NRC guts mandatory sufficiency hearings for Reactor Licensing Effective June 8, 2026. No public comment taken

NRC guts mandatory sufficiency hearings for Reactor Licensing Effective June 8, 2026. No public comment taken.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/08/2026-11451/policy-statement-on-mandatory-hearings-for-reactor-licensing

What changed:

• Previously the mandatory hearing came after staff completed its safety and environmental review — as an independent sufficiency check confirming the work was adequate

• It now happens 30 days after docketing — before the safety and environmental review exists

• The Commission delegated its authority to a staff facilitator. No commissioners required

• The sufficiency review is gone. The hearing produces no findings and no binding outcomes

• You can request a contested hearing after the review is complete — which can be dismissed on procedural grounds before it ever reaches the merits

The NRC justifies eliminating the sufficiency review by arguing that the original 1957 hearing requirement was a response to the AEC’s dual role promoting and regulating nuclear power — a conflict they claim was resolved when Congress abolished the AEC in 1974 and created the NRC.  That argument is fiction because clearly the NRC is promoting nuclear power every day.

[decomm_wkg] FERC Overrules PJM: TMI Gets a Get out of Jail Pass

Anticipated capitulation by FERC

Thank you to Roger Harried Micheal Keegan.

 

 

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/constellation-three-mile-island-crane-nuclear-ferc-waiver/821836/

Distribution of the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft FONSI Regarding the Proposed Reauthorization of Power Operations for Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, June 2026

 

You are subscribed to Crane Clean Energy Center Potential Restart - Environmental Review for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Greetings: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) staff have completed the subject draft report, “Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center Reauthorization of Power Operations Project.” This draft Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared in response to the licensing and regulatory requests submitted by Constellation Energy Generation, LLC, that, if approved, would collectively support reauthorizing power operations at the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center. As stated in Chapter 5 of the draft EA, the staff’s draft conclusion is that the environmental impacts of the proposed Federal actions would be not significant for any potentially affected resource area and would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The draft EA is being distributed to interested Federal, State, local, or regional agencies, Indian Tribes, industry organizations, interest groups, and members of the public via this notice and other appropriate methods.  The draft EA is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) as ML26120A058 and on the NRC’s project website at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/ccec.  A notice of availability of the draft EA is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on June 8, 2026, announcing the start of the public comment period. The comment period will run until July 8, 2026. When the 30-day comment period opens, comments on this draft EA may be submitted by: Emailing CCECRestartEnvironmental@nrc.gov; Going to https://regulations.gov and searching for Docket ID NRC-2026-0397; or Mailing comments to the Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-5-A85, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff. For further information, contact Kevin Folk, Senior Environmental Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–6944; email: Kevin.Folk@nrc.gov.