Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) reintroduced a bill last week that would order the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the viability of domestic nuclear fuel recycling.
In the Senate bill, Advancing Research in Nuclear Fuel Recycling Act of 2025, the energy secretary is instructed to analyze the practicality, benefits, costs and risks of recycling spent fuel into fuel for reactors and other medical, space and other non-reactor uses.
Different fuel recycling processes, such as aqueous and non-aqueous, and new nuclear recycling technologies will also be evaluated, according to the bill.
Cruz and Heinrich introduced similar legislation last year.
The study would be overseen by the assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy. The written report would be submitted to Congress within a year after the act passes.
The mandated study would compare the practicality of fuel recycling and the once-through fuel cycle, which includes temporary and permanent storage requirements.
The legislation also instructs DOE to identify any regulatory gaps surrounding waste management and fuel recycling
“Spent nuclear fuel has the potential to dramatically increase America’s energy, economic, and national security,” Cruz said in his Oct. 17 press release. “Domestic recycling can reduce the space we need for spent nuclear fuel, enhance energy independence, reduce our dependence on imports, and broaden the supply of rare elements and isotopes used in medicine and advanced technologies.”
“Recycling solutions will also reduce the burden on individual states from nuclear waste accumulation, and accelerate progress on nuclear energy, which is our nation’s cleanest baseload energy source,” Cruz added.
Nuclear industry executives of Curio and Oklo praised fuel recycling-oriented legislation. Both companies have recently taken steps to pursue domestic fuel recycling as Oklo announced plans for a $1.7 billion recycling facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Curio has completed a lab scale demonstration for its recycling technology, NuCycle.
“We appreciate Senators Cruz and Heinrich for their bipartisan leadership in keeping nuclear waste recycling on the national agenda,” Curio CEO Ed McGinnis said. “What we call ‘waste’ is, in fact, a valuable energy resource that can help strengthen America’s energy security, reduce long-term environmental burdens, and support advanced nuclear technologies.”
“Oklo greatly appreciates Congress’s leadership in advancing commercial recycling of used nuclear fuel,” Oklo Co-Founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte said. “The proposed legislation reflects growing recognition of fuel recycling as a strategic pathway to strengthen U.S. energy security and enhance domestic supply chains.”