March 17, 2014

BARRASSO: ANTI-NUKES WANT THE INDUSTRY TO â€˜CHOKE ON ITS OWN WASTEâ€™

By ExchangeMonitor

The time to act on national used fuel legislation is now, stakeholders at the Nuclear Energy Assembly meeting in Washington, D.C. yesterday said, but whether or not this notoriously divided Congress can gather the bipartisan support to move has yet to be seen. Though he was not one of the four bipartisan senators who introduced draft discussion legislation on used nuclear fuel April 25, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) voiced his support for moving on the issue at the meeting. “I believe we should consider proposals to address interim storage soon, take the necessary steps to ensure the interim storage moves forward and recognize that those who oppose the use of nuclear energy would like nothing more than to have the industry choke on its own waste to the point that the industry is no longer viable,” Barrasso said. “We cannot let that happen.”

The group of senators from the Energy and Natural Resources as well as Appropriations committees, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), are collecting comments on the discussion draft through May 24. “There’s clearly action, key figures in House and Senate recognize there’s need for action on it and have expended energy trying to push the bill forward,” Tim Smith, president of Governmental Strategies Incorporated, said at yesterday’s meeting. “The not-so-good news,” Smith said, “is the House are in the opposite direction on a key issue, which is the future of Yucca Mountain. [But] it’s a good thing, Wyden saying there are encouraging signs among the senate quartet, and at the same time working with House members like [Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.)] to see where that takes us.” Greg White, chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ nuclear waste subcommittee, said at the meeting yesterday, “Congress has to step into the fray again. We commend the senators for their input. NARUC will be submitting comments so I’ll withhold those until our comments are public. But reiterating this is an important policy initiative.”

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