Maryland’s Commissioner O’Donnell testifies on draft bill for nuclear waste disposal

Commissioner Anthony J. O’Donnell of the Maryland Public Service Commission testified yesterday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) on a draft bill on nuclear waste policy.

The discussion draft lays out reforms to the U.S. nuclear waste management policy to ensure that the federal government fulfills its legal obligations to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.

O’Donnell noted in filed testimony that ratepayers have spent more than $40 billion on the U.S. Nuclear Waste Fund, while the nuclear waste program has not advanced in 30 years. He also wrote that American taxpayers are subsidizing between $500 and $800 million annually in legal judgment payments.

“It is imperative that this program move toward a solution for the benefit of utility ratepayers who have already made substantial contributions to the fund,” O’Donnell, who chairs NARUC’s Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues-Waste Disposal, said.

NARUC holds the position that ratepayers and the public interest have not been served by inaction on the issue of nuclear waste disposal.

“This is a positive step toward finally serving the public interest and being accountable to America’s utility customers, who have paid billions of dollars into this program,” NARUC President Nick Wagner said. “NARUC members were at the table at the inception of the nuclear waste program, and we are committed to working with the federal government to ensure that solutions are found for the treatment of spent nuclear fuel.”