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Less than one month away from the anniversary of the Fukushima-Daiichi disaster — the world's largest since Chernobyl — the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a license to build and operate two reactors at a nuclear plant in Georgia. These will be the first reactors built in the U.S. since 1978. 

The oil unleashed into the Gulf of Mexico over the last months is a toxic danger to sea life and wetlands, but in a frustrating Catch-22, so is one of the key methods of fighting the oil. Chemical dispersants, though better (in most cases) for the environment than the oil itself, still pose different environmental hazards. BP says they have only used 1.8 million gallons of the dispersant "Corexit," but a Congressional inquiry may yet call those numbers into doubt. We look at the effects of the dispersant on the environment and talk to a shrimper about whether he's seen any toxicity in his catch as the season begins.

• Money Takeout: Louise Story of the New York Times explains why U.S. media companies just scored a victory in the ongoing US-China trade war. 
• Airline Takeout: New York Times reporter Matthew Wald tells us about a new law intended to prevent airline passengers from being kept on the tarmac for long periods of time while waiting for their flights to leave.
• Listener Takeout: From health care to holiday songs, Takeaway listeners are coming through loud and clear. 

President-elect Barack Obama intends to nominate Steven Chu as Energy Secretary. For insight into what the pick illustrates about the Obama administration, The Takeaway talks to New York Times reporter Matt Wald.

The energy industry and its various lobbyists have been a driving force in Washington for decades. Find out how money from the energy industry has impacted everything from the price of gas to how much corn is grown in Iowa. Ken Silverstein is Washington Editor for Harper’s magazine; ...