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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
Top Tier Award
Topic: Nuclear Policy and Non–proliferation
VIEW RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
August 1
Presented at the
Winter Conference
odd years only
Award
Engraved Bronze Medal
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal is an award to be made to an individual in recognition of outstanding leadership in public policy for nuclear science and technology or outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear nonproliferation. This award is to recognize and honor excellence worthy of international recognition sustained over a period of time.
The award consists of an engraved bronze medal. It is presented during the ANS Winter Conference on a bi-annual basis.
Nominees may be from any nation, but they must not be deceased at the time the awardee is selected and need not be ANS members. Only in exceptional cases will a posthumous award be made.
This award was established in 2014 by the ANS Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) and later elevated to a Top Tier national award in 2018.
This award is named after the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who played an instrumental role in nurturing the nuclear age to technical and political maturity.
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
The principal sponsor has the responsibility of (a) securing the required letters of recommendation from the other co-sponsors, (b) assembling the nomination package and (c) submitting it to ANS headquarters along with his or her own recommendation of the nominee by the deadline indicated in the call for nominations announcement.
Evidence of the candidate's merit to receive the Eisenhower Medal shall be submitted in the form of written recommendations from the sponsors, specifying the candidate's outstanding accomplishments and contributions in nuclear public policy and/or the field of nuclear nonproliferation. The selection of the award is determined by critical review and assessment of submitted credentials and qualifications; hence, due care should be exercised in the preparation of the nomination package. In the process of review and selection, the emphasis is placed on excellence and beneficial impact of achievement in nuclear public policy and/or nuclear nonproliferation as evidenced by (a) outstanding original research, documented in refereed scientific journals or major publications and/or (b) recognized outstanding results achieved through leadership in nuclear public policy and/or nuclear nonproliferation, supported by the nomination letters.
View Award