Hearing examines nuclear waste stalemate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee members recently conducted a hearing to examine options for the interim and long-term storage of nuclear waste.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired the hearing in which the panel received testimony on the Nuclear Waste Administration Act (NWAA), which was introduced in late April by Murkowski, as well as Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
“The large reactors that dot the landscape provide reliable, emissions-free power to communities across the country,” she said. “Our nation’s nuclear industry is critically important, but also faces several challenges, and one that has impacted it since the first reactors began operation is nuclear waste disposition.”
Murkowski described the stalemate over the back end of the fuel cycle, including the federal government’s inability to take the title of used fuel and move it to a repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
“The federal government’s failure to deliver on this promise is now costing taxpayers over $2 million per day,” she said. “This hearing is an opportunity for us to consider our next steps on nuclear waste. Do we continue to delay in the face of the stalemate over Yucca, or do we try to find another path forward for used fuel storage – especially for communities that are maintaining sites with only used fuel casks left on hand, with the rest of the plant decommissioned?”
Hearing witnesses provided testimony on the bill and discussed the importance of moving forward on nuclear waste to realize the potential of advanced reactors, which officials said have the potential to revolutionize the nuclear industry.
