New House legislation would create spent nuclear fuel R&D program

As part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Research and Development Act (H.R. 8258) introduced to the House by U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) this week, a new spent nuclear fuel research and development program would be launched at the Department of Energy.

Starting with a budget of $500 million, spread out over five years, the program would investigate options for dry cask storage, consolidated interim storage, deep geological storage and disposal, and used nuclear fuel transportation.

“The spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre, and other decommissioned plants across the country poses serious risks to our health and safety, and we must strive to find new solutions to store and dispose of the waste responsibly,” Levin said. “As my San Onofre Task Force made clear in its report, the Department of Energy must do more to develop new solutions to the challenges our nation faces with spent nuclear fuel. This bill would bring us one step closer to getting the waste at San Onofre off of our beach, and that remains one of my top priorities.”

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station ceased producing electricity in 2012, but now hosts more than 1,600 tons of spent nuclear fuel just 100 feet from the Pacific Ocean.

In early 2019, Levin convened the San Onofre Task Force, which found no location for the interim storage or disposal of the country’s commercially-generated spent nuclear fuel exists. In response, Levin called for insurances of the safety of the site. He also called for a collaborative program made by federal agencies and the nuclear industry, which could incentivize spent nuclear fuel storage R&D to identify alternate means of isolating nuclear material from both people and the environment.