Justices could move to reduce power of U.S. agencies such as EPA and SEC to interpret rules under unclear federal laws based on 40-year-old high court precedent, but they opt not to intervene in the latest climate-change damage litigation against energy companies.
Even as small nuclear reactor designs gain traction, with Westinghouse announcing in early May a new 300-MW version of its larger AP1000 model now in use in Georgia and elsewher, construction hurdles need attention to speed deployment of advanced technology, says a new National Academies analysis.
Senate Democrats call Republican-backed House bill passed on April 26 as "dead on arrival," but measures in it to speed permitting could gain bipartisan support.