Federal Regulators say they’ll temporarily stop issuing certain licenses for nuclear reactors until they’ve sorted out how to deal with nuclear waste.
That decision could affect the three reactors currently under construction at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Barr and Bellefonte power plants.
A court ruling earlier this summer struck down the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules for handling spent nuclear fuel. An array of environmental groups then filed petitions with the NRC, asking the agency not to grant any licenses related to those guidelines until new standards are in place.
The NRC agreed to that request-to an extent. While the licenses themselves won’t be granted, all of the procedures and inspections that happen prior to licensing will continue as usual.
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