It definitely is the "Quiet Fight," as noted in the title, since most DOE folks are not even aware it's happening. I was at a recent conference and I noted the recent effort to start some government funding and they all shook their heads and said it's a 100% dead.
perhaps 'cause some of them know that in 2012 the contracts to remove installed SSC was let out and executed, ergo, while you still have a hole in a mountain, the SSC to support licensing of that hole in a mountain are gone,....
so,....except for boring a hole in a mountain, the licensing is at A,...
and it's a long, long way to Z,....