The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will increase scrutiny of a Columbia atomic fuel factory after nearly a year of concerns about atomic safety and the buildup of uranium at the 48-year-old plant. Thestate.com

Germans already footing the second-highest electricity bills in Europe may face even higher costs from the country’s decision to exit nuclear power early next decade. Bloomberg.com

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is right to say the U.S. needs a long-term solution to its massive nuclear waste problem. It also makes sense for Perry and some members of Congress to see Yucca Mountain as part of that solution — though many Nevadans promise to make sure it won’t be. Bloomberg.com

One of the precepts of leadership — in all walks of life — is that there’s nothing much worse than a person in charge who won’t take charge. That’s where America has been for the past quarter-century as regards the Department of Defense (DOD) and nuclear weapons investors.com