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Full-Text Articles in Law
The New Nuclear? Small Modular Reactors And The Future Of Nuclear Power, Bruce Huber
The New Nuclear? Small Modular Reactors And The Future Of Nuclear Power, Bruce Huber
Journal Articles
Nuclear power has struggled against severe economic headwinds, but some believe that small modular reactors (SMRs) may save the industry from its current woes. This article begins by explaining the regulatory and economic structure of the electricity sector in the United States. It then describes the current plight of the nuclear power industry before examining SMRs in particular—how they differ from conventional nuclear reactors, what regulatory issues they will confront, and what factors will most directly shape their long-term potential.
Checks, Balances, And Nuclear Waste, Bruce R. Huber
Checks, Balances, And Nuclear Waste, Bruce R. Huber
Journal Articles
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 established a process for siting and constructing repositories for nuclear waste. When Nevada’s Yucca Mountain emerged as a likely repository site, that state’s officials and allies exercised the numerous political and legal checks afforded by the Act and appear, at least for the time being, to have defeated the selection. But Nevada’s victory may well be the nation’s loss. In the absence of a national waste repository, nuclear power plant operators have no choice but to store spent nuclear fuel on site, where it presents a number of risks not contemplated by the …
Demand Response And Market Power, Bruce R. Huber
Demand Response And Market Power, Bruce R. Huber
Journal Articles
In her article, Bypassing Federalism and the Administrative Law of Negawatts, Sharon Jacobs educates her readers about the concept of demand response, and then describes its propagation in recent years while making the broader argument that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) — the federal government’s principal energy regulator — has engaged in a strategy of “bypassing federalism” that may entail more costs than benefits. Professor Jacobs is right to call attention to demand response and to FERC’s approach to matters of jurisdictional doubt. While I share many of her concerns about boundary lines in a federal system, I argue …