Allison M. Macfarlane, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is leaving at the end of the year to become director of the Center for International Science and Technology Policy at George Washington University.

Observers credit Macfarlane with bringing peace to the five-member commission, which was embroiled in controversy under the previous chairman, Gregory B. Jaczko. Macfarlane helped push for safety improvements at U.S. nuclear plants following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. But she lost a battle to expedite transfer of used fuel rods from on-site cooling ponds to dry cask storage.

“I came to the commission with the mission of righting the ship after a tumultuous period and ensuring that the agency implemented lessons learned from the tragic accident at Fukushima Daiichi, so that the American people can be confident that such an accident will never take place here.”

Before becoming NRC chair in 2012, Macfarlane was a professor at George Mason University. “I accomplished what I wanted to do at the NRC and I really miss academia,” she said. There is no word on her replacement yet.

More: The Washington Post

DOE Eyeing New Conservation Standards for Water Heaters, Lamps

The Department of Energy said it is developing updated energy-efficiency standards for water heaters and fluorescent lamps.

The department is examining the standards for fluorescent ballasts, as well as new energy conservation standards for solar-thermal water heating systems, commercial water heaters, hot water supply boilers and hot water storage tanks.

More: The Hill

MOX Recycling Plant Asks NRC for 10-Year Extension

The contractor working on a project to recycle Russian nuclear warheads into reactor fuel at the federal Savannah River site has asked for another 10 years to get up and running, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services said the South Carolina facility is about 60% complete, but the company said it still needs to construct several buildings and safety systems. The plant was started in 2007, part of a plan to repurpose weapons grade plutonium into nuclear reactor fuel in a process called mixed-oxide fuel, or MOX.

The facility was supposed to have been completed by 2015. The company blamed budgetary constraints, vendor shortages and difficulty finding qualified construction workers for the delays. Cost overruns are already into the billions of dollars. President Obama placed the project in “cold standby” earlier this year, but it was rescued by Senate and House committees that found millions of dollars to keep it going.

More: Greenville Online

Limerick Security Problem Results in Closer NRC Oversight

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it will perform an inspection of Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station to “ensure Exelon fully understands the root causes … and has implemented long-term corrective actions” following an unspecified security issue.

The security issue occurred between June 16 and June 20, but no details were given. The NRC doesn’t provide specifics of security problems at plants, a change that occurred after the 9/11 attacks. Plant spokeswoman Dana Melia said the problem has been corrected.

“Due to security precautions, we are unable to provide additional details, but Limerick stakeholders should know that at no time was the security of the facility, our workers or local residents compromised,” she wrote. “Our comprehensive corrective action program ensures that we identify and correct issues, including those of low safety significance.”

The announcement came just three days after the commission granted the two Limerick units 20-year license extensions, allowing operations until June 2049.

More: The Mercury News

DOE Says URS, Bechtel Refuse to Turn Over Hanford Documents

Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory Friedman says two contractors at the center of a whistleblower dispute concerning the Hanford site cleanup are refusing to turn over more than 4,500 documents that investigators requested.

Friedman said in a memo to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz that Bechtel National and URS Energy Construction have withheld documents that his office sought to determine whether URS employee Donna Busche was terminated in retaliation for disclosing problems with a plan to treat radioactive waste at the Washington state site.

“[W]e did not have access to the full inventory of documents, which we felt were necessary to conduct our review,” Friedman wrote. “Thus, we were unable to complete our inquiry and accordingly disclaim any opinion regarding the circumstances of Ms. Busche’s termination.”

Bechtel said that it had gone “above and beyond in cooperating with the … investigation” and blamed its subcontractor, URS, for the firing decision. URS said the employee’s claim of wrongful termination is “without merit.”

More: The Washington Post

Moniz Announces $53 Million in Solar Research Funding

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced more than $53 million in grants for research aimed at driving down the cost of solar energy.

Moniz, speaking at the Solar Power International 2014 conference in Las Vegas, said the projects are investigating next generation photovoltaic cells, new manufacturing processes and the “soft” costs of solar installation.

“The projects announced today will help the U.S. solar energy industry continue to grow, ensuring America can capitalize on its vast renewable energy sources, cut carbon pollution and continue to lead the world in clean energy innovation,” Moniz said.

More: Renewable Energy Focus

NY Pipeline Gets Final FERC Environmental OK

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published its final environmental review of the Constitution Pipeline, a 124-mile line connecting the Marcellus Shale natural gas region in northeastern Pennsylvania to New York. The action is a key step toward the commission’s decision on the project, which is expected as early as November.

“FERC’s Final Environmental Impact Statement confirms that the Constitution Pipeline can be constructed in a manner that minimizes environmental impacts, while adding a key piece of natural gas infrastructure to the U.S. Northeast,” the project sponsors, Constitution Pipeline and Leatherstocking Gas, said in a joint statement. The pipeline will allow interconnection with two other major gas pipelines, the Iroquois and Tennessee pipelines.

The pipeline’s builders say it could deliver natural gas to New York and New England for the winter 2015-2016 season.

More: MarketWatch