Podcasts about Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 10:32

President Donald Trump's unprecedented push to take control of independent agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission could send a shock wave through the energy industry. POLITICO's Cat Morehouse breaks down the legal viability of Trump's push, how it could affect the agencies in the short-term and long-term, and the reaction from energy industries and regulators. Plus, the Center for Biological Diversity said it plans to sue the Trump administration over its move to fast-track permits for hundreds of oil and gas, transmission and pipeline projects across the country. Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer. Annie Rees is the managing producer for audio at POLITICO. Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Seat at the Sitting - February 2025

Teleforum

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 78:31

Each month, a panel of constitutional experts convenes to discuss the Court’s upcoming docket sitting by sitting. The cases covered in this preview are listed below.Gutierrez v. Saenz (Feburary 24) - Federalism & Separation of Powers, Courts; Issue(s): Whether Article III standing requires a particularized determination of whether a specific state official will redress the plaintiff’s injury by following a favorable declaratory judgment.Esteras v. U.S. (February 25) - Criminal Law & Procedure; Issue(s): Whether, even though Congress excluded 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(A) from 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e)’s list of factors to consider when revoking supervised release, a district court may rely on the Section 3553(a)(2)(A) factors when revoking supervised release.Perttu v. Richards (February 25) - Criminal Law & Procedure; Issue(s): Whether, in cases subject to the Prison Litigation Reform Act, prisoners have a right to a jury trial concerning their exhaustion of administrative remedies where disputed facts regarding exhaustion are intertwined with the underlying merits of their claim.Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services (February 26) - Labor & Employment Law, Civil Rights; Issue(s): Whether, in addition to pleading the other elements of an employment discrimination claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a majority-group plaintiff must show “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”CC/Devas (Mauritius) Limited v. Antrix Corp. Ltd. (March 3) - Federalism & Separation of Powers, International Law; Issue(s): Whether plaintiffs must prove minimum contacts before federal courts may assert personal jurisdiction over foreign states sued under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.BLOM Bank SAL v. Honickman, (March 3) - Civil Procedure; Issue(s): Whether Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(6)’s stringent standard applies to a post-judgment request to vacate for the purpose of filing an amended complaint.Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos (March 4) - International Law, Gun Crime; Issue(s): (1) Whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States is the proximate cause of alleged injuries to the Mexican government stemming from violence committed by drug cartels in Mexico; and (2) whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States amounts to “aiding and abetting” illegal firearms trafficking because firearms companies allegedly know that some of their products are unlawfully trafficked.Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas (March 4) - Administrative Law & Regulation; Issue(s): (1) Whether the Hobbs Act, which authorizes a “party aggrieved” by an agency’s “final order” to petition for review in a court of appeals, allows nonparties to obtain review of claims asserting that an agency order exceeds the agency’s statutory authority; and (2) whether the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 permit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license private entities to temporarily store spent nuclear fuel away from the nuclear-reactor sites where the spent fuel was generated.Featuring:Joel S. Nolette, Associate, Wiley Rein LLPJonathan A. Segal, Partner and Managing Principal, Duane Morris InstituteRichard A. Simpson, Partner & Deputy General Counsel, Wiley Rein LLPWill Yeatman, Senior Legal Fellow, Pacific Legal Foundation(Moderator) Austin Rogers, Chief Counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee

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Laramide Resources (TSX:LAM) - 1M lb/yr New Mexico Uranium Project Awaits Final Permit

CruxCasts

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 52:12

Interview with Marc Henderson, President & CEO of Laramide Resources Ltd.Our Previous Interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/laramide-resources-tsxlam-secures-prime-uranium-exploration-rights-in-kazakhstan-5895Recording date: 14th February 2025Laramide Resources (TSX:LAM) is strategically positioning itself in the uranium sector with three key assets across the United States, Australia, and Kazakhstan. The company's portfolio comes at a crucial time as nuclear power gains prominence in the global push for clean energy.The company's flagship Church Rock ISR project in New Mexico holds 50 million pounds of uranium resources and is approaching the final stages of development. With most permits secured, including a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, the project awaits one remaining state permit related to groundwater restoration. Church Rock is projected to be shovel-ready by 2026-2027, with initial production capacity of 1 million pounds annually, scalable to 3 million pounds. The ISR mining method offers advantages of lower capital costs and faster path to production.In Australia, Laramide's Westmoreland project in Queensland represents another significant opportunity with over 50 million pounds of uranium resources. The conventional mining project targets production of 5 million pounds annually and could be operational by 2028-2029, pending the state's approval of uranium mining.The company recently expanded its portfolio with a greenfield exploration project in Kazakhstan, the world's leading uranium producer. This venture, viewed as an "asymmetric upside opportunity," provides Laramide with exploration potential in a highly prospective region.CEO Marc Henderson sees strong fundamentals in the uranium market, noting that utilities are comfortable with $80/lb uranium prices, with potential to reach $100/lb. He emphasizes that success in the current market requires projects that are viable at these price levels.The company's development strategy aligns with growing uranium demand driven by nuclear power's role in clean energy transitions. Years of underinvestment in new supply, combined with existing mine depletion, has created a structural deficit in the uranium market. Henderson notes, "We need a lot more uranium, but we don't need it all to start in 2030," highlighting the strategic timing of Laramide's project pipeline.The investment thesis centers on Laramide's exposure to rising uranium prices through low-cost, late-stage development assets. Near-term catalysts include the final permit for Church Rock and Queensland's potential approval of uranium mining for Westmoreland. This positions the company to potentially become a significant supplier to Western utilities as the market faces growing supply deficits.Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/laramide-resourcesSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

How Nuclear Energy Could Triple Capacity by 2050

All Day Digital

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025 22:49

The data center industry is pouring billions of dollars to restart old nuclear facilities and develop new technologies as it searches for more energy sources. In this episode of All Day Digital, Mike King of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shares what the future of nuclear energy in the U.S. might look like.

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PN Deep Dive: Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Tim Cook, Huberman on Pain and Parenting, Hetty Green and Mark Zuckerberg

Podcast Notes Playlist: Latest Episodes

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2025 20:09

Get more notes at https://podcastnotes.org Time Saved This Week: 13 Hours, 45 MinutesNEW Premium NotesPeter Thiel | Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin Peter Thiel (@peterthiel) is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who has appeared in many Podcast Notes over the years. However, legendary producer Rick Rubin still somehow managed to peel back new layers of Peter's life, revealing how he flipped the script from ordinary Stanford law school graduate to one of the most prominent entrepreneurs of his generation. These two titans of industry also discuss the student debt crisis, the progression of AI relative to the dot-com bubble, the current state of Silicon Valley, and much more!Marc Andreessen: It's Morning Again In America | Uncommon Knowledge with Peter RobinsonIt's time for another podcast episode with the chief ideologist of the Silicon Valley elite, Marc Andreessen (@pmarca)! In this episode, Marc talks about how technology and politics have changed in Silicon Valley, his shift from left to right, and how he believes innovation can solve big issues like energy, border security, and defenseTim Cook: What It Takes to Run Apple, the World's Largest Company | Dua Lipa: At Your ServiceA wild Tim Cook appeared! The Apple CEO sat down with Dua Lipa for a rare podcast interview to answer about his daily routine, favorite national parks, and books, Apple's climate goals, leadership philosophy, and even tackling the big question: does Apple use child labor for cobalt?Upgrade to Premium to Get 3 Premium Notes Every Week, the Full Newsletter, Playable Timestamps, AI Powered Answers, Unlock 500+ Premium Posts, No Ads and MOREGo PREMIUMTop Premium Takeaways Of The WeekPeter Thiel | Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin Peter's Quarter Life Crisis: “I ended up at a top New York law firm. It was one of these very strange places where from the outside ....” – Peter ThielStudent Loan Nightmare: Of 1997 graduates, almost all of them paid off their debt within XX years. Of 2009 graduates, the median student after 12 years has ,,,* “If you make the colleges even partially responsible, ...” – Peter ThielYou Can Just Buy Users Instead of Ads: Paypal gave $10 to create an account, another $10 ...Competition is for Losers: Capitalism and competition are opposites...IPO's Are Awful: Taking a company public is in part a government takeover* The accountants and lawyers get...Peak Insanity to Peak Clarity: “Maybe AI is like the internet in 1999, where ...The Origin of the Name Palantir and Its Goal: Palantíri in Lord of the Rings were ...* Palantir = more security without...Contrarian: A controversial idea isn't automatically correct, but ...Marc Andreessen: It's Morning Again In America | Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson3 Targets of DOGE:* Headcount (like, how many people work in the government)* ....* ...Afuera: Did you know? There are XXX federal agencies* “There's a rumor going around that nobody actually knows the number of federal agencies.” – MarcAbandoned Offices: A lot of these federal buildings in D.C. are empty* Occupancy is around...* Some only work ...Techno Optimism: “We are told that technology takes our jobs, reduces our wages, increases inequality, and is ever on the verge of ruining everything. But our ...” – MarcTrump and Systems Thinking: And when you're good at real estate, you learn what's called ...Project Independence: The idea? Build ...* But then, Nixon created the EPA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and they ...* Marc's devious plan: Bring back Project Independence and have someone like ...Small Nuclear is a Solved Problem: The U.S. has been building small nuclear reactors for ...Wide Open Border: Out of those, 2.5 million people were released into the U.S. while waiting for their cases* Another 2 million crossed without being caught* Total? At least 4.5 million illegal entries during Biden's termIs Technology Bad for Jobs? Lower costs give consumers and businesses more spending power to ...* The enemy isn't technology-driven unemployment; it's ...No Growth Stagnation: UK, Germany, and Canada have fallen into a “no growth” trap, resulting in ...Tim Cook: What It Takes to Run Apple, the World's Largest Company | Dua Lipa: At Your Service3 qualities Apple looks for in employees: * Collaboration: The ability to...* Curiosity: A passion for ....* ....Tim shares 5 books that have shaped him:* To Kill a Mockingbird – A formative read for young students and everyone* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – A book on business and life* ...1+1=3? Your idea + my idea is ...Tim Cook on leadership: “I try to be a leader that deeply believes in collaboration because ...”About that Cobalt: Tim Cook 100% guarantees that the cobalt ...Tim's Daily Routine:* He wakes up very early, typically around 4 to 5 a.m.* He spends the first hour of the day ...* After emails, he spends an hour ...* After that, he goes to ....Top 5 National Parks:* Yosemite (his local park)* Grand Canyon* ....Upgrade to Premium to Read the Full Newsletter, Playable Timestamps, AI Powered Answers, Unlock 300+ Premium Posts, No Ads and MOREGo PREMIUMControl Pain & Heal Faster With Your Brain | Huberman Lab EssentialsTools to improve the function of the glymphatic system:* Sleeping on one side increases glymphatic washout and clearance efficiency* Zone 2 cardio (only if it doesn't exacerbate the injury!): Fast walking, jogging, or cycling for 30–45 minutes, 3 times a weekPlacebo effects are very real: People anticipating morphine report reduced pain even before receiving itFoundational principles for injury recovery (in consultation with Kelly Starrett):* Sleep is essential: 8 hours ideal or 8 hours immobile to support glymphatic clearance, tissue clearance, etc.* Movement: A 10-minute walk daily if possible* Ice is more of a placebo: Reduces pain for a short while but can impede healing by causing fluid sludging* Heat is quite beneficial: Improves tissue viscosity, fluid clearance, and perfusion* Anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs like ibuprofen) block inflammation but may interfere with early recovery stagesBreathing vs. Infection: “Things like Wim Hof breathing, ice baths, anything that releases adrenaline will counter the infection but you want to regulate the duration of that adrenaline response.” – HubermanDr. Becky Kennedy: Overcoming Guilt & Building Tenacity in Kids & Adults | Huberman Lab Question for parents: “Who do I need in my life when things go poorly so I don't lean on my young children and give them a responsibility that's not theirs?”Don't Keep Kids in the Dark: It's not emotions that dysregulate a kid, it's the lack of a story to explain it. Kids can handle the truth when it's told to them by a loving, trusted adultHappiness is the NOT the Goal: Your job is not to make your kid happy. Your job is to help create the conditions for your kid to be a real functioning, confident adult. It's just different rolesThe concept of “not guilt”: “What I think is happening is a lot of us, especially women, when we were growing up, we learned to notice everyone's feelings around us. And we learned that our value, really, and our worth, really, and we were kind of best and good girls when we took care of everyone else's feelings except for our own.” – BeckyThe most important skill for kids to learn is to tolerate frustration: “The things that are good for humans long-term are things that involve humans to tolerate frustration.”– BeckyGet Off Your Phone: “We have so much less tolerance for our kids' tantrums because we're on our phones wanting our life to be easier.” – BeckyConfidence: “Confidence is not feeling like you're the best at something, it's feeling like it's okay to be you when you're not the best at something.” – BeckyHetty Green – The Single Biggest Individual Financier In The World & The Richest Woman In America | Founders Podcast with David Senra #375Hetty Green's business maxims:* 1. Seek out every piece of information on an investment before deciding on it* 2. Watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves* 3. Generally, in business, do not close a bargain until you have reflected on it overnight* 4. Before making a deal, if anyone is foolish enough to offer you the full amount, take it!* 5. Buy when everyone wants to sell and sell when everyone wants to buySome things on Hetty Green's list of things to NOT do in business:* 1. Do not cheat in business or you will find yourself in an early grave* 2. Do not fail to be fair in all things and do not kick a man when he is down* 3. Do not envy your neighbors* 4. Do not forget to be charitable and never falsifyA defining character trait of Hetty: She lived by her own rules and did not care what other people thought; by casting off the societal norms of her time, she freed herself to do as she pleased and to live a life on her termsHetty was self-sovereign, very frugal, and very paranoid: She did not tell other people what she owned or how much she was making, and commonly bought property and stocks under fictitious namesGreed and Envy: Greed does not drive the world, envy does; cure yourself of envy because envy is a weaknessHetty Green's wealth management principles:* 1. No debt* 2. No buying on margin* 3. Watch every penny* 4. Stack your cashChaos is a Ladder: Most humans will panic during times of economic crisis, but those who do not panic will get rich* Shrewd investors can buy assets at low prices from speculators who use margin* There are good bargains in the aftermath of the crisisFun fact: The creation of railroads led to the creation of standardized time because it required coordination between two towns, located several hundred miles away from each otherMark Zuckerberg: The Dark Side of Social Media, Censorship, and AI in 2025 | Joe Rogan Experience (#2255) The Decade of Censorship: “It was really in the last 10 years that people started pushing for ideological-based censorship.” – Mark Zuckerberg. The 2 key triggers:* The 2016 election of Donald Trump* The 2020 COVID-19 pandemicSuppressing legitimate information about metabolic health: “High doses of Vitamin C, D3 with K2, and magnesium—they were suppressing this stuff because they didn't want people to think that you could get away with not taking a vaccine.”– JoeThe US Is Hurting it's Tech Leaders: When the U.S. government goes after its tech industry, it opens the door for other nations to do the same. The EU has fined U.S. tech companies more than $30 billion over 10–20 years* The U.S. government has the power to pressure other countries to protect American industries but has done the opposite for techThe dilemma of setting classifier thresholds:* If a classifier is set to 99% confidence, it might miss 80% of harmful content, whereas setting it to 90% confidence might catch more, but still mistakenly flag 10% of innocent content* When dealing with billions of posts from billions of users, setting classifiers with too low precision leads to millions of innocent posts being wrongly taken downThe tension between allowing anonymous accounts and the potential for abuse: “I think there's nothing wrong with that… you should be able to be anonymous… but if you're going to allow anonymous accounts, you're going to open up the door to bad actors having enormous blocks of accounts where they can use either AI or just programs.” – JoePREMIUM:* Peter Thiel | Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin* Marc Andreessen: It's Morning Again In America | Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson* Tim Cook: What It Takes to Run Apple, the World's Largest Company | Dua Lipa: At Your ServiceFREE:* Control Pain & Heal Faster With Your Brain | Huberman Lab Essentials* Dr. Becky Kennedy: Overcoming Guilt & Building Tenacity in Kids & Adults | Huberman Lab* Hetty Green – The Single Biggest Individual Financier In The World & The Richest Woman In America | Founders Podcast with David Senra #375* Mark Zuckerberg: The Dark Side of Social Media, Censorship, and AI in 2025 | Joe Rogan Experience (#2255) Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.

Southwest Michigan's Morning News for Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024

suspect palisades morning news southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 11:55

In today's news: Suspect arrested in Niles Speedway shooting Monday Upton Drive in St. Joseph finally complete Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets public hearing for Palisades emergency plan and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's news: We're expected to see some pretty big waves on Lake Michigan this week. The ribbon has been cut on the Upton Drive reconstruction project in St. Joseph. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a meeting on the reopening of the Palisades plant this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 11-18-24

afternoons lake michigan palisades southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 12:55

Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 11-18-24

98.3 The Coast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 12:55

afternoons lake michigan palisades southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news

The Honorable Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary '93 - Leading Through Great Power Competition

THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2024 49:17

Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy Installations and Environment, is a leader who has taught his team to, "Eat no for breakfast." He lives by a value he learned from his mother at an early age: "If you do your full duty, the rest will take care of itself." SUMMARY In this edition of Long Blue Leadership, Dr. Chaudhary discusses his role in modernizing and reoptimizing Air Force installations to withstand kinetic, cyber, economic, and extreme weather threats. He emphasizes the importance of ruggedizing installations for the Great Power Competition. Dr. Chaudhary shares his background, including his upbringing in Minneapolis and his parents' immigrant journey, and highlights the values instilled in him. He also discusses his work on the implementation of microgrids and microreactors to enhance energy resilience at critical installations like Eielson Air Force Base. 5 QUOTES "If you do your full duty, the rest will take care of itself." - This quote from Dr. Chaudhary's mother reflects the importance of dedication and doing one's job well. "We eat no for breakfast." - This quote highlights Dr. Chaudhary's team's determination to not accept limitations and push boundaries. "Love what you do. Love our nation." - Dr. Chaudhary emphasizes the importance of passion and patriotism in leadership. "America is not about what goes on entirely in Washington. It's about neighbors. It's about what you do for your neighbors." - This quote reflects Dr. Chaudhary's belief in the power of community and service. "Get out of the way and let them in." - Dr. Chaudhary's advice on enabling the next generation of leaders to excel. SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN | TWITTER | FACEBOOK CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Ravi Chaudhary and His Role 03:07 The Importance of Air Force Installations 06:08 Dr. Chaudhary's Early Life and Family Background 09:03 Lessons from Family: Service and Community 11:52 Reflections on the Air Force Academy Experience 14:54 Leadership Lessons from Cadet Days 18:01 The Role of Innovation in the Air Force 20:48 Strategic Imperatives for Future Operations 23:59 Optimism for the Future of the Air Force Academy 25:07 A Lifelong Dream: Becoming a Pilot 27:31 Launching Innovations: The GPS Program 28:36 Inspiring the Next Generation of Pilots 30:14 Adapting to Modern Challenges in Aviation 32:40 Navigating Change: The Evolution of Standards 34:57 Learning from Failure: A Personal Journey 35:42 The Role of the Assistant Secretary 38:55 Preparing for Great Power Competition 41:09 Innovative Energy Solutions for the Future 44:58 Leadership Lessons and Final Thoughts 5 KEYS TO LEADERSHIP Embrace failures as opportunities for growth. Dr. Chaudhary shared how his failures, like failing a check ride, ultimately helped him grow as a leader. Keep moving forward, even in the face of adversity. Dr. Chaudhary emphasized the importance of keeping your "legs moving" and not giving up when faced with challenges. Leverage the bonds formed with your team. Dr. Chaudhary highlighted how the bonds he formed with his classmates at the Academy carried over into his missions, demonstrating the power of camaraderie. Empower and enable the next generation. Dr. Chaudhary expressed optimism about the capabilities of the current cadets and emphasized the need to get out of their way and let them excel. Maintain a service-oriented, patriotic mindset. Dr. Chaudhary's passion for serving his country and community was evident throughout the interview, underscoring the importance of this mindset in effective leadership. ABOUT DR. CHAUDHARY '93 BIO Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary is the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Chaudhary is responsible for the formulation, review and execution of plans, policies, programs, and budgets to meet Air Force energy, installations, environment, safety, and occupational health objectives. Dr. Chaudhary most recently served as the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy. Prior to this role, he served as the Director of Advanced Programs and Innovation, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, at the Federal Aviation Administration. He provided technical leadership and oversight for the commercial space industry, to include research and development activities to support Department of Transportation and White House National Space Council initiatives. Prior to this role, he served as Executive Director, Regions and Center Operations, at the FAA. In this role, he was responsible for leadership, integration and execution of aviation operations in nine regions nationwide. Dr. Chaudhary served as second in command to the Deputy Assistant Administrator and was responsible for providing Department of Transportation and FAA-wide services in the areas of operations, safety, policy, congressional outreach and emergency readiness for the National Aerospace System. Dr. Chaudhary commissioned in the Air Force in 1993 upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy. He completed 21 years of service in a variety of command, flying, engineering and senior staff assignments in the Air Force. As a C-17 pilot, he conducted global flight operations, including numerous combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as a ground deployment as Director of the Personnel Recovery Center, Multi-National Corps, Iraq. As a flight test engineer, he was responsible for flight certification of military avionics and hardware for Air Force modernization programs supporting flight safety and mishap prevention. Earlier in his career, he supported space launch operations for the Global Positioning System and led third stage and flight safety activities to ensure full-operational capability of the first GPS constellation. As a systems engineer, he supported NASA's International Space Station protection activities to ensure the safety of NASA Astronauts. Dr. Chaudhary is a DoD Level III Acquisition Officer and has published numerous articles in future strategy, aircraft design, business transformation and space operations. - Bio Copy Credit to AF.MIL CONNECT WITH DR. CHAUDHARY LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates! FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS Guest, The Honorable Dr. Ravi I. Chaudhary '93 | Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 Naviere Walkewicz 00:00 My guest today is the assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy installations and environment, the Honorable Dr. Ravi Chaudhary USAFA, Class of '93. Against the backdrop of Great Power Competition, Dr. Chaudhry leads the modernization and reoptimization of the Air Force to ruggedize our installations across the globe against what he describes as kinetic threats, as well as non-kinetic cyber, economic and extreme weather threats. He has served as acting deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy; the director of advanced programs and innovation, Office of Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration; and he has led in the commercial space industry research and development in the support of the Department of Transportation and the White House, National Space Council. We'll talk with Dr. Chaudhry about his life before, during and after the Academy. We'll discuss his role, modernizing and re-optimizing initiatives and strategies for the Air Force. We'll touch on leading through new and changing threats and making decisions with climate in mind, and we'll discuss Dr. Chaudhary's work with the secretary of the Air Force and leadership at the base, command and warfighter levels. Finally, we'll ask Dr. Chaudhary to share advice for developing and advanced leaders. Dr. Chaudhary, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad to have you. Dr. Chaudhary 01:18 Navier, thank you so much. Thank you for that way too kind of an introduction, and I only have one regret. On this weekend, did you have to mention that I was in the Navy for a little while? You just about blew me away. I know you've got some white clear liquid here. I'm just about ready to find out what the clear liquid is. Naviere Walkewicz Cheers. Dr. Chaudhary 01:40 Off we go, and we'll let our audience speculate, and depending on how it goes, we'll critique ourselves. Just an honor to be here, and congrats to you on your career of service in the Air Force. Naviere Walkewicz Thank you so much. This is truly a pleasure. And I think what we love about Long Blue Leadership is it's really about our listeners getting to know you. And we have so many different listeners that are really excited. So let's start with the hat. I've noticed we've got a hat on right here. “Air Force Installations: Best in the World.” Let's talk about it. Dr. Chaudhary Yeah, let's talk about that. Because we do have the best installations in the world. Our installations are power projection platforms. Every Air Force installation has a mission that begins and terminates with it. If you go all the way back in our history, Gen. Hap Arnold had this to say about our installations: “Air bases are the determining factor in air operations.” Think about that. Think about why we need to make sure that our installations are ready to go, and why we invest in them as an Air Force. It's because you can't get the jets out of town unless they have a good runway that works, unless they are hardened and ready to absorb the types of blows that have come to us in the past. And I'm telling you right now that we've got to be ready for this future, in a decade of consequence in Great Power Competition. We've got to focus on ruggedizing and ensuring that our installations are as survivable as they ever have been. Naviere Walkewicz Absolutely. Well, I can say that that is certainly true, having been at bases where we've seen some challenges, it does halt and sometimes stop operations. So yeah, you're right. Yeah. So it's incredible the work you're doing, and we're going to talk about that today. But before we get there, can we rewind the clock a little bit? Dr. Chaudhary Please don't rewind it too far, but I have a feeling you will. Naviere Walkewicz Just a little bit. Just enough to kind of get to know who Ravi was as a young boy. What were you like growing up? Tell us about your family and where you grew up. Dr. Chaudhary That's cool. So, I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I grew up there all my life. My parents came from India in 1960s and they always dreamed to do the unusual, it was the American Dream that brought them to this country. And they had kids, you know, and growing up as a South Asian American, you know, people in community would be like, “Hey, you know, why are you going to join the military? Why are you going to, you know, once you just be a doctor or engineer or lawyer or something like that?” Kind of fit the stereotype. But I always thought about it this way: If my parents would give up everything they wanted in their life, their language, their culture, everything to pursue their dreams, wouldn't they want that for their children as well? And so off I went to the Air Force Academy, and the values that my parents instilled in me rang true just about every single day. In fact, when I grow up, my mom would always tell me this. She'd say, “You know, if you do your full duty, the rest will take care of itself.” Naviere Walkewicz That sounds very familiar to me. Dr. Chaudhary And she would say, in the Sanskrit word for that — and my faith tradition is Hinduism — the Sanskrit word for that is “dharm.” If you follow your dharm, everything will take care of itself. And lo and behold, I'm getting choked up a little bit, because when I showed up and opened that Contrails and saw that quote, I knew that Mom and Dad had prepared me, had prepared me for the challenges that would come, not just the Academy, but everything from 9/11 to deploying to Iraq to raising a family and making sure they have everything they need to prosper. So, all that brought me to an institution that honestly brought out the flavor and gave me in the same opportunity that this country gave my father. So, it's just been a pinch-me career, and it's just an honor to be here with you today and with the entire AOG team talking about this. Naviere Walkewicz 05:36 That's amazing. I mean, I, thinking about what you just said, that your parents came and they pursued a dream. What was that like in your household? What did that look like? Dr. Chaudhary 05:45 Here's what it looked like. My dad — he actually came to this country with about $165, $80 of which went to his tuition. He was at University of Missouri, and then he eventually went to University of Minnesota. The rest he used to get a house and fill the fridge. And so, when he was looking for an opportunity to serve, he wanted to be in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and serve as a fed and so he didn't get that chance. So, what he did, he literally drove, put me and my brother and my mom in a car and drove to Washington. When he drove to Washington, he dropped us off at the Lincoln Memorial and walked up the stairs of the Capitol. Two senators from Minnesota, one was walking out, Sen. Walter Mondale. He said hello to him. He didn't know him from Adam. And then he went to the office of Hubert Humphrey and he sat down with him, and he told his story to Hubert Humphrey and Hubert Humphrey said, “This is what America is all about.” And he was kind enough to give my dad a shot in Minneapolis. And he spent his entire career, 25 years, as a federal inspector in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Naviere Walkewicz My goodness. Dr. Chaudhary It's an incredible story. But you know what? It all came together about a year and a half ago when I was confirmed and during my swearing, and it was honored to have Sec. Kendall swear me in, but to have my dad walk up the front steps of the Pentagon with my mom and I. We go up the stairs, and I said, “Dad, would you turn around for a second?” And he turned around. I said, “You know, you can see the Lincoln Memorial and you can see the Capitol.” And I said, “Look what you've done in one generation.” That is the embodiment of the American dream. And as he was kind of — I'm getting choked up — he wiped the tears from his eyes. He realized that that that what this country has given to us is something that we've got to always think about giving back and giving back, and that's really what my career has always been about, giving back to the country that has given my family everything. Naviere Walkewicz 07:59 That is amazing. Wow. I mean, I'm almost without words, because I can see what your dad has instilled in you, made possible, but instilled in you as a servant leader as well. I'm just… that's pretty impressive. So, tell me about your mom, because it sounds like she also instilled some pretty incredible traits in you and some beliefs in how to treat people. What did that look like in, her leadership in your life? Dr. Chaudhary 08:26 What can I say about my mom? She's a pillar of the community back in Minneapolis. She runs a nonprofit called Seva. In Hindi, seva means service, to serve, serve your fellow citizens, serve your nation. And again, I told you about her, her enduring quote, “If you do your full duty, the rest will take care of itself.” So, in that nonprofit, she is actually bringing cultural-specific services, health services, to the Asian American community. One thing she did during Covid was incredible. She pulled together a meal team, and she served somewhere around 20,000 seniors. And it wasn't just Asian Americans, anybody in the Minneapolis community that was struggling, that couldn't get food, that was having a tough time. And then, as you know, after the George Floyd tragedy occurred, the town, the city went through a tough time, and there was an area right around one of the police stations where the riots were going on and everybody was fleeing when. When the community was fleeing, she was mobilizing her team to go in. They were going in and they were rescuing people from shelters to get them to a safe place. And two days later, she brought a team into the community that was still smoldering and set up meal stations to just give people sandwiches, bread, whatever — to just make everybody feel good and move forward, and that's what America is about. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the times and differences, but we realize that America is more than just Washington. America is about neighbors and neighbors caring for each other. So, where did I learn that? I learned that from my mom, but the Air Force Academy brought it out, and I applied that every single day, whether it was a mission launching GPSs, doing engineering — tough engineering problems, or flying missions into the CENTCOM AOR, where we had to bring crews to bear to execute incredible missions. And so, reflecting on that — boy, you're really tearing me up today… Naviere Walkewicz No, not at all… Dr. Chaudhary …because you're bringing this all out of my heart, and it's just an honor to be here and humbling to tell the story. But I know that there are thousands and thousands of grads out there that have just as inspiring stories, and that's why I love to come to AOG. That's why I like to spend time with our cadets today, which was just as incredible. I went down to Jacks Valley and got to see the assault course as well. Luckily, I didn't have too many flashbacks. Naviere Walkewicz I was going to say, did you have your rubber ducky with you? Dr. Chaudhary Yeah, I did not. They didn't push me through it, but the demo was incredible. And I know our secretary was equally impressed with the cadets and the caliber of students that are here, the caliber of our cadets, and how I'm so optimistic for the future of our Air Force and Space Force. Naviere Walkewicz 11:33 Absolutely. And I can share, based off of what you shared about your mom and dad, there's no reason why you're [not] able to take on a job that almost seems impossible with the scope and breadth of what you're responsible for. So, I can't wait to get into that as well. Can we go to when you're at the Academy? I want to know more about you as a cadet, because as interesting as you are as an adult, what were you like as a cadet? Dr. Chaudhary 11:54 There's a lot that I really shouldn't disclose. Okay, so we've got to be really, really careful. So, me and my classmates, we have this thing called “mutually assured destruction.” You know stories about me, I know stories about you. Just leave it there. But let me tell you, the Academy was just the honor of a lifetime. But you know what — going through it with your classmates is something. I was just having lunch with our cadets today. I was a grad of Delta Tau Deuce, and to spend time with them and tell them stories, and hear about their stories, about what Deuce is like these days, was absolutely just, I was just blown away with it. But yep, I was primarily in Deuce. I had the just pleasure of beaing a squadron commander and having peers that really care for each other, peers that I keep in touch with. To this very day, I have them up on text. Naviere Walkewicz Oh, wow. Dr. Chaudhary And we share with each other. We have challenges. We go through it together, but I will tell you one story about why your cadet story matters, and you don't realize it until the balloon goes up. When I graduated from pilot training, I graduated essentially the day after 9/11 and I was actually in the planning room when 9/11 happened, and within a few weeks — I did my check ride that day — within a few weeks, I was at Charleston Air Force Base, and my squadron commander had me look out the window and said, “We don't have time to mission qual you. We don't have enough pilots. We're going to marry you up with a crew to go down range.” And you know what he did? He married me up with two people, one who was my classmate from the Class of 1993, Naviere Walkewicz Really? Dr. Chaudhary Two was a member of my squadron from Deuce, and he was a new aircraft commander. We had an experienced first pilot, and I didn't know nothing from nothing. I was a brand-new co-pilot. And so, getting ready for that, for those missions, a new environment for me, required something that our squadron commander knew that if I put three Academy graduates together, the bond that they've had in their years was going to carry them through toughest conditions, in unknown conditions. And sure enough, we clicked and did well. But to anybody who's a current cadet and listening in and wondering, “Hey, is this bonding — is what's going on now, the time that we have together here in the Academy going to amount to anything?” I'm here to tell you, it does and through my own life experiences, and quite honestly, in a number of missions, we fly working it together as a team. The bonds we create as cadets carry over for decades. Naviere Walkewicz 14:54 So maybe you can share some of those bonding moments at the Academy. You said you were a squadron commander. What were some of the lessons you learned from a leadership aspect, in leading your peers, but also while still trying to bond with them? Dr. Chaudhary 15:08 Yeah, when you look back, sometimes you're separated by age and rank, right? You got age and you got rank and your peer groups kind of set you that way. At the Academy, it's completely different because your peers, as a senior, you're all peers and colleagues, and to take on a leadership role is what I would say is the toughest challenge of all. To lead a team of peers and colleagues can be challenging. And there's challenges that really kind of come with everything like that, but to me, you can't do it without collaboration, without consulting folks and being inclusive in how you give people a voice. Now the jury is out — I'm not going to judge whether I was successful or not. Probably not, you know? But I will say we did one thing: It was gonna be we were gonna be the athletic squadron of the year. We were a beast. In fact, we decided that we were gonna go for one thing: We were the athletic squadron. And so, we did. Naviere Walkewicz That's impressive! Dr. Chaudhary We kicked some serious buttt. So, back in the day, you do what was called a sweep. So, if you swept all your sports and intramurals that day, you would, the next day, you would get Mitch's Mountains. And so, the lore of Mitch's Mountains was incredible. And today, interestingly enough, we had what I would call Mitch's Mountain version 2.0 — probably half the calories and twice the caffeine. I don't know what it is. But I actually whipped out a picture of an old Mitch's Mountain. And I show them, they're like, it was really funny, because to see the look in their eyes and to see an original Mitch's Mountain, it was like, oh, you know they looked at and they're like, “That's what a Mitch's…” And they're like, “There's an Oreo cookie on top!” I'm like, for us, “Ok, this is a nice 2.0” and everything, like you gotta go back to… Naviere Walkewicz 17:05 So, how many of those did you get? If you were actually the athletic squadron, you must have swept multiple days. Dr. Chaudhary 17:12 You see the love handles on me right now? That was the one challenge. Because, you know, [you‘ve] got to stay in shape. But we kicked some serious butt; we would sweep all the time. I was actually on the water polo team… Naviere Walkewicz 17:25 …we share that. I did not enjoy it. It sounds like you might. Dr. Chaudhary 17:30 I don't know. So, I'm a decent swimmer. I'm pretty good. Grew up in Minnesota, tons of lakes. I could say I'm a decent swimmer, but I can tell you I am not a water polo player. So, what they used me for in water polo… Naviere Walkewicz Were you the buouy? Dr. Chaudhary I was the anti-buoy, because whoever was the good player, they'd say, “Go and put your arms over that one and get them underwater,” so that our fellow water polo teammate could go in and score. And so, probably one of my most beloved plaques in my life is my water polo plaque because we were Wing champs. Naviere Walkewicz Oh, my goodness! Dr. Chaudhary We ran the tables and were Wing champs, and that plaque still sits on my desk. It's one of my most beloved things. You know, my wife, she's getting ready to toss it. I'm like, “No, no, not that!” Naviere Walkewicz Not the water polo plaque! Dr. Chaudhary She's like, “Oh, what about this graduation plaque from the Academy?” You can get rid of that, but don't get rid of my water polo plaque. That is beloved. So anyways, I was asking cadets today, “What's Deuce like?” I'm like, “So are you guys a training squadron?” Naviere Walkewicz What are they like? Dr. Chaudhary They're like, “We're the standards squadron.” And I'm like, “Wow, that's impressive.” I'm like, “What about Mach One? Are they the training?” So, they're like, “Mach One. Nah, not really.” They're like, “We're No. 1 in SAMIs. We're No. 1 is…? I'm like, “Oh, wow, they still have SAMIs and stuff like that.” Have fun. Yeah, that was a haze for me. Triple threats were always a haze, yes, so I never liked that, because well… Naviere Walkewicz 18:49 Maybe the Deuce team does now. Dr. Chaudhary 18:53 Mach One, they loved it. I've got friends from Mach One. They're gonna kill me, but yeah, they love it. They're all into it. Cleaning their rooms and Deuce would be on the corner going, “Would Mach One please go to bed?” So anyway, sorry. But yeah, it was an interesting time, you know, talking with some of our cadets. Naviere Walkewicz 19:26 I love these stories. So, were you this happy as a cadet? Dr. Chaudhary 19:31 No, I was not a happy cadet. I was a surviving kid. I was trying to get through the next day. And honestly, to me, it was always a wonder to be there, and I was always grateful for being there to serve. I was in a tough major, aero major, and honestly, it didn't come right away to me. And so I was not one of those sterling cadets that just rocks the house and everything. I was on the Comm List for a good portion of the time, but the academics took some time for me. I spent a lot of time in the aero lab. And, you know, the cool thing is, … I did projects and drag reduction, and we we tested these winglets on the tips of wings, and we did flow visualization. I had this professor. His name was Tom Yechout, and I was talking to some aero majors today. They're like, “You know, Tom Yechout?” And I'm like… Naviere Walkewicz He's still there. Dr. Chaudhary “He teaches controls here” I go, “Well, he taught me flight controls as well.” But he supervised me, and one time, I think, maybe at the last reunion, he brought me to the cabinet, and he opened up the cabinet and he showed me the hardware that we used for our project. Naviere Walkewicz 20:39 From your class? Dr. Chaudhary 20:43 Yeah. Naviere Walkewicz That's amazing! Dr. Chaudhary And here's why I'm telling you that: When in my interview with Sec. Kendall, he sat me down and he was talking about, “Hey, in your in your team, we're doing some drag reduction activities.” And he's like, “What do you know about blended wing body aircraft?” And it turns out, not only had I done some research on that, I had done a project at Staff College and to me, you know, my message to cadets out there who are working on a project who are wondering, “Hey, is this going to amount to anything? Does this matter?” I'm here to tell you that it does, because the type of work that goes on at this Academy is literally out of this world. We got folks who are working with SpaceX. I went down and that we're actually doing a project called the blended wing aircraft, which is like a big flying manta ray. It's going to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 30% to reduce fuel for fuel consumption across our Air Force and extend our range. Naviere Walkewicz How are we going to do that? Dr. Chaudhary Well, we're going to build a prototype in 2027. One of my sections is operational energy, and we have a team dedicated to reducing drag on aircraft, finding efficiencies. Why is this important? Well, it's because in Great Power Competition, we know that our adversaries are going to come after our logistics and fuel — our resources. And as a logistician, you know that. Our adversaries are targeting our installations, they're going to target our fuel resources. So, what's the best thing we can do? We can be as efficient as we can with our fuel and flying C-17s, is one thing you get to know real quick that if you land at an austere location, you're going to drain that fuel bladder almost instantly. And what does that mean? That means less sorties. That's less fire missions if you're flying Apache's out of there. That means less fuel for generators if you lose power. That means less ability to get your CAPs in the air, and we've got to embody that as a department and be ready for what that challenge holds for us. So getting efficient with our field, to me, isn't something that we're going to do because we're nice. We're going to do it because it's going to be an imperative. It's going to be a strategic imperative, and we've got to be ready for that. And so, we've been working hard at those things. The blended wing body aircraft is a long-term thing that it's been out there for a long time, but we've got to proof it. And so, it's really cool… Naviere Walkewicz It's almost full-circle for you. Dr. Chaudhary Yeah, it's incredible. And we just were at this, at the plant for Jet Zero. We did a visit there to spend some time with them and look at look at their production facility. And what do I see when I walk in the conference room? Five cadets sitting on the end of the table, learning, taking notes, interacting with the top systems engineers. And interestingly enough, one of those cadets had come and visited me and spent the summer — actually, three of them. She was part of a team of three that came and visited my organization and worked on the impacts of strategic temperature changes and how it will affect payloads for tanker aircraft. And so, they did this research, presented me this paper, and now here I am seeing them at industry being on the leading edge. And to me — let me tell you that filled me with so much optimism and excitement for the future, and most importantly, what we're producing here at the Air Force Academy, a top-notch engineering school that is regarded across the industry. So, a little turn to academics there, but big shout out to what we're doing across our academic programs. I just think we're on the right track, and we need to keep up the momentum. Naviere Walkewicz 24:30 No, that's huge. I was actually going to ask you, how are you leveraging some of our cadets in some of the things you're doing? But it sounds like they're already doing it. Dr. Chaudhary 24:40 Check! Done. They're rocking the house. Just, just leading the way. It's awesome. Naviere Walkewicz 24:43 That's amazing. Yeah. So, let's talk about — and I'm really curious — so, after you graduate the Academy, did you know you always wanted to be a pilot, by the way? Did you know you wanted to fly? Dr. Chaudhary 24:50 I can't remember a day where I wasn't drawing airplanes. And you're asking me about when I was younger. You know, “What kind of kid were you?” I was a kid who was drawing airplanes. OK, I was the kid with the airplane books. I was a kid who was checking out every single airplane book and library and learning about them and trying to understand them and wanting to know more. And so naturally, it was just — I can't think of a day where I didn't want to be an aerospace engineer, be a pilot. And you know, sometimes the ebb and flow of demand for the Air Force —there was a time of reduction in pilots for the for the Academy, and I didn't get that opportunity then and it was a bummer. But you know, if you do your full duty, the rest will take care of itself. And so, I landed at Los Angeles Air Force Base where we launched this program. I got to launch rocket programs. And you may have heard of this particular payload: It's called GPS. Naviere Walkewicz 25:44 I might have heard of that one, yes… Dr. Chaudhary 25:47 …and it was the first time we were doing it. And we're young lieutenants, and we're at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and I was getting the responsibility for third-stage engines and ordnance systems and some of the avionics, and my boss said, “We don't have time. We're launching rockets every single month. I need you to go out to this corporation called Thiokol, and I want you to buy that rocket.” And by the way, he said it in a way that was like, “Don't screw this up,” right? Naviere Walkewicz The undertone was there. Dr. Chaudhary Yeah, we've had that don't-screw-it-up moment. And so that was one of them. And so, the one thing that I remember is that our Academy demands a lot, and it demands a lot for a reason. Because leaders will be demanding a lot of brand new officers. Now the jury's out as to how well I did, but we had three we had three successful missions, and we delivered full operational capabilities for our department. And to me, I look back on that. I, believe it or not, still keep in touch with the captain who welcomed me, who brought me on the team and, in 2018, I got the incredible opportunity to let the last Delta II rocket go. And I brought my wife and my daughter with me, and that kind of brought the whole band back together. And it was cool to have kind of the old space cowboys and in the room again going, “Well, let's, let's let this rocket go for one last time.” Naviere Walkewicz That is really cool. Dr. Chaudhary And the best part of it was, after that rocket went and you felt the rumble — the rumble of a rocket, there's nothing like it in the world. When you feel the rumble go into your stomach — I leaned over my daughter. I go, “What do you think?” She said, “I am doing that.” Naviere Walkewicz 27:34 I was just going to ask you, did it bleed over into your daughter? Dr. Chaudhary 27:38 Now, she's a cadet at Georgia Tech. She just finished field training, and of course, like every good Academy graduate should do, buck the system. So, she bucked the system with her dad and said, “I'm gonna do ROTC and go to Georgia Tech. So, good luck this weekend against Navy. I'll kind of vote for you, but just want to let you know the Academy is a lot easier than Georgia Tech.” So, she and I jaw back and forth, but watching her grow has been really cool. And I got a chance to take her up and fly and get her ready for her career. She wants to be a pilot. And let me tell you, we got nothing on this next generation. They are ready for technology. They are ready for the leading edge, and we've just got to enable them. Honestly, we've got to get the hell out of the way and let them in. There's one situation, we had new avionics on the aircraft. I won't bore you with the details, but it allows you to deconflict from traffic. It's a GPS-based instrument, and I was kind of flying with her one time a few years ago, and I said, “All right, well, this is what is so, you know that little piece, you know 2,000 below you, positive means 2,000 above you. It's closing it…” She's like, “Dad, Dad, Dad, stop, stop!” Naviere Walkewicz 28:58 She knew… Dr. Chaudhary 29:00 She knew how to interact with that technology, and honestly, I didn't. I was learning how to interact with that technology. So, we've got to really make sure that we're blazing a path for our next generation, but at the same time, make sure that that we're not getting in their way. And I think sometimes we do that as grads. We're like, “I was like this when I was there…” You know? I was at Mitchell Hall today, and I saw the 0-96 up there and it's memorialized. And I walked by that thing… Naviere Walkewicz 29:32 Did you scan the QR code to fill one out? Dr. Chaudhary 29:33 Yeah, I did not do the QR code. I was like, that's too much for me. But when you look at it, you know, I thought, I'm like, that's probably where that thing ought to be right now. It's a great remembrance of why it's important, why standards are important, and then the example of how it paid off in combat conditions and saved a life was pretty important. But I'll be honest with you, we find other ways today with this next generation. I can remember flying one mission and we lost SATCOMMS with a particular field, and we were roughly maybe six hours out for Iraq in the combat zone, and we didn't know the status of the field. And one of the things you need to do is make sure the field's not under attack. So, before we did that, we're like, “Hey, how do we get our 30-minute… You know, it just wasn't happening. But you know what we're doing. We had brevity codes. And all along the line, all the C-17s that were lined up miles after miles going all the way back to Azerbaijan at 30,000 feet. We're all on. We're communicating. … We're using brevity code, so, we're not giving anything away. We're using our brevity code, and we're saying this is the status of the field. And we're relaying, we're literally relaying a half world away. That's a testament to our pilot corps, testament to duty. And so it's really in the spirit of that 0-96 there that we've adopted. So, when people say, “Oh, that tradition is going to ruin us, you know, we're going to lose standards.” I could tell you that, even though we got rid of that thing, that we're still an effective force. And I think we have to understand that a little more and as we kind of move through a period of change at USAFA — I was talking to our cadets about, “Hey, what do you think about the changes?” and, “Yeah, well, restrictions, but I understand on the importance.” I'm going to hearken back to 1991 or so, when the first Gulf War kicked off, and we were cadets when that thing kicked off, and almost instantly we moved into BDUs. We started wearing those every day. We started creating the warfighter mindset. We sealed off to make sure that we had good security. We canceled a lot of passes, and you know what we did? We moved from a fourth-class system to a four-class system. Sound familiar? Sound familiar? That was after the war kicked off. Think about that. After the war kicked off. Our superintendent is trying to do it before the war kicks off, to make sure that we're ready, ready to fight the fight and get into it. So, I have a lot of respect for our superintendent and taking this step. I do agree that we've got to get execution right. Sometimes you get some growing pains with those things, but I think we've got to step back in the grad community and digest a little bit and get behind some of the changes that have been going on. And I was talking to some cadets last night, I go, “What do you think of this?” And they're like, “We understand it. It hurts a little bit.” Because the expectations … the environment that we're in has now changed. And you know, honestly, I'll shoot straight from the hip and say that sometimes it feels like the goal post is being moved on you, because you meet one standard, and then they move again. Yeah, you know, things get tough, but we're a resilient institution, and when you get down to the brass tacks of who we are as grads, the core of what we do and execute our mission will never go away. And we've just got to blaze a path for our next generation to be successful. Naviere Walkewicz 33:24 Absolutely. Well, speaking of blaze a path — and I think some of our listeners want to hear sometimes, you know they have times when they fail at things in leadership. How do you grow from that? Can you share a time when you experience failure and what it looked like, to help inspire them through that. Dr. Chaudhary 33:42 Yep. Well, worst day of my life was when I failed a check-ride. I failed a simulator check-ride in the C-17. And it hurt. It hurt bad. I had aspirations in my career. I was like, “What's this gonna mean for me?” But you know some really smart folks, and that's when you turn to people who you really go to for advice, and it's like, you know, “Ravi, there are those who have and those who will.” So honestly, I just needed a smack in the head. They're like, “Get over it, man. You know, whatever you failed check-ride. Go out there, clean that thing up and those ups and downs in a flying career occur.” I'm being 100% honest with you, my failures are stacked up right next to my successes. And so, I think, to me, the failures were the things that helped me grow, grow through things and sometimes you think, “OK, well, that failure was unfair. I got, you know, I got a raw deal out of that.” Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but you keep moving forward. Keep taking one step after another. Now I'm not a football guy. I love football. Watch about I never played football, but I do know what running back coaches say. I think, I'm not sure, they say, “Above all, always keep your legs moving. Don't ever up when you're running. Keep your legs moving.” And so, to me, I've always taken that advice. I've given that advice to other people too, especially when they come to me with challenges. Naviere Walkewicz 35:09 That's great advice. So maybe we can talk about your role now a little bit. And so, can you actually explain what you do? It might actually be shorter to say what you don't do, because when I look at the description, it's quite a bit. We have listeners that are parents and that maybe don't have a lot of military background and really understand. So, I think it's wonderful to share with the full community. Dr. Chaudhary 35:31 Yeah, let me talk about the position. So, the job is one of those long titles. It's the assistant secretary for energy, installations and the environment. First thing first. I'm not a military member. I am a presidential appointee, so my job is as an appointee, a Senate-confirmed appointee. That means that you go through a hearing like you see in TV, and you get voted on, right? You get the vote. I was lucky enough to have after a period of being held, I had a bipartisan vote. And so that was pretty neat to have that. But my role specifically is to ensure that our installations are ready for the fight, for the future fight, and for current conditions. Things that I lose sleep over: Right now we're in a decade of consequence that our secretary and chief regularly say that decade of consequence includes great power competition in which China and Russia seek to shape the world order in ways that that work to their advantage, in autocratic manner, and so we've got to be ready for that, and that includes establishing an important deterrence. So, my job is to make sure installations are strong and present an approach of deterrence, and when deterrence failed, be ready to win. So, what does that mean for us? That means ensuring that our installations have power capabilities, that have strong runways, that have strong hangars, strong facilities, and included in which — families live on installations as well — to ensure we have top-notch housing. So, you'll see me reaching across all those areas, but importantly enough, making sure that those installations have the right power is critical. Our adversaries have declared their intent and have the capacity to go after our critical infrastructure, and that's the one thing that keeps me up at night: making sure that we have critical redundancies and opportunities to if somebody comes after our infrastructure tries to cut our power, we have redundant capabilities, that our control systems are cyber hardened. And you mentioned earlier, both kinetic and cyber threats. So roughly in the past two decades, as China has modernized our CENTCOM theater has really shaped an environment in which CONUS installations are under threat a little bit, but not entirely. We could be relatively confident that Grand Forks would be generally safe from ISIS from a major attack. In Great Power Competition, all of that goes out the window. Our adversaries, to include Russia and China, know how to go after critical infrastructure. They know how to employ cyber capabilities, and that's why we've got to make sure that we are pursuing cyber hardened energy control systems that protect you from those threats, and the ability to island from the local grid when we need to. So, here's one thing we're doing. I'm on a march over the next five years to bring 20 or so micro grids across our most critical installations. A micro grid — it's kind of like a power bar. You plug it in the wall and you can plug in renewable energy, you plug in wind, geo, you know, all kinds of things into that — solar — to build critical redundancies. So ultimately, building those redundancies allows you to harden your capabilities at the installation and micro-reactors give you the ability to manage and distribute power where you need it. Now we can also put in battery storage. So, battery storage allows you to — when the balloon goes up, boom, put in a firewall with the local community and get the jets out of town. Keep your employed in-place mission moving and build critical redundancies. Then once the jets are out of town, plug back in and share that power with a local community, because we know that our adversaries are going to be driving civil disruption to affect the efficiency of our installations as well, too. So that dynamic is really complex. Naviere Walkewicz Wow, and the time is compressed. Dr. Chaudhary And the time is compressed, so we won't have time to react as quickly. So, we've got to prepare for an all-new environment in our installations. And it goes right back to the Hap Arnold quote. We've got to make sure that they're ready to ensure our operations are effective. And I was recently at Eielson Air Force Base, and what we're doing at Eielson is really novel. We're going to put in a small, modular micro-reactor, a small baby nuclear reactor. Naviere Walkewicz Is there a small version of that? Dr. Chaudhary Yeah, there is a small version, but it hadn't been developed yet, and we decided that we're going to push on with this new capability and bring it to Eielson Air Force Base. The key is to now — back in the day, we used to do something, proof it military-wise, and then see if it's viable in the in the commercial market, right? Not anymore. We're going to do it all concurrently. So, we're going to pursue a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license. We've been engaging the local community. They love it, including tribal nations, who know that power advantages are going to be important for sharing in the community. And so that will be the first micronuclear reactor in any installation. We're looking to award in the spring or sooner, and then get this thing up and running in 2027. Why is this important at Eielson? And you're like, “Whoa, it's way up in Alaska.” Eielson is a critical entry point for the INDOPACOM theater. Naviere Walkewicz I was gonna say, where it's located… Dr. Chaudhary It's where the one of the highest concentrations of our 5th-gen fighter force is at. It's where we do air defense, and it's where our mobility forces will be moving from Fort Wainwright all the way down range. So that's a critical node, and there's a few more of those that we've got to really, really stay focused on. So, energy and, by the way, a happy Energy Action Month as well. This month is Energy Action Month where we're looking at how we can improve power consumption across our Air Force and be more efficient. And bringing these micro-grids online is going to be a crucial, crucial aspect of that. Naviere Walkewicz 42:07 Well, something I've learned about you is that you're not afraid to push the envelope, push the speed, but do it, like you said, concurrently and to find some solutions. And I don't know that there's anyone else that could do it just like are you're doing it. Dr. Chaudhary 42:19 It's not me, it's my team. I have an incredible team of folks that refuse to accept anything [less] than excellence in our department. In fact, we have a saying in our organization that, “We eat no for breakfast.” So, I dare you to tell us no and that we can't do something. One of our coolest announcements recently that we were told “no” to for roughly three years, was a new apartment complex at Edwards Air Force Base. So, some folks may not know this, but Edwards Air Force Space is very isolated, and it's located in the desert, and so it takes roughly 45 minutes to get to the base once you get through the gate. And so, isolation of our military members, especially our junior enlisted, has been around for roughly four decades or more. And when we said, “Hey, let's do a venture-backed business model that allows us to bring state of the art departments not in MILCOM timeline like right now, timeline…” And so, we just announced an all-new venture commercial apartment complex that we just broke ground on, and we're going to start building, hopefully done by 2026 and these are timelines that allow us to move the Air Force forward aggressively. Another thing that we're doing is, I just announced a $1.1 billion investment in our dormitories and CDCs. As you know, quality of life is so critical. Back to this: If we're going to be, say that we're the number, have the number one installations in the world, we've got to live up to it, and that means our families need that too, as well. So, you've heard a lot about the GAO reports, everything from mold to decrepit housing. We're going to fix that, we're going to get ahead of it, and we're going to stay ahead of it. And so that's why our secretary, in our most recent president's budget, announced this. All we need is a budget now, yeah, and so, so our secretary is pressing hard for that, and we know that once that budget is approved, we can get working on these things and start changing quality of life and start upping our game in our installations. Naviere Walkewicz 44:23 Well, I'm gonna take one of those leadership nuggets as “just eat no for breakfast,” but we're gonna learn more about your final takeaway lessons. Before we do that with you. Dr Chaudhary, I wanna thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. The podcast publishes Tuesdays in both video and audio, and it's available on all your favorite podcast platforms, watch or listen to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org. Dr Chaudhary, this has been incredible. If you might leave our listeners with one thing, what would you like to share with them when it comes to leadership, or maybe just some lessons or anything about you that you'd like to share? Dr. Chaudhary 44:57 Love what you do. Love our nation. I love my country because it's given me and my family everything. And I want everybody to believe that, you know, sometimes we get in these periods where we feel divided right across the spectrum, and it doesn't matter what your affiliation is, sometimes you just feel that. But I want folks to remember that America is not about what goes on entirely in Washington. It's about neighbors. It's about what you do for your neighbors. And to me, that's our biggest strength as a nation. You know, many years ago, our forefathers felt that the values of equality, fair treatment and self-determination would be enough to topple an empire, and it is. We should believe that too, and I want everybody to know that. So, it's an honor to be here. But before I go, I want to say thank you for just an intriguing hour. It's an honor to be here, and I want to give you my personal challenge coin… Naviere Walkewicz Oh my goodness… Dr. Chaudhary …and say thank you so much. It embodies a lot of what we do, military family housing, airfields, of course our beautiful 5th-gen fighter aircraft and our wind power and capabilities as a symbol of what we've got to do for installation school. Naviere Walkewicz 46:16 That is an honor, sir. Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh my goodness, thank you. Dr. Chaudhary 46:20 It was a great hour, and just a pleasure to spend time with… Naviere Walkewicz 46:26 It was my pleasure. There's so much I wanted ask you and I know we're limited on time … Is there anything we can do for you? Dr. Chaudhary 46:36 Just keep doing what you do. Keep making sure that our grads out there have a voice, have a say, and can contribute to all this institution has to offer our nation. And so, you're doing it, and I can't thank you enough for it. Naviere Walkewicz 46:49 Thank you very much. KEYWORDS Air Force, Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, leadership, installations, energy, community service, innovation, military, great power competition, sustainability, Air Force Academy, leadership, aviation, innovation, energy solutions, GPS, pilot training, military standards, personal growth, resilience MORE FROM DR. CHAUDHARY ON THE FOR THE ZOOMIES PODCAST with C1C ANDREW CORMIER '25 The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation

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AI Project Challenges, New Tools from Stability AI & Anthropic, and Apple's Vision Pro Future Uncertain

Business of Tech

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 13:13

A recent survey by Appen reveals a drop in both the deployment of AI initiatives and their return on investment. The survey indicates that the mean percentage of AI projects deployed has fallen from 55.5% in 2021 to 47.4% in 2024, with significant ROI dropping from 56.7% to 47.3%. Appen attributes these declines to a lack of high-quality training data, emphasizing the importance of expertly labeled data in enhancing AI model accuracy. Additionally, a Gartner report shows that nearly half of businesses struggle to estimate the value of AI projects, complicating their adoption.The episode also delves into the challenges faced by U.S. federal agencies in adopting AI technologies. A FedScoop report reveals that many agencies cite data management issues and a lack of AI-trained employees as significant obstacles. The Department of Energy has raised concerns about security issues with cloud services, while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has noted a workforce that is both interested in AI and fearful due to a lack of understanding. Meanwhile, a Capgemini report predicts that generative AI could transform entry-level careers by facilitating 32% of entry-level tasks, although only a small percentage of leaders currently use these tools daily.Host Dave Sobel highlights recent advancements from major players in the AI space, including Stability AI, which has unveiled its Stable Diffusion 3.5 series of image generation models designed to produce more diverse outputs. Anthropic has launched updated AI models that automate tasks for software developers, allowing for complex actions with minimal human input. Microsoft is set to introduce its CoPilot AI agents, which promise significant productivity improvements for businesses. However, experts urge caution regarding the claims of productivity gains, emphasizing the need for clear baseline data to assess the true impact of these tools.Finally, the episode touches on Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which is facing production cuts and potential discontinuation due to a lack of developer enthusiasm and app availability. With only two apps launched specifically for the device in September, down from 252 in February, Apple is shifting its focus toward a more affordable model expected to launch by late 2025. Sobel concludes that the current trajectory suggests that the Vision Pro may not be the right form factor for spatial computing, indicating a potential dead end for the technology as consumer demand and developer interest remain low.Three things to know today00:00 Declining AI Project Success Points to Need for Better Data and Workforce Training in Both Federal and Corporate Spheres05:21 Stability AI Unveils Image Models, Anthropic Enhances Developer Tools, Microsoft Launches Copilot Agents08:57 With Vision Pro's Future in Doubt, Apple Prepares for Affordable Successor by 2025 Supported by: https://www.coreview.com/msphttp://blumira.com/radio/ All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessoftech.bsky.social

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is urged improve its policy for fission materials

Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 9:38

For years, the Government Accountability Office has called out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its policy on so-called dirty bombs. Radiological threats from terrorists who obtain fission material. Auditors say NRC policy doesn't take into account all of the potential consequences of dirty bombs. Details now from the G-A-O's director of natural resources and environment, Allison Bawden.https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107014 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

policy materials government accountability office nrc auditors fission nuclear regulatory commission radiological

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is urged improve its policy for fission materials

Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 10:23

For years, the Government Accountability Office has called out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its policy on so-called dirty bombs. Radiological threats from terrorists who obtain fission material. Auditors say NRC policy doesn't take into account all of the potential consequences of dirty bombs. Details now from the G-A-O's director of natural resources and environment, Allison Bawden. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107014 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

policy materials government accountability office nrc auditors fission nuclear regulatory commission radiological

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has eliminated all legacy systems

The Daily Scoop Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 3:18

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not use any legacy IT, having either decommissioned or modernized all of its systems, according to the independent agency's chief information officer. In an interview with FedScoop last week, NRC CIO Scott Flanders said that even though the agency has turned the page on systems defined by the Government Accountability Office as “outdated or obsolete,” there is still work to be done for modernization and evaluation of the agency's technology stack. One of the country's leading generative AI startups is urging congressional leadership to take action on a trio of safety, data and definitional priorities for the emerging technology before the end of the year. In a letter sent Thursday from Alexandr Wang to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the Scale AI founder and chief executive officer applauded the lawmakers for bipartisan AI regulatory work this Congress while “strongly” pressing the quartet to include in a potential year-end legislative package three “key AI priorities that will better position the United States to become a global leader in AI development and deployment.” The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

united states spotify ai washington congress soundcloud eliminated chuck schumer government accountability office dn house speaker mike johnson scale ai legacy systems nuclear regulatory commission minority leader mitch mcconnell r ky fedscoop

What is the global energy cost to the Iran-Israel conflict?

israel cost middle east iran supreme court politico global energy iran israel israel conflict nuclear regulatory commission politico pro ben lefebvre

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 6:09

For decades, conflicts in the Middle East have frequently spooked energy markets and disrupted the global economy. So far though, Iran's latest clash with Israel is causing more shrugs than drastic price spikes. POLITICO's Ben Lefebvre breaks down why the energy markets aren't panicking but how they could be tested if the conflict escalates. Plus, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's power to authorize temporary nuclear waste storage facilities will soon face Supreme Court scrutiny. Ben Lefebvre is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer. Annie Rees is the managing producer for audio at POLITICO. Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal News for Mon 10/7 - SCOTUS Term Opens Under Scrutiny, Legal Job Market Growth, McDonald's Lawsuit Over Beef Price Fixing

Minimum Competence

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 4:39

This Day in Legal History: GDR EstablishedOn October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany, was officially established. This marked the formal division of Germany into two separate states after World War II. The creation of East Germany came in response to the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) earlier that year, in May 1949. Backed by the Soviet Union, the GDR was a socialist state governed by the Socialist Unity Party (SED), and its formation signaled the deepening divide between the Eastern and Western blocs during the Cold War.East Germany's legal and political structure was heavily influenced by Soviet-style socialism, with a focus on state control over the economy and a one-party system that suppressed political opposition. The GDR also became notorious for its secret police, the Stasi, which played a significant role in monitoring and controlling the population. Over time, East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961, a physical symbol of the broader ideological and geopolitical divisions of the Cold War.The existence of two Germanys, one capitalist and the other socialist, persisted for 41 years until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, leading to German reunification in 1990. The legal creation of East Germany on this day stands as a key moment in the Cold War era, illustrating the legal and ideological rift that shaped post-war Europe.The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term with a docket of significant cases, including disputes over guns, transgender rights, workplace discrimination, and online pornography. After a busy summer of emergency decisions, the Court's first case focuses on the Biden administration's appeal regarding "ghost guns," which can be purchased online and assembled without traceable serial numbers. Another key case involves Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip, who seeks a new trial amid questions about his conviction. Additional cases involve Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, workplace discrimination claims brought by "majority background" workers, and the authority of federal agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and FDA. The Court also faces potential involvement in election disputes surrounding the 2024 presidential race. Despite its heavy docket, the shadow of ethical controversies and a proposal for Supreme Court reforms loom over the term.Trump's Election Bid Is a Wild Card as Supreme Court Term OpensUS Supreme Court kicks off new term with important cases ahead | ReutersThe U.S. legal services sector added 1,600 jobs in September 2024, ending a four-month decline, according to the Labor Department. The legal job market's rebound mirrors broader U.S. job growth, with unemployment falling to 4.1%. Recruitment firms report steady demand for legal personnel, especially at large law firms, across various regions and practice areas. Legal sector employment had peaked at 1,190,300 jobs in February 2024. Law firms saw an 11.4% rise in revenue in the first half of the year, with increased demand for transactional practices.US legal jobs rebound after 4-month slump, Labor Dept says | ReutersMcDonald's has filed a lawsuit against several of its beef suppliers, including Tyson Foods, JBS, and Cargill, accusing them of conspiring to inflate beef prices in violation of federal antitrust laws. The fast-food chain alleges that the suppliers colluded to fix and raise beef prices by reducing the supply of slaughter-ready cattle, which artificially elevated prices. The alleged conspiracy, which began in 2015, was aimed at recovering profit margins impacted by years of drought. McDonald's claims that the suppliers limited production by closing plants and restraining market supply. The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment, damages three times the amount of losses sustained, and a permanent injunction to prevent future collusion. The U.S. Department of Justice had already investigated price-fixing in 2020, and testimonies from cattle ranchers have reportedly confirmed the conspiracy. During this period, the suppliers saw record profits, with JBS reporting a significant revenue increase between 2014 and 2021.McDonald's Says Tyson and Other Suppliers Fixed Beef Prices This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

NRC looks to GSA for help with artificial intelligence governance

The Daily Scoop Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2024 3:40

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the General Services Administration are partnering for an artificial intelligence maturity assessment as a foundational step in the nuclear agency's path to finalizing a strategic plan. Over the next nine months, the NRC will welcome a GSA provided-project manager to work directly with staff to consult on what the agency needs to solidify an enterprise strategic plan, Basia Sall, the chief data officer and director of the NRC's Data, Information Management and Enterprise Governance division, told FedScoop during an AI workshop at agency headquarters Tuesday. A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted a Chinese national on charges stemming from his alleged efforts to use spearphishing to target U.S. entities, including NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and several military branches. The indictment, which was filed Sept. 10 and unsealed Monday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, charges Song Wu, 39, with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to those efforts. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

spotify ai washington chinese data nasa artificial intelligence soundcloud governance district court nrc gsa federal aviation administration northern district information management general services administration nuclear regulatory commission fedscoop

Solartopia Green Power & Wellness Hour - 9.5.24

Solartopia Green Power & Wellness Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2024 60:03

SAVING THE SOLAR INDUSTRY WHILE SHUTTING DIABLO NUKES…& SOLARIZING THE OLYMPICS We start today's Solartopian KPFK-based radio broadcast with solar pioneer RON LEONARD. Ron explains how California's “green” governor is in fact decimating the nation's renewable energy industry. Ron dissects how the states Public Utilities Commission is destroying the electric supply structure, leaving CA with the nation's 2d highest electric rates. California Solartopia's co-host MYLA RESON makes clear the need to switch to renewables ASAP. KPFK local station board chair TATANKA BRICCA chimes in with a report for the north country. Mothers for Peace co-founder LINDA SEELEY updates us the possibility that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might seriously consider seismic issues at the Diablo site. Co-Host HARVEY “SLUGGO” WASSERMAN announces the Solartopian Olympics Committee, mean to make all future Olympics sites completely power by local renewables.

california peace olympic games mothers diablo kpfk green power nuclear regulatory commission public utilities commission wellness hour solartopia

Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 08-26-24

michigan cook labor day aaa afternoons southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2024 13:23

In today's news: The Cook nuclear power plant is waiting to hear more from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following a special inspection at the plant last week for diesel generator failures. AAA of Michigan has some advice for those travelling this Labor Day weekend. The St. Joseph City Commission will consider an employment agreement for new City Manager Emily Hackworth this week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 08-26-24

michigan cook labor day aaa afternoons southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2024 13:23

E66: USAID CFO Reginald Mitchell on Carrying Out U.S Foreign Policy & American Diplomacy

Ameritocracy

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 51:49

This week, Ameritocracy is in Washington, D.C. where we explore the world of international finance. Our guest is Reginald Mitchell, the U.S. Agency for International Development's Chief Financial Officer. Reggie oversees the agency's $25 billion budget, ensuring funds are used effectively to support development programs in over 100 countries. With a background in the Navy and senior financial roles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Reggie's expertise provides a unique lens into managing USAID's budgets, accounting systems, and fiscal policies. We'll discuss the challenges and rewards of stewarding taxpayer dollars for global impact, the role of technology in modernizing financial management, and the importance of his mission. Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington DC.

los angeles washington washington dc navy agency carrying foreign policy usaid chief financial officers international development nuclear regulatory commission american diplomacy

Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 08-19-24

cook afternoons mount pleasant southwest michigan bridgman nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news summer summit

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 13:16

In today's news: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has launched a special inspection at the Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman following multiple diesel generator failures at the facility over the last two years. Four educators from Southwest Michigan have been honored by Youth Solutions at the organization's eighth annual Summer Summit, held in Mount Pleasant. Last weeks Berrien County Youth Fair was a success, according to fair director Karen Klug. Just a little over 97,000 people attended the annual summer event last week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southwest Michigan's Afternoon News for 08-19-24

cook afternoons mount pleasant southwest michigan bridgman nuclear regulatory commission afternoon news summer summit

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 13:16

TerraPower Aims to Trigger US Nuclear Rebirth

Grid Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 28:47

TerraPower, fueled with $1 billion from Bill Gates, hopes to be first out of the gate with next generation nuclear projects that will complement and back up burgeoning renewable energy generation. In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg interviews Chris Levesque who is president and CEO of TerraPower. The company is developing its 345-megawatt prototype. Ultimately, the units will be plugged in to the grid and replace generation at many coal-burning power plants. That will allow the new units ready access to transmission lines.“We are the only construction permit for a commercial reactor in front of the NRC (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission) today so by that objective measure, it means we're next. It means the next American reactor is our Natrium Reactor in Wyoming; yes, so we plan to receive that construction license in 2026,” said LevesqueAll kinds of nuclear technology should soon follow. “All the models show that the optimum mix on an emission-free grid is going to be 20% to 30% nuclear,” Levesque said. “I wish we could move faster, though. TerraPower is the leader. We're trying to deliver as fast as we can on the first one and scale as fast as we can but we're going to need multiple technologies.” “We really do need to triple nuclear, and we're excited about being first but even when we deliver hundreds of reactors to triple nuclear, it's going to require a really massive deployment.”Chris Levesque is president and chief executive officer of TerraPower and also serves as a member of the TerraPower Board. He was appointed to that position in November 2018 after having served as president of TerraPower since 2015. Levesque leads this nuclear innovation company in the pursuit of next-generation nuclear energy. His proven track record in scoping, planning and implementing complex projects began with his service in the U.S. Nuclear Navy and features more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear field.Levesque holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering and a naval engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also serves on the board of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Federal Agencies Hit by IT Outage; White House Boosts Emerging Tech Workforce

The Daily Scoop Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024 5:53

A Microsoft outage linked to CrowdStrike has disrupted several federal agencies. CISA and DHS are collaborating with CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and others to address the outages. President Biden has been briefed and is in contact with affected entities. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has closed all offices, warning of longer wait times and unavailable online services. The Justice Department and Department of Veterans Affairs are also affected, with some DHS staff facing login issues. The FAA is monitoring airline IT issues but reports no impact on operations. The Energy Department's website is offline, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports normal operations. In other news, the White House has announced nearly $100 million in commitments to enhance access to emerging tech talent. OSTP revealed pledges from the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Digital Response, and several universities. The NSF will provide at least $48 million, with $32 million for its Emerging and Novel Technologies program and $16 million for the Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies program. U.S. Digital Response aims to double its support for under-resourced state and local governments. Academic institutions like San José State University, Spelman College, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan, and New York University have committed to various tech initiatives. Stay tuned to the Daily Scoop Podcast for more insights and updates on these stories and other developments in the federal tech space.

⚛ My chat (+transcript) with the US Energy Department's Mike Goff on powering the US with more nuclear energy

Faster, Please! â€” The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2024 25:46

✈ A quick note: I will be traveling through the middle of the month and will be posting a bit less than usual and perhaps a bit shorter than usual.After decades of resistance to nuclear power, growing concern over climate change, rising electricity needs, and a desire for greater energy independence are spurring renewed public interest in a future powered by atomic fission (perhaps fusion, too). Today on Faster, Please! — The Podcast, I talk to Dr. Mike Goff about the state of US nuclear power, the developing advancements in nuclear technology, and what it will take to reach our vast potential.Goff is the acting assistant secretary and the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. He previously spent over 30 years at Idaho National Laboratory, including a major advisory and management role. He has written over 70 publications on the nuclear fuel cycle.In This Episode* Atomic Age 2.0 (1:31)* Major concerns (7:37)* Out of practice (11:04)* Next-generation policy (17:38)* Human capital (21:48)* Fusion forecast (23:12)Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversationAtomic Age 2.0 (1:31)The Energy Secretary recently spoke about adding a lot more nuclear capacity, tripling it, I think, by 2050 or so. And before we get into whether that's possible, I wanted to ask you: As you understand it, what is the current consensus explanation for why the Nuclear and Atomic Age of the '50s and '60s, why that kind of ended? Because when the secretary spoke about building more capacity, I thought about the — and this is something maybe a lot of people are unaware of, that President Nixon had a plan to build a lot of more nuclear reactors in this country back in the '70s during the oil crisis; that didn't happen, and we all know about Three Mile Island. But is there a consensus as to why Atomic Age 1.0 came to an end? Obviously we still get a lot of energy from nuclear, but not what people had imagined 40 years ago.There are a variety of reasons. We did build a lot at one point, and we were building 10 plants a year, pretty extensive builds out there. We did then have Three Mile Island in the late '70s, and then we got costs started going up, and schedules started increasing on the builds, and we ended up not having a lot of energy growth, in fact, we went for a long period where we weren't having a lot of energy growth, and we had a lot of other energy sources, natural gas, coal, and all. We had a lot of other energy sources out there as well. So yeah, we became pretty stagnated around 20 percent of the electricity. But now, like you say, yeah, there's been a big change in what we think the needs are for nuclear going forward, for a variety of reasons.My background is journalism, and as a journalist I've written, I know, multiple stories in my life about a Nuclear Renaissance. So I'm wondering why this time looks to be different. You suggested in your previous answer that there might be some reasons. What are those reasons that we may be entering a new age where we will see an expansion in the nuclear sector?I do think we will see that expansion, and, in fact, I think we have to see that expansion, and it's because of a lot of the positive attributes of nuclear right now. Obviously there's a lot of focus on trying to get more clean energy out there, and nuclear is a large base load source of clean energy. And it's not just CO2 emission, but it doesn't emit particulates and all, as well, so it's good air, good quality of life. So it has those key attributes. But there are other clean energy sources as well: renewables, hydro, and all that. But I think the recognition that, if you are going to go toward decarbonization, you need still base load electricity too. You need base load electricity to help intermittent sources like renewables to be able to expand more as well. So nuclear is very good at enabling decarbonization, not just by adding clean electricity to the grid, but enabling you to expand out other renewables like wind and solar and all, as well.Additionally, nuclear is very reliable. Of the energy sources, it has the highest capacity factor of any of the energy sources. In the United States, we run 93 percent of the time, so the existing fleet that we have out there of 94 plants, they're producing a 100 percent of the power 93 percent of the time, which dwarfs what any other energy source does out there as well.Nuclear is safe. At times people are concerned about safety, but, in reality, it's actually one of the safest energy sources out there and continues to demonstrate that.It's resilient for different weather-related events. It can still produce electricity out there as well. It also has a lot of energy security. And as we've learned, unfortunately, from Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, we recognize energy security is national security, so nuclear really does help us on that national security front. It provides an energy source that we can largely on-source from us and our allies. We've got assured fuel supplies, and provides that long-term power. You can put fuel in it and it can last for two years or so.And I guess one other thing I'll add out there as well, is it's a job creator. Of the different energy sources, the amount of jobs associated with nuclear are some of the highest on the amount of electricity produced. And when you actually start building nuclear, like we saw in Vogtle in Georgia where they were building the two plants, it creates huge amounts of jobs. In fact, I heard a stat recently that 35,000 union workers were trained as part of the construction of the Vogtle power plant, so it's a good job creator in all, as well. And again, the power density is great, it doesn't take up a lot of space, and with the advanced technologies that we've developed in the United States, you've continued to increase in the safety, you can have plants of a variety of different sizes that can be easily deployed to, say, retiring coal plants. It just has a lot of flexibility that it hasn't had in the past, but also it's that key recognition of its clean energy attributes, but its energy security attributes as well.Major concerns (7:37)I did not major in nuclear science, I majored in history and political science, but I remember I took a class as an undergraduate at Northwestern University on the nuclear fuel cycle, and I remember to this day that my professor — of course, this was obviously a while ago, and I think what most of the students knew about nuclear energy was probably Three Mile Island — and I remember to this day distinctly the professor saying, “If they wanted to build a nuclear reactor in my backyard, I would be totally fine with it.” He had zero fear on the safety issue. Now when you give that rap that you just gave me about the wonders of nuclear energy before regular people, what is their response? Do they worry about the nuclear waste? Do they worry about safety? Are they immediately sold, or what are the concerns that typically get raised to you?You brought them up. I mean, safety is brought up because you do see these high profile accidents like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima, which were accidents. They weren't good things that you want to have happen, but the industry's also a very learning industry. The improvements that come out of those events have just made the industry even safer and safer. And again, it's still safer than most any other electricity-producing industry out there as well.Waste does get brought up. We have not implemented a final disposal solution for the spent fuel from our reactors, but we have safely stored and managed the spent fuel over the last six decades, and the amount of fuel that's generated, I think the stat that gets tossed around, you could fit it all in a Walmart parking lot. This is not a lot of material because it's a high energy-density fuel. It's not a lot of material, and again, we safely manage that and store that. We have countries now that are moving forward with geological repositories, which we need to be doing in the United States. In fact, just last week, I went and visited the repository that hopefully will be operating next year in Finland for disposing of their spent fuel. We can do that, it's not a technical issue, so we can safely manage the spent fuel.The other issue that always comes up is still cost. We do have to demonstrate now that we can build these plants safely, and efficiently, and at a reasonable cost. On the Vogtle plant there were cost overruns and schedule overruns, but between Vogtle Unit 3 and Unit 4, there was about a 30 percent reduction in costs between those plants, so we are starting to get to where we can be deploying nth-of-a-kind cost plants out there as well. And hopefully with some of the small modular reactor designs and all that are going to rely more on modular construction, we can even get to nth-of-a-kind cost even quicker. It still takes some pushing and understanding to make sure that people do understand the advancements that have been made on nuclear technology, that it's not our parents' nuclear technology, there's a new round of technology out there.Out of practice (11:04)You raised two good points there. The cost issue, and that's a great stat about the Vogtle plant and the reduction between the two reactors. Is it your sense that the fact that we haven't been consistently building reactors and learning from the previous build, and having trained people who've worked on multiple reactors, that each one has become like this bespoke mega project? It's my sense, and it seems logical, at least to me, that that has been a cost driver, that we haven't been able to churn these out like 10 a year, every year, decade after decade, because clearly, if that was the case, I don't see how we don't learn how to build them better, faster, and more efficiently. But that's not what we've been doing, obviously.That's right. It's not. Even when I say with Vogtle, you had to stand back up the whole supply chain, you had to retrain the workforce, so there was a lot of learning in that process, even though, too, we did recognize on that plant you need to have designs very well finalized and standardized as well. One of the problems we realized from the buildout of the 90-something plants that we have now is no two plants were ever that similar. Everyone wanted to make a tweak in their plant, so we never got to where we had standardized designs. So I think now that we're getting that trained workforce, getting the supply chain up there, and our vendors are really saying, “We're doing standardized plants. If someone else wants to make a tweak on this plant, they have to go somewhere else,” that people are going to go with standardized designs so we can really replicate these and get that cost benefit from it. The challenges that you brought up, we have to overcome, and I think we're set up now to be able to overcome that. I appreciate all the effort that went into building Units 3 and 4 at Vogtle. We've got enough benefit from that learning there and hopefully build very soon here.There's a world where we have tripled our nuclear generating capacity, as Secretary Granholm said. Can that be a world where we get all our nuclear power from light water nuclear reactors, or must there be different kinds of reactors? You mentioned the small modular reactors, and I've interviewed startups doing microreactors, I don't know, maybe they'll be used to power data centers, but can that world of greatly increased nuclear generation, even with improvements in light water reactors, must there be different kinds of reactors?I wouldn't say “must.” I think there will be. I think we will have that variability. I think we will still have large plants being built. I think maybe five years ago you wouldn't hear that people were talking about building gigawatt-sizes plants again. I think we'll have the gigawatt-size plants, we'll have the small modular reactors that are water-cooled, but I think we will get some of those advanced reactors out there: the Generation IV reactors, the sodium-cooled fast reactors that have the capacity to be able to burn waste better and also increase the sustainability of the amount of fuel they use. I think you'll also have the high-temperature gas reactors that are helium-cooled, that use TRISO fuel. You'll have those because we need to not only decarbonize the electricity sector, we've got to decarbonize the industrial sector. That's much more challenging, and the high temperatures that can be provided from those reactors will help us in that decarbonization process. So I think we will have a mixture out there. There are cases where the Gen IV systems are going to be better than the gigawatt-sized plants for the needs that are out there, but large power plants are going to be needed as well. Especially, like you say, you bring up the data centers, the amount of growth that we're hearing for electricity right now, I think again, we'll see gigawatt-sized plants will be needed to be able to meet that growth.Yeah, I tell you, nothing frustrates me more than reading about what AI could perhaps do for our economy and then having people say, “Well, but we know we can't do it because we can't supply the power” or “We can't supply enough clean power,” I mean, well then it'd be sure great to have more nuclear energy. And I wonder, as you sort of tick off some of the potential advances and new kinds of reactors, maybe I look backward too much, but I can't help but wonder what nuclear reactors would be like today, where we would be today, maybe we would already have fusion reactors had we proceeded with this kind of momentum every decade since 1980. It drives me crazy, and you're a nuclear engineer, that must drive you crazy.It does, I've been doing this . . . my first job in the nuclear industry was almost 40 years ago when I was still in college, and there have definitely been ups and downs in funding. In fact, there were some periods where there was almost zero research and development dollars spent in the government on nuclear energy. Luckily, though, the thing that we have is, under the four presidential administrations, there's been a real steady climb in the recognition of the importance of nuclear, and the funding to support it. So I'm happy that we have had this period that goes back to the early 2000s that's been really steady growth in recognition of nuclear. If we would've not had some of those laws in the late '80s and '90s, yeah, we could probably be further ahead, especially on some of the advanced technologies. Because yes, some of those advanced technologies started on research that was back in the '50s, '60s and '70s: the sodium-cooled fast reactor, the molten salt reactor, all of those were based on R&D that we did back in the early days, as well.Next-generation policy (17:38)Which leads me to this question: You work for the government. I work for a public policy think tank, so of course I'm going to think about: Given where we are today, what government needs to do going forward, both on the R&D front and on the regulatory front, are we doing enough basic research for whatever the next, or the next next generation of nuclear is, and do we now have the kind regulatory framework we need for that next generation of reactors?I'll go to the research one first—and I should note, my background is, I'm an R&D person, I came out of the national labs, so of course we always need more research and development. But that said, we have been blessed by funding from Congress and the administration that there's a significant amount of money for research and development in the United States. And I'll say that's good, because the one thing I will note, I do believe innovation in the US, as far as the nuclear technology, we are the best. The technologies that we're developing and our vendors are deploying it, really, it is the cutting edge technology, so it's good we have that R&D, and it's important, as you know, we need to continue to have it to move forward on that next generation of technologies and continue to make improvements on the technologies out there. So I think we have a good research base.There's some infrastructure that we still need if we start deploying, say, when we mentioned that sodium-cooled fast reactor, we don't have a testing capability for that type of system. We shut down our last testing system on a fast reactor in 1994. We would probably need some additional infrastructure. But again, we have a pretty good base. And I'll say that also on the regulatory side. We do have a pretty good base as well. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is obviously focused on light water reactors throughout its history, but they've actually been doing a good job at being able to work with some of the developers. We have three entities out there that are working on Generation IV reactors. TerraPower did submit their construction authorization to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and they've accepted it, so they're working well with them, even though they have a water-based system. Hopefully X-energy, who's doing a high-temperature gas reactor, working with the government and all, as well, will be moving forward, as well. And we've had a third that's working in the molten salt space, a molten salt-cooled reactor that has already received a construction permit to go forward on a prototype reactor, a Kairos company.I'm sure there's got to be reforms still on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and make sure that we are timely and responding to license applications, but they are moving in the right direction. There's been a lot of interface with various laws, whether it's the NEICA (Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act), or NEIMA (Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act), two bills that were passed a little while back looking at reforming. And I think there still needs to be improvements and still need to be increase in the resource and capacity of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but they're heading in the right direction.We have a good regulator, and that's one of the things that helps us make sure we feel that we can deploy this technology safely here, but also helps us in exporting our technology, where we can say, “Our technology has been licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which has such a high view externally in other countries, that helps us. So I want them to continue to be that safe regulator, but again, they are continuing to work to improve and streamline the process. Hopefully we get toward where we're standardizing, that we don't have to have a lot of interface and we don't — that'll come to the utilities, too — we don't make changes once we've got something approved, so we hopefully can speed up the process from the utility side, and all is well.Human capital (21:48)Are we going to turn out enough nuclear engineers? I imagine that, for a while, that probably seemed like a hard sell to someone who had an interest in science and engineering, to be in this industry versus some others. Probably a little easier sell; are we going to have enough people going into that to build all these reactors?We are going to need to continue to increase it. We're already seeing the uptick, though, in that area. I'll note: Our office, the office of Nuclear Energy, we've really — going back to the 2010 timeframe — really recognized that we needed to do more in that area, so we actually started investing almost 20 percent of our R&D budget to the universities to hopefully foster that next generation. And in fact, this year we just hit the mark where we've now spent $1 billion since the start of those programs on the universities to make sure we're doing R&D there and getting that next generation of folks out there. It's something that we've got to continue to focus on to make sure that we do. Because yeah, if we triple, it's going to need a lot more nuclear engineers. But I also note, the thing I'm concerned about also is making sure we have the right trades and all, as well. If we're building these plants, making sure you have the welders, the pipe fitters, and all, that's going to be a big challenge, as well, especially if we're going to start building, say, 10 plants a year. That's a lot of people out there.Fusion forecast (23:12)I'm excited about the prospects for nuclear fusion, and I've talked to people at startups, and it has probably looked as promising as it ever has. How promising is it? How should I think about it as being part of our energy solution going forward, given where we're at? In fact, there are no commercial nuclear fusion reactors right now. Obviously people at startups give a lot of optimistic forecasts. How should I even think about that as being a partial solution in the coming decades? How do you look at it, at least?I think it can be part of the solution in the coming decades. I think some of the changes that's taken place, especially over the last two years where there is more of a change to focus on, not fusion as a science program, but fusion as deployment, as an energy producer, you look at it as an applied energy. I think that's an important change that's occurred over the last two years, and the fusion programs within the Department of Energy are much more focused to that. It's similar to what's happened somewhat with fission. Fission, about 15 years ago, it was government-driven, and you pull along industry, until about 15 years ago you started having industry investing a lot of money and pulling along the government. You're now starting to see that happen in fusion, where people are doing a lot of a private investment, they're pulling along the government, and the government's working to see, how can we use the resources of the government to enable it? So I think it will happen. I don't think fusion is going to be producing electricity to the grid this decade, but I think the vision that's been put forth by the government is their bold, decade-old vision to have a fusion pilot facility sometime within the decade. I think that is feasible. So maybe before the 2050s you can start having fusion generating some of our electricity. I'm a fission person at my heart, but I think fusion is, we're getting much more focused on moving it forward as an electricity source, and that'll help it be able to be deployed sometime here in our lifetime.Faster, Please! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Micro ReadsHow Elon Musk and SpaceX Plan to Colonize Mars - NYTWhat happened to the artificial-intelligence revolution? - Economist The EV trade war between China and the West heats up - Economist Defeated by A.I., a Legend in the Board Game Go Warns: Get Ready for What's Next - NYTPfizer pins hopes on daily pill to crack market for weight-loss drugs - FTRise of the Restaurant Robots: Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Others Bet on Automation - WSJSaudi Arabia's Trillion-Dollar Makeover Faces Funding Cutbacks - BbergAI Spending: Goldman Strategists Say Big Tech's Splurge Worries Investors - BbergIt's Time for AI to Start Making Money for Businesses. Can It? - WSJFaster, Please! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fasterplease.substack.com/subscribe

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Southwest Michigan's Morning News for Tuesday, July 9, 2024

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 9:51

In today's news: Weekend parking pilot at Silver Beach gets mixed reviews Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss Palisades environmental review Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff is this weekend and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southwest Michigan's Morning News for Tuesday, July 9, 2024

bluff palisades morning news southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 9:51

Southwest Michigan's Morning News for Friday, June 28, 2024

data morning news southwest michigan nuclear regulatory commission

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 11:25

In today's news: Data center tax break is stalled in Lansing DNR says dead gulls was not a result of bird flu Nuclear Regulatory Commission visits St. Joseph and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 278: For A Green Future "Yellowstone Ranching Bison." 062324 Episode 280

For A Green Future

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 57:49

Host Joe DeMare talks about heat waves in Ohio and around the world, and how increased heat makes people stupider. This leads to bad decisions like Congress's ADVANCE act, which turns the Nuclear Regulatory Commission into a nuclear promotion agency. Like we need another one of those. Then he interviews Stephany Seay about another bad government decision, the choice of "Option 2" in the bison management plan which will limit bison numbers to 6,000 max. Rebecca Wood talks about pecans. Ecological News includes: new studies predicting geoengineering disaster; approval for the mountain valley pipeline; and French nuke company EDF on trail for corruption.

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America's Nuclear Policy Is Getting … Pretty Good!

Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 62:06

Congress just passed perhaps its biggest support for zero-carbon energy since the Inflation Reduction Act. The ADVANCE Act, which the Senate adopted overwhelmingly last week, aims to keep America at the cutting edge of the global nuclear industry by cutting regulatory fees, making it easier for U.S. companies to build nuclear power plants abroad, and reforming the agency that oversees it all, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. On this week's episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Ryan Norman, a senior policy advisor at Third Way's climate and energy program, about how America got here. We talk about why nuclear is such a bipartisan issue, what the ADVANCE Act will actually do, and how soon new nuclear power plants could actually get built. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.Mentioned: Nuclear Energy Is the One Thing Congress Can Agree OnEveryone Wants Nuclear Now, But Will Anyone Pay For It?A summary of the ADVANCE Act from the law firm Hogan Lovells Third Way's update on the state of the nuclear industryHow the Inflation Reduction Act supports nuclear energyRob's downshift; Jesse's downshift--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …Watershed's climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is Regulation Strangling Nuclear Energy?

Decouple

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2024 79:06

Is overzealous regulation the root cause of the contemporary crisis in deployment of nuclear reactors in the USA? James Krellenstein argues that Nuclear Regulatory Commission critics are trapped in the 1980's and that the spectre haunting today's deployments are not primarily regulatory. Due to simplified systems and lower material costs modern NRC approved passive reactors should be cheaper than complex Gen 2 reactors. In addition there are 17 licensed sites with combined construction and operating licenses in the USA ready to go. All that and more on this week's episode.

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Atomic Show #317 – Trey Lauderdale – Founder, Atomic Canyon

The Atomic Show

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 28:17

Atomic Canyon is a six month old company that is developing AI tools to improve the efficiency of routine tasks associated with developing, licensing, building, owning and operating nuclear plants. Their first product, called Neutron, uses AI to modernize searching the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 52 million page collection of publicly available documents that are currently...

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Can coal find new political champions amid industry decline?

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 8:39

For years now, coal's role in power production has been dramatically declining, but the industry's short-term outlook is also about to get worse. POLITICO's Alex Guillén breaks down the different political and regulatory challenges facing the coal industry and whether it has the political might to recover. Plus, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission just took a critical step aimed at bringing new nuclear technologies to market faster. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Alex Guillén is an energy reporter for POLITICO Pro. Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer. Annie Rees is a senior audio producer-host at POLITICO. Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.

Legal News for Fri 3/29 - SCOTUS-Bound Nuclear Waste Case, SBF 25 Years for Fraud, Texas AG Investigates Boeing Supplier and Facebook Spying Revelations

Minimum Competence

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024 13:20

This Day in Legal History: Canada CreatedOn March 29, 1867, a pivotal moment in legal and political history unfolded as the British Parliament passed the British North America Act, laying the groundwork for a united and independent Dominion of Canada. This act was a monumental step, not just for the territories involved, but for the concept of nation-building and governance in the 19th century. It provided a structured constitution for Canada, which at the time, united the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Canada province (which was subsequently divided into Ontario and Quebec) under a single federal government. This legislative move was pivotal in defining Canada's national identity and sovereignty.The British North America Act, also known as the Constitution Act of 1867, is celebrated for introducing a federal system of government, allocating specific powers to the provinces and others to the federal government, a structure that has endured and evolved. It also established the bicameral legislature comprising the House of Commons and the Senate, adopting a parliamentary system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. This act not only marked the legal birth of Canada but also set a precedent for the peaceful transition of power and the creation of new nations through legislative means.The passage of this act was the culmination of a series of conferences and negotiations among the leaders of the British North American colonies, reflecting a mature and collaborative approach to nationhood. It addressed the pressing need for a united front in the face of external threats and internal discord, particularly the Fenian raids and the threat of American expansionism. When the act took effect on July 1, 1867, it did not merely create a new country; it established a framework for democracy, rights, and governance that Canadians continue to build upon. This legislation stands as a testament to the enduring values of unity, cooperation, and self-governance, marking March 29 as a day of significant legal and historical importance in the creation of the Dominion of Canada.The U.S. is facing a growing legal dispute over nuclear waste storage, likely headed for the Supreme Court, following conflicting appellate court decisions regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) authority to license two proposed storage facilities. The most recent decision from the Fifth Circuit Court vacated a license for Holtec International to store spent nuclear fuel in New Mexico, similar to an earlier ruling against a Texas facility by Interim Storage Partners (ISP). These decisions oppose a prior ruling from the District of Columbia Circuit, which approved the ISP facility's license, highlighting a significant legal split.Holtec and ISP, along with government support, are expected to challenge the Fifth Circuit's decisions, suggesting a Supreme Court review could overturn them. This legal stalemate underscores the challenges of finding a solution for the 86,000 metric tons of nuclear waste stored across 33 states. Efforts to establish a permanent site have been stalled, notably with the withdrawal from the Yucca Mountain project, leading to temporary storage proposals. The Supreme Court's potential involvement could resolve the legal impasse and address the broader issue of nuclear waste management in the U.S.US Efforts to Store Nuclear Waste Poised for High Court ReviewSam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-defunct FTX cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a fraud involving $8 billion stolen from customers, marking a significant moment in his rapid fall from grace. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan imposed the sentence after finding Bankman-Fried guilty of seven fraud and conspiracy charges related to FTX's 2022 collapse, rejecting the defense's claims that customers did not lose money and deeming Bankman-Fried unremorseful. Despite apologizing for the impact on customers and colleagues, Bankman-Fried did not admit to criminal actions and plans to appeal both his conviction and sentence.The sentencing reflects the severe consequences of defrauding investors and customers in the financial industry, underscoring the message from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about the accountability awaiting those who commit financial crimes. Kaplan highlighted the significant losses incurred by FTX customers, equity investors, and lenders to the Alameda Research hedge fund, founded by Bankman-Fried, totaling over $11 billion in losses. This led to an $11 billion forfeiture order to compensate the victims.Prosecutors had requested a sentence ranging from 40 to 50 years, while Bankman-Fried's defense argued for a significantly shorter term, portraying him as an awkward but non-malicious figure who attempted to recover customer funds post-collapse. Despite efforts to distance Bankman-Fried from infamous fraudsters and emphasize his mathematical decision-making, the court remained focused on the extensive harm caused by his actions.Bankman-Fried's status as a prominent political donor and figure in the cryptocurrency space, known for his commitment to effective altruism and significant contributions to political causes, was also scrutinized. His detention since August 2023, due to concerns over witness tampering, and the judge's recommendation for his incarceration near San Francisco, highlight the gravity of his offenses and the legal system's response to financial malfeasance in the emerging cryptocurrency market.Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for multi-billion dollar FTX fraud | ReutersTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated an investigation into Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc, a key supplier of parts for Boeing, due to ongoing issues with some of these parts. This inquiry comes in the wake of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun's announcement of his departure by year's end, following a series of concerns raised by regulators and airline customers, notably after a panel detached from a 737 MAX 9 jet in January.Texas attorney general opens investigation into parts supplier for Boeing | ReutersDetails have emerged regarding Facebook's extensive history of spying on its users' encrypted communications across various apps and services, highlighting a broader issue of online privacy exploitation by numerous entities. In 2018, Facebook was discovered using a "privacy protecting VPN" called Onavo as spyware to monitor user activity on other platforms, an operation that had been sanctioned by CEO Mark Zuckerberg under "Project Ghostbusters." This project aimed to intercept and decrypt encrypted app traffic from users of Snapchat, YouTube, and Amazon, effectively conducting a large-scale "man in the middle attack" to spy on users. The strategy involved developing spyware capable of accessing data before encryption, utilizing the Onavo VPN, acquired by Facebook in 2013 and repurposed for espionage without clear disclosure to users.Internal documents from a lawsuit against Facebook's parent company, Meta, reveal that high-ranking Facebook executives were aware of the ethical and security issues posed by such surveillance but proceeded regardless. This revelation is part of a class action lawsuit filed in 2020, accusing Facebook of spying on users and lying about it. The case underscores the lax consumer privacy protections in the U.S. and the vast, loosely regulated ecosystem of data surveillance that compromises personal information for profit, often under the guise of anonymization. Despite numerous privacy scandals, there has been little meaningful action from Congress to address these concerns, particularly when lobbyists for companies like Facebook aim to eliminate competitors like TikTok. The situation raises alarms about the potential for future scandals that could finally prompt legislative action on privacy.Details Emerge Of Facebook's Long History Of Spying On Encrypted User Communications Across Different Apps And Service | TechdirtJoseph Haydn (1732-1809), was a towering figure in the Classical period of Western music, and holds a foundational place in the history of symphonic and chamber music. Born in Rohrau, Austria, Haydn's musical journey began at a young age, leading him to become a choirboy at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Despite a challenging start, Haydn's undeniable talent and relentless work ethic propelled him into the circles of the Esterházy family, one of the most influential patrons of the arts in Austria, where he spent much of his career as a court musician.Haydn's contributions to music are monumental, having composed over 100 symphonies, numerous operas, string quartets, piano sonatas, and two celebrated oratorios, "The Creation" and "The Seasons." His work laid the groundwork for future generations, earning him the titles "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet." Through his innovative structures, development of musical motifs, and the exploration of dynamic contrasts, Haydn shaped the Classical style, influencing contemporaries and successors alike, including Mozart and Beethoven.Haydn's legacy is not just in his compositions but in his approach to music as a vibrant, living art form. His ability to infuse his works with wit, humor, and deep emotion speaks to his profound understanding of the human experience, making his music timeless and universally admired.Featured Piece: Symphony No. 77 in B flat major, IV. Allegro spiritosoThis week, we feature the exhilarating final movement, "Allegro spiritoso," from Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 77 in B flat major. Composed during the zenith of Haydn's career in the late 18th century, this symphony exemplifies Haydn's mastery in orchestrating dynamic contrasts and his flair for thematic development.The Symphony No. 77 is part of Haydn's middle-period works, where he experimented with form and harmony to expand the expressive capabilities of the symphony. The "Allegro spiritoso" movement, in particular, showcases Haydn's skill in creating engaging musical narratives that are both intellectually satisfying and emotionally compelling. This movement is characterized by its spirited tempo and the lively, joyful themes that dance throughout the piece, providing a fitting conclusion to the symphony.Listeners will appreciate the movement's clever use of dynamics, the interplay between the orchestral sections, and the seamless transitions that propel the music forward. It's a testament to Haydn's ability to compose music that feels fresh and invigorating, demonstrating why he remains a central figure in the classical music canon.As we explore "Allegro spiritoso," let us appreciate the genius of Haydn, whose music continues to inspire and delight audiences around the world. Get full access to Minimum Competence - Daily Legal News Podcast at www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Is California's big offshore wind push in trouble?

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 7:02

California's pursuit of offshore wind hasn't suffered the same setbacks seen in some East Coast states, but potential hiccups are emerging. POLITICO's Wes Veintecher breaks down the offshore wind snags out West and how it fits into broader concerns within the industry. Plus, the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission painted an optimistic picture of the industry's future during the agency's annual conference on Tuesday. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy

The John Kerry climate era ends tomorrow