A new nuclear test reactor is needed as part of an effort to revamp the nation’s fading nuclear power industry by developing safer fuel and power plants, the U.S. Department of Energy said this week.
The federal agency said it will prepare an environmental impact statement as part of the process to build the test reactor in Idaho or Tennessee by the end of 2025. Public comments on the environmental review are being taken through Sept. 4.
The Versatile Test Reactor would be the first new test reactor built in the U.S. in decades and give the nation a dedicated “fast-neutron spectrum” testing capability. Such reactors are called fast reactors.
“This testing capability is essential for the United States to modernize its nuclear energy infrastructure and for developing transformational nuclear energy technologies that reduce waste generation and enhance nuclear security,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry in a statement.
U.S. residents have been wary of nuclear power since the core from Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island underwent a partial meltdown in 1979 in one of the nation’s worst nuclear mishaps. That was followed by a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploding and burning in 1986. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan where the cores of three reactors suffered meltdowns after cooling systems failed.
This story is from the August 10, 2019 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 10, 2019 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Warren Buffett Has Left the Table. Homeless Charity Asks Investors to Bid on Meal With Software CEO
The California homeless charity that received $53 million over the years from investors who wanted a private lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett has found a new business executive to auction off a meal with.
A Congressman Wanted to Understand AI. So He Went Back to a College Classroom to Learn
Don Beyer's car dealerships were among the first in the U.S. to set up a website. As a representative, the Virginia Democrat leads a bipartisan group focused on promoting fusion energy. He reads books about geometry for fun.
INTERNET PROVIDERS MUST NOW BE MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT FEES PRICING, FCC SAYS
Much like nutritional labels on food products, “broadband labels” for internet packages will soon tell you just what is going into the pricing of your service, thanks to new rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission this week.
CONTENT CREATION HOLDS APPEAL FOR LAID-OFF WORKERS SEEKING FLEXIBILITY
With a compact mirror in one hand and an eyelash curler in the other, Grace Xu told her roughly 300,000 TikTok followers she was likely about to be laid off.
IN ALEX GARLAND'S POTENT 'CIVIL WAR,' JOURNALISTS ARE AMERICA'S LAST HOPE
The United States is crumbling in Alex Garland’s sharp new film “ Civil War, “ a bellowing and haunting big screen experience.
MARGOT ROBBIE MAKING 'MONOPOLY' MOVIE AND BLUMHOUSE REVIVING 'BLAIR WITCH'
Margot Robbie has her sights on another toy. The “ Barbie “ producer and star is making a Monopoly movie, with Hasbro and Lionsgate behind it, the companies announced Wednesday at the CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas.
SOME STATES ARE SEEKING TO RESTRICT TIKTOK. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEIR GOVERNORS AREN'T USING IT
POV: You’re on TikTok, and so is your governor — even as your Legislature considers banning the app from state-owned devices and networks.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT UBER AND LYFT'S PLANNED EXIT FROM MINNEAPOLIS IN MAY
The future of Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis has garnered concern and debate in recent weeks after the City Council voted last month to require that ride-hailing companies pay drivers a higher rate while they are within city limits.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SETS FIRST-EVER LIMITS ON SO-CALLED 'FOREVER CHEMICALS' IN DRINKING WATER
The Biden administration finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured.
COURT UPHOLDS CALIFORNIA'S AUTHORITY TO SET NATION-LEADING VEHICLE EMISSION RULES
California can continue to set its own nationleading vehicle emissions standards, a federal court ruled this week — two years after the Biden administration restored the state’s authority to do so as part of its efforts to reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks.