Category — DOE News

On February 2, 2010, Department of Energy (“DOE”) Secretary Steven Chu pledged to institute several reforms at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plutonium facility in an effort to prevent radioactive releases in the event of an earthquake.  [Read more →]

On Friday January 29, 2010, Energy Secretary Steven Chu revealed the members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.  The Blue Ribbon Commission has the task of developing a new national strategy to deal with nuclear waste as an alternative to the Yucca Mountain repository.  Additionally, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced that its 2011 budget will significantly increase loan guarantees for nuclear projects.  [Read more →]

On January 14, 2010, the Government Accounting Office (“GAO”) issued a report recommending that the Department of Energy (“DOE”) develop better cost estimates for construction and environmental cleanup projects. [Read more →]

On December 7, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced the issuance of a final rule amending certain provisions of its loan guarantee program for innovative technologies as authorized by Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (“Final Rule”). The amendments reverse the DOE’s previous interpretation of two provisions of Section 1702 of Title XVII to require a superior first lien on any property acquired pursuant to a guarantee. The Final Rule was promulgated by the DOE after its review of all comments submitted in response to the DOE’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Opportunity for Comment published on August 7, 2009 (“NOPR”). (Please refer to our summary of the NOPR circulated on August 7, 2009, for more information on the proposed changes.) [Read more →]

On October 28, 2009, the Obama Administration released a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) signed by nine agencies to streamline and expedite the siting and construction of electric transmission lines on federal land.  [Read more →]