on civilian nuclear facilities violates international resolutions
Saudi Arabia's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission said on Friday that any military attacks on civilian nuclear facilities constitute a violation of international law, following Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites amid the ongoing aerial conflict between the two sides. 'Any armed attack by any party, or any threat targeting nuclear facilities designated for peaceful purposes, is a violation of international resolutions, the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency,' the commission said in a statement. AFP
Al Arabiya
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Saudi nuclear regulator says attack on civilian nuclear sites violates international law
Saudi Arabia's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission said on Friday that any military attacks on civilian nuclear facilities violates international law, following Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites amid an air war between the two countries.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Supreme Court rejects Texas's bid to axe nuclear waste storage site
The Big Story The Supreme Court rejected Texas's bid to axe federal approval of a nuclear waste storage facility, arguing the state did not have the right to bring its challenge in the first place. © AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File In a 6-3 decision, the court in effect upheld the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to issue a license to a company that wanted to store nuclear waste off site from a power plant. The opinion, authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said that Texas, as well as private company Fasken Land and Minerals, did not have the right to sue over the license. 'Under the Hobbs Act, only an aggrieved 'party' may obtain judicial review of a Commission licensing decision,' Kavanaugh wrote. 'Texas and Fasken are not license applicants, and they did not successfully intervene in the licensing proceeding. So neither was a party eligible to obtain judicial review.' The opinion did not address the question in the underlying case, which was about whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should be allowed to license private off-site nuclear waste storage sites. Kavanaugh was joined by justices John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The dissent, authored by Gorsuch, argued that Texas and Fasken should be allowed to sue. 'Radioactive waste poses risks to the State, its citizens, its lands, air, and waters, and it poses dangers as well to a neighbor and its employees,' he wrote. 'Both Texas and Fasken participated actively in other aspects of the NRC's licensing proceeding,' he added. 'Both are entitled to their day in court — and both are entitled to prevail.' Read more at Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: Court blocks EPA from axing environmental justice grants A federal judge this week barred the Trump administration from axing grants that were part of a $600 million program that aimed to tackle pollution in underserved communities. Wildfires may be accelerating the spread of infectious disease by keeping US West residents indoors: Study As climate-driven weather extremes fuel fires across the U.S. West, the tendency of residents to spend more time indoors may be accelerating the spread of infectious diseases, a new study has found. Trump cuts to NOAA, NASA 'blinding' farmers to risks, scientists warn The Trump administration's cuts to climate research and federal weather forecasting agencies are 'blinding' the U.S. to oncoming threats to its food supply — and kneecapping efforts to protect it. What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: 'Abolishing FEMA' Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency (Bloomberg) What Others are Reading Two key stories on The Hill right now: Senate GOP leader faces pushback after members blindsided by Trump bill Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is facing strong pushback from members of the GOP conference over the Finance Committee's piece of President Trump's tax and spending bill, which largely ignores GOP senators' concerns about Medicaid cuts and the quick phaseout of clean-energy tax credits. Read more 5 takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with Ted Cruz Pundit Tucker Carlson published a nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday, during which the two conservative firebrands debated President Trump's foreign policy, the future of the Middle East and America's place in the world. Read more You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Supreme Court rejects Texas's bid to ax nuclear waste storage site
The Supreme Court rejected Texas's bid to ax federal approval of a nuclear waste storage facility, arguing that the state did not have the right to bring its challenge in the first place. In a 6-3 decision, the court in effect upheld the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to issue a license to a company that wanted to store nuclear waste off site from a power plant. The opinion, authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said that Texas, as well as private company Fasken Land and Minerals did not have the right to sue over the license. 'Under the Hobbs Act, only an aggrieved 'party' may obtain judicial review of a Commission licensing decision,' Kavanaugh wrote. 'Texas and Fasken are not license applicants, and they did not successfully intervene in the licensing proceeding. So neither was a party eligible to obtain judicial review.' Kavanaugh was joined by justices John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Supreme Court Clears the Way for Temporary Nuclear Waste Storage in Texas and New Mexico
The Supreme Court on Wednesday restarted plans to temporarily store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico even as the nation is at an impasse over a permanent solution. The justices by a 6–3 vote reversed a federal appeals court ruling that invalidated the license granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a private company for the facility in southwest Texas. The outcome should also reinvigorate plans for a similar facility in New Mexico roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The federal appeals court in New Orleans had ruled in favor of the opponents of the facilities. The licenses would allow the companies to operate the facilities for 40 years with the possibility of a 40-year renewal. The court's decision is not a final ruling in favor of the licenses, but it removes a major roadblock. Roughly 100,000 tons (90,000 metric tons) of spent fuel–some of it dating from the 1980s–is piling up at current and former nuclear plant sites nationwide and growing by more than 2,000 tons (1,800 metric tons) a year. The waste was meant to be kept there temporarily before being deposited deep underground. The NRC has said that the temporary storage sites are needed because existing nuclear plants are running out of room. The presence of the spent fuel also complicates plans to decommission some plants, the Justice Department said in court papers. Plans for a permanent underground storage facility at Yucca Mountain northwest of Las Vegas are stalled because of staunch opposition from most Nevada residents and officials. The NRC's appeal was filed by the Biden administration and maintained by the Trump administration. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, are leading bipartisan opposition to the facilities in their states. The NRC granted the Texas license to Interim Storage Partners, based in Andrews, Texas, for a facility that could take up to 5,500 tons (5,000 metric tons) of spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants and 231 million tons (210 million metric tons) of other radioactive waste. The facility would be built next to an existing dump site in Andrews County for low-level waste, such as protective clothing and other material that has been exposed to radioactivity. The Andrews County site is about 350 miles (560 kilometers) west of Dallas near the Texas–New Mexico state line. The New Mexico facility would be in Lea County in the southeastern part of the state near Carlsbad. The NRC gave a license for the site to Holtec International, based in Jupiter, Florida.
