A sampling of what's available...
Special Topics
Special Topics - Nuclear Energy
After the nuclear renaissance: The age of discovery
Before this month's tragedy in Japan, many were confident that reactor design and safety had matured and catastrophic accidents were simply not going to happen. Fukushima has proven these assumptions wrong -- and it will have a number of implications for the energy debate.
An explosive mix: Uncertain geologic knowledge and hazardous technologies
With science unable to accurately determine major geologic events, a reassessment needs to be made of how much nuclear site planning relies on such predictions.
What government transparency could mean for Japan's nuclear disaster
Releasing information about the status of the nuclear plants, the extent of the damage, and the risks of further radioactive emissions can serve to dampen negative commentary and worst-case speculation.
From the Bulletin Archives: Containment of a reactor meltdown
The authors outline reasons that it is possible that it will take an accident more serious than Three Mile Island to overcome the inertia that is holding back further development of containment improvements.
Earthquake 9.0: What this magnitude might mean for Japan's future
No prediction can be made today for Japan, but it is safe to project a sharply increased probability for a major earthquake on the broad, simple subduction-zone segments both north and south of the Tohoku rupture zone.
The need for a resilient energy policy in Japan
A combination of safer nuclear plants and much greater use of renewable energy could position Japan as a global leader in shifting toward a sustainable pathway with renewable sources.
Fukushima and the Seoul 2012 Nuclear Security Summit
In the wake of Fukushima, it may be time to broaden the scope of the Seoul 2012 Nuclear Security Summit to include safety issues as well as security.
The Six-Party Talks: Meeting North Korea's energy needs
The first step in disarming North Korea--energy aid. Here's how the United States, South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia hope to provide it.
The Future of Nuclear Energy: Policy recommendations
Scientists and policy makers recommend 9 ways to encourage the safe and responsible development of new nuclear reactors in the United States and around the world.
A new energy future means a new Energy Department
Campaign promises and hopes for a green energy future depend on fundamental reform at the Energy Department, long one of the government's most dysfunctional offices.
The future of GNEP
The Bush administration intended for GNEP to jump-start a global nuclear power revival without proliferation risks. But as the administration ends, the partnership has heightened proliferation concerns, leaving its future murky.
Making nuclear energy work
How shifting research goals and improving collaboration with industry will help U.S. national labs spur new nuclear energy development.
Five lessons learned
Humbled by the accident at Three Mile Island, the nuclear industry has changed for the better in the years since.
Five continuing vulnerabilities
While industry has improved nuclear power plant safety and security since TMI, it needs to do more to prevent future reactor accidents.
Behind the scenes of Three Mile Island
In the midst of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, former NRC Commissioner Victor Gilinsky writes that it was not all deadly serious--at some points it was just absurd.
Documenting Three Mile Island
The NRC's chief historian recounts how popular accounts of the accident skewed essential facts and suggests that the industry still be on guard for complacency.
The impact of Three Mile Island
The accident at Three Mile Island presented the U.S. nuclear power industry with serious problems but, writes NRC Commissioner Victor Gilinsky, the industry was already in serious trouble.
Three Mile Island: The Kemeny Commission report
The final report on Three Mile Island offers within its voluminous pages almost any message an attentive reader wants to find. Nuclear advocates see it as a license to proceed cautiously, anti-nuclear groups as a blistering critique.