Author: Fission Today

Raul Claros, a candidate for Los Angeles City Council, is the founder of several local organizations that collectively have received more than $150,000 in contributions and sponsorships from Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) over the past decade. Claros, a longtime nonprofit executive and former Executive Director at the Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross, is running to unseat incumbent Eunisses Hernandez in the Los Angeles City Council District 1 race. SoCalGas, a gas utility company based in Los Angeles and a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, provides methane (or natural) gas distribution to Central and Southern California, including the City…

In the coming days, the Finnish parliament will vote on the government’s proposal to repeal the law that bans nuclear weapons from the country. The law currently prohibits the importation of nuclear warheads, as well as their transport, delivery or possession on the country’s territory. The law dates back to 1987 when Finland was neutral and managing a wary relationship with its neighbour the Soviet Union with which it had fought during the Second World War. Finland had been part of the Russian empire until 1918 when the country gained its independence following the empire’s collapse and the Bolshevik revolution.…

An Open Letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz – for peace in Ukraine – Jeffrey Sachs. Economist and diplomat Jeffrey Sachs is calling on German Chancellor Merz to begin immediate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about peace in Europe. Jeffrey D. Sachs   |   May 27, 2026   |   Berliner Zeitung When I wrote an open letter to you a half year ago, I urged Germany to pursue diplomacy with Russia rather than the normalization of war. Six months later, the situation in Europe is dramatically worse. Europe and Russia are slipping into open war. And in that drift, Chancellor, your responsibility is…

CenterPoint’s two political action committees (PACs) contributed $2 million to Texas PACs and politicians between 2021 and 2026, with Republican candidates and PACs associated with Republican priorities receiving the lion’s share of funds, according to a review of political contribution filings by the Energy and Policy Institute. The bulk of the political donations, totaling $1.35 million, went to three Republican PACs: Associated Republicans of Texas, #PROJECTREDTX and the Judicial Fairness PAC.  Two of the PACs focus on judicial political campaigns and support Republican candidates in the traditionally blue-leaning local elections of Texas communities near the Mexican border, which is outside…

Sweden’s nuclear reversal marked three major developments this past week, as advanced modular reactor developer Blykalla and long-established nuclear services firm Studsvik filed separate applications for up to 1.7 GW of new reactors at two sites, while the government formalized an unprecedented financial commitment to another flagship project. The filings, among the first in Sweden’s new government-led siting process, underscore the accelerating pace of a nuclear buildout that is now drawing both private developers and direct state capital. Blykalla and Studsvik’s separate filings arrive as the Swedish government on May 28 made public a proposal to acquire a 60% ownership stake…

Constellation Seeks Early Site Permit at Oswego, NY Nebraska in Pursuit of Four Sites for Advanced Reactors Antares Signs Long-Term HALEU Supply Agreement with Urenco X-Energy Plan for HTGRs at DOW Texas Plant Clears NRC Enviromental Review NRC Accepts NANO KRONOS MMR Construction Permit Application for Review NRC Speeds Up Review of Orano Enrichment Plant in Tennessee TerraPower Inks Two Key Agreements with S. Korea’s Hyundai Blykalla Submits Application To Build 330-MW SMR in Sweden EDF Joins Alliance To Support AI Gigafactory Bid Constellation Seeks Early Site Permit at Oswego, NY Oswego is about as far north of New York…

Across the Southeast, primary elections held last week showed a trend of incumbent utility regulators losing seats or being forced into runoffs to opponents vowing to hold utilities accountable for rising rates and increasing costs. In Alabama, two Public Service Commission (PSC) incumbent candidates were ousted or forced into runoffs in the Republican primary held on May 19. Republican Commissioner Jeremy Oden, who served on the Commission since 2012, lost his bid for re-election to challenger Cullman County Sheriff Mike Gentry, who ran on a platform of utility accountability and said that he would hold a public rate hearing to…

The 11th Review Conference of the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) concluded without adopting a final document. Efforts to advance nuclear disarmament under the treaty were met with fierce resistance by the nuclear armed states and those who support the use of nuclear weapons in their security strategies. The vast majority of states, however, engaged vigorously throughout the month, calling for urgent action to reduce nuclear risks. The negotiations that have taken place in New York demonstrate that the global majority of countries reject nuclear weapons and want to see urgent action towards their elimination. Despite efforts to engage with…

Survey begins to determine remote island’s suitability for nuclear disposal site But while the local leaders of the municipalities in Hokkaido and Genkai approved the literature reviews, the Hokkaido and Saga governors, whose permission NUMO will seek to go on to the next stage — a preliminary on-site survey — are opposed By Eric Johnston, STAFF WRITER, May 21, 2026, A survey to determine the suitability of a remote island in the Ogasawara Islands chain as a final disposal site for radioactive nuclear waste began Wednesday. The National Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO) will carry out a review of the scientific literature on…

Gas and electric utilities and their trade associations have contributed tens of millions of dollars over the past decade to a small set of political organizations known as “527s,” which are groups that can raise and spend unlimited funds to influence elections. These organizations, including governors’ associations, attorneys general groups, and legislative campaign committees, play a major role in state-level politics by funding advertising campaigns and providing access to key policymakers on certain issues. Major 527 groups that utilities contribute to include the Republican Governors Association (RGA), Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), Democratic Governors Association…