Dr. Adam Stein

@astein.bsky.social

7048 Followers 525 Following

Energy, Risk, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Research, Father. Director of Nuclear Energy Innovation at the Breakthrough Institute Alum. Carnegie Mellon EPP

The Reverse Information Paradox Depends on the People it Leaves Out.
Screenshot of the NRC Rulemaking tracker
Timeline of NRC application review for Kemmerer Unit 1.
Landscape of a community near a nuclear power plant.
No, the United States does not need a costly national cancer study near nuclear reactors By Adam Stein, PJ Seel | January 2, 2026
Vanguardia Dossier "The New Atomic Era"
Swearing in of the first NRC Commissioners, January 23, 1975. From left to right, Richard T. Kennedy, Edward A. Mason, Victor Gilinsky, Marcus A. Rowden, William Anders, Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller, Valerie Anders, and Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun
Reasonably assured uranium recovery by country
Separative work unit capacity requriements to meet global needs
Separtive Work Unit capacity requirements to meet US 2050 LEU and HALEU needs
Enrichment needs for 250-490 GW of light water and advanced nuclear by 2050
Abundant fuel for abundant reactors
Letter from the NRC approving DISA's license application for license SUA-1605
National Academies workshop Pathways for New Nuclear Development.
Figure ES-1. U.S. Energy Wallet: Break-out by State and Fuel in 2024.
Illustrative example of the interest rate reduction at each milestone
ACTION cover
Drawing the Line: The Linear No-Threshold Model, and When are Doses Too Small to Matter?
The purpose of this letter is to inform US SFR Owner, LLC (USO), a wholly owned subsidiary of TerraPower, LLC (TerraPower), of a schedule change for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff’s review of the construction permit (CP) application for the Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 (Kemmerer 1). By letter dated February 26, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25055A019), the NRC staff communicated that it planned to complete the review of the CP application by June 2026, which was ahead of the original August 2026 date. Additionally, the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) was recently issued in June 2025 (ML25154A651), one month ahead of schedule. As a result of frequent and productive engagements with USO and considering Executive Order 14300, the NRC staff plans to issue the final safety evaluation and the final EIS by December 31, 2025, ahead of the updated schedule communicated in the February 26, 2025, letter. This schedule shift is being accommodated primarily through streamlined reviews by management and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; however, there remain technical topics for the staff to make its regulatory findings.
This is a clear example of the NRC not aligning with its updated mission to enable the safe use of civilian nuclear energy for societal benefit. The proposed fee rule was an opportunity to embrace a more enabling posture without compromising safety—by simply following the plain text of the law and recognizing a broader set of licensing activities. Instead, the staff adopted a narrow reading that places unnecessary financial and procedural burdens on developers, despite the law’s intent to do the opposite. The ADVANCE Act was designed to support the commercialization of new nuclear technologies, not constrain them. A plain reading of the law makes clear that Congress intended a broader application of fee reductions than the NRC has proposed. BTI recommends the NRC revise and reissue the rule to align with the statutory text and ensure all relevant licensing activities are eligible for reduced fees
In the FY 2025 proposed fee rule, the NRC proposed defining an advanced nuclear reactor applicant as an entity that has submitted an application for an operating license, combined license, or manufacturing license for an advanced nuclear reactor as defined in NEIMA. Under the proposed rule, other types of advanced nuclear reactor applications ( e.g., for construction permits and design certifications) could still have been able to qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate as advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicants. As discussed in Section IV, Public Comments and NRC Responses, the NRC received a number of comments encouraging the NRC to expand the proposed definition of advanced nuclear reactor applicant to include applicants for construction permits, early site permits, design certifications, limited work authorizations, and standard design approvals. Upon further consideration and in response to these comments, the NRC has revised the definition of “advanced nuclear reactor applicant” to include applications that may be used as part of a phased approach to licensing. Under the revised definition, “advanced nuclear reactor applicant” means an entity that has submitted to the Commission a “qualifying application.” “Qualifying application” is defined as an application that (1) is for an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of NEIMA; and (2) is for an operating license, combined license, manufacturing license, construction permit, early site permit, limited work authorization, design certification, or standard design approval. Conforming changes were also made to the definition of advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant.
Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2025 A Rule by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 06/24/2025
JUSTICE KAVANAUGH delivered the opinion of the Court. More than 50 nuclear power plants in the United States produce electricity for American homes and businesses. But those plants also generate dangerous spent nuclear fuel, which is usually stored on site. Because some plants are shutting down or no longer operating, on-site storage is not a viable long-term solution. To address the storage problem, federal law has long designated the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada as the future permanent site for disposal of spent nuclear fuel. But the Nevada project has caused significant political controversy and has stalled. To fill the void, some private businesses have sought to build and operate facilities to store spent nuclear fuel “off site”—that is, off the site of a nuclear power plant. To do so, however, they need to obtain licenses from the Nuclear
Nomination of David Wright on Congress.gov
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2515/ML25155B841.pdf
Several approaches can be used now to appropriately manage risk. 1) Flexible risk thresholds, already in law, that balance benefits to society 2) Tiered dose limits in regulation that are evidence-based 3) Recognize that there are risks imposed by alternatives
Risk management framework
What is LNT? LNT is a linear model used for estimating the risk of radiation exposure. The model is used by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Regardless of what hazard you are looking at, a linear no-threshold model, by definition, is a straight line from zero exposure until the risk is 100%. The “no-threshold” part of the name indicates that there is no level above zero where a dose does not represent “risk.” A LNT model for nuclear regulation means that any amount of radiation produced by a reactor, input, or anything, is subject to oversight because, according to the model, even the smallest amount of radiation increases the risk of cancer. But, thresholds exist for pretty much every health outcome: the hot water from a tap will not burn your hand, but boiling water will.
How to Regulate Radiation Exposure What is the LNT Model of Radiation Exposure Risk and How Can We Fix It
Part 50 and 52 licensing pathways
MISO: New Orleans Area Outages Owed to Scant Gen, Congestion, Heat Entergy Says Offline Nuclear Generation not a Major Factor
Standard Design Approval for the NuScale US460
GE BWRX-300 rendering
Site development is an often underappreciated barrier to nuclear deployment. By securing sites and advancing environmental permitting before a reactor vendor is even chosen, Elementl and Google are effectively flipping the traditional model of nuclear development, which has historically been driven by utilities with fixed regional demand. “We now have off-takers in the driver’s seat,” Stein said. “They want to accelerate deployment to meet their projected demand that is not necessarily region-specific. That means they need a different organization that can help find and approve those sites.”
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2511/ML25118A209.pdf
“A large group of nations asked the World Bank to take this action years ago. It is not the World Bank randomly deciding to change course, nor is it the nuclear industry pressuring the bank to change. It is a call from nations for the World Bank to enable the construction of new nuclear energy in line with the bank’s core mission,” Stein said
There are thousands of abandoned uranium mines across the United States. Many of these mines played a pivotal role in fueling the country's rapid build-out of atomic weapons. Now these mines lie abandoned, leaving behind a legacy of environmental degradation and health risks that are impacting people’s daily lives. Indigenous communities, in particular, have experienced disproportionate impacts, as many mines are located on or near tribal lands. Remediation of abandoned uranium mines is and must continue to be a national priority. Given the urgency and scale of the situation, we must re-evaluate our current regulatory structure to ensure that it continues to serve the public interest.
ACCEPTANCE REVIEW LETTER FOR DISA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. LICENSE APPLICATION FOR A PERFORMANCE-BASED, MULTI-SITE RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS LICENSE TO OPERATE A HIGH-PRESSURE SLURRY ABLATION REMEDIATION SYSTEM, REVISION 3, DOCKET 40-38417
Industrial opportunity means opportunity to create. - William Mellon
Comparison of Palisades nuclear power plant to other clean energy sources in MI
Value of restarting a decommissioning reactor
Palisades restart panel at the NRC regulatory information conference
As required by subsection 501(a) of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act), the Commission has approved updating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s mission statement as follows: The NRC protects public health and safety and advances the nation’s common defense and security by enabling the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials through efficient and reliable licensing, oversight, and regulation for the benefit of society and the environment. The staff should submit an information paper to the Commission providing the guidance to ensure effective performance of the mission as required under section 501 (b) of the ADVANCE Act before the draft report is provided to the respective Senate and House Committees. In its development of the implementation guidance, the Office of the Executive Director for Operations should cite specific, practical examples of actions that serve to clarify how to effectively implement and successfully execute the mission. The staff should provide periodic updates to the Commission on the development of the guidance.
Conclusions • From a technical perspective, • The general impression of the site condition is one of a shutdown of several months rather than the actual term of seven years since cancellation in 2017. • No obvious conditions preclude undertaking completion. • Efforts Underway to Re-Consider Shuttered Facilities and Planned Retirements • Watts Bar Unit 2 – Recently completed after Termination in 1988 • Palisades • TMI Unit 1 (PPA with Microsoft Data Center Supply) • Diablo Canyon • Unit 2 would be the most likely target for consideration given its approximate 48% completion.
National Academies workshop: Pathways for New Nuclear Development
Samsung Bespoke AI heat pump washer dryer combo
Picture of my gray and white tuxedo cat
Concept of a four engine nuclear jet engine
Kairos Power's Hermes 2 rendering.
Improving Licensing and Permitting In anticipation of the growing interest in reactor deployment, NRC continues to make strides in reforming its licensing and permitting processes to ensure that its reviews and analyses can be performed efficiently while providing reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety, promoting the common defense and security, and protecting the environment. NRC has built a reputation globally as a strong and independent regulator, and this has helped enable the successful, safe, and secure operation of the U.S. reactor fleet. This has also helped the nuclear power industry gain acceptance and trust in local communities in which they operate. In addition, NRC’s high-quality reviews and processes help to make exports of U.S. reactor technology more attractive to foreign nations. All pathways for scaling up and accelerating domestic deployment depend on the ability and capacity of NRC to perform its licensing and permitting reviews with efficiency without compromising safety, security, or environmental protection. Utilities, power customers, project developers, and the financial community also need clear visibility that NRC reviews will be done on a predictable schedule, conditional on NRC receiving high-quality applications. NRC has gained significant licensing and construction oversight experience through its reviews of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 as well as with licensing reviews of the NuScale SMR design and the Kairos Hermes 1 and 2 non-power reactors. In fact, NRC completed its safety and environmental reviews of the Kairos Hermes 1 construction permit application ahead of schedule and onbudget. Consistent with NRC’s existing goals, it will need to apply all of this experience and build on this example, find additional efficiencies, and develop greater staff capacity to be able to review the increased number of applications it should expect to receive. Particular attention should be paid toward efficiencies for repeat…
It is now incumbent on the U.S. nuclear industry to successfully build new nuclear plants and rapidly move down the cost curve
Added nuclear capacity scenario graph. Data from https://thebreakthrough.org/articles/advancing-nuclear-energy-report