Nuclear License Renewal Case Hinges on Scope of Future Risk

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Thursday struggled to identify the climate and safety factors that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission had to consider when looking at nuclear reactor license renewals.

“I don’t think there’s any dispute that you have to consider all relevant information,” said Judge Patricia A. Millett. But “how can an accident risk assessment be reasonable if it’s not looking at the risk to come rather than the risk that was in the past?”

Beyond Nuclear Inc. and the Sierra Club challenged last year’s NRC rule outlining environmental review standards for nuclear ...