Interim Storage & Waste Disposal

HENDERSON, Nev. — There is little chance the appropriations bill covering the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission will provide any funding in fiscal 2019 for licensing the long-planned Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada, issue observers said Wednesday. Politics are at the heart of the matter, specifically safeguarding Sen. Dean Heller’s (R-Nev.) chances […]

There is little chance the final appropriations bill covering the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission will provide any funding in fiscal 2019 for licensing the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository in Nevada, one industry observer said Wednesday. Lawmakers on the House-Senate conference committee for the “minibus” that would fund several agencies met Wednesday, […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is again taking public comments on the scope of its environmental impact statement for a temporary spent nuclear fuel storage site proposed to be built in West Texas. The agency in April 2017 suspended its review of the site license application, including the comment period, at the request of applicant […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July spent another $5,861 from its Nuclear Waste Fund balance, according to its latest report to Congress. The spending was similar in both amount and type to costs listed in agency reports filed in recent months. That was topped by $4,315 for a February meeting of the Licensing Support […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week officially resumed its technical review of a license application for a facility in West Texas that would store up to 40,000 metric tons of used nuclear reactor fuel. A partnership of Waste Control Specialists and Orano in June filed an updated license application for the planned consolidated interim […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public input on an application for a 40-year license renewal for operation of the independent spent fuel storage installation at the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in Herald, Calif. Like other nuclear power operators around the country, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is waiting for the […]

The state of Nevada on Wednesday asked a federal appeals court to block Nuclear Regulatory Commission member David Wright from participating in any licensing decision for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in the state. The filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit comes nearly two months after […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week officially resumed its technical review of a license application for a facility in West Texas that would store up to 40,000 metric tons of used nuclear reactor fuel. A partnership of Waste Control Specialists and Orano in June filed an updated license application for the planned consolidated interim […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering an application for a 40-year license extension for operation of the independent spent fuel storage installation at the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in Herald, Calif. Like other nuclear power operators around the country, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is waiting for the Department of Energy […]

A key committee of the New Mexico Legislature appears split on whether to support plans by Holtec International to build a large-scale storage facility in the state to hold used fuel from U.S. nuclear reactors. Seven of the 12 voting members of the legislature’s interim bicameral Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee in recent weeks signed […]

A recent meeting between senior U.S. and South Korean officials ended with a pledge to cooperate on dealing with used nuclear reactor fuel and other atomic operations, according to the Department of Energy. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Friday led the second plenary of the High […]

President Donald Trump on Aug. 13 signed the $717 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 2019, accepting its prohibition on funding for disposal of defense nuclear waste. The final bill is another setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to revive plans for a radioactive waste repository under Yucca Mountain in Nevada. However, state […]

A recent meeting between senior U.S. and South Korean officials ended with a pledge to cooperate on dealing with used nuclear reactor fuel and other atomic operations, according to the Department of Energy. U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Friday led the second plenary of the […]

The Trump administration’s nominee to become Energy Department general counsel said during his confirmation hearing Thursday the agency should follow the law on establishing a nuclear waste repository below Yucca Mountain in Nevada During the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee session, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) asked how William Cooper would approach the long-planned […]

A key committee of the New Mexico Legislature appears split on whether to support plans by Holtec International to build a large-scale storage site in the state to hold used fuel from U.S. nuclear reactors. Seven of the 12 voting members of the legislature’s bicameral Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Interim Committee in recent weeks signed […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June spent just over $2,000 of its remaining balance from the Nuclear Waste Fund, leaving it with $455,063 absent an infusion of money from Congress. The Nuclear Waste Fund is intended to pay for licensing and construction of a permanent repository for U.S. spent nuclear reactor fuel and high-level defense […]

The Senate on Wednesday voted 87-10 in favor of advancing the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which provides no support for shipping radioactive waste from U.S. defense programs to the always-controversial planned repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. This is the latest hit to the Trump administration’s efforts to resume licensing for the underground […]

A committee of the United Kingdom Parliament on Tuesday declined to rule out construction of a geologic repository for nuclear waste under one of the nation’s nuclear parks. The House of Commons’ Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee published its findings regarding the government’s draft national policy statement for geologic disposal infrastructure, issued in January. […]

The ExchangeMonitor is taking its August recess, and RadWaste Monitor will not be published during the second and third weeks of the month. We’ll still be in the office, so keep the news tips coming, and look for the next weekly newsletter in your inbox on Friday, Aug. 24.

All spent fuel at the retired Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station has been moved to dry storage, owner Entergy announced Thursday. The transfer campaign, conducted by Holtec International, began in June 2017. It involved removing nearly 3,000 sent fuel assemblies from wet storage and placing them in 45 storage casks, which were then transported to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week denied the latest, and last, request to extend the comment period on the scope of its environmental impact statement for a proposed spent nuclear fuel storage site in southeastern New Mexico. Monday was the agency’s deadline for public input on this aspect of the broader technical review of the […]

A committee of the United Kingdom Parliament on Tuesday declined to rule out construction of a geologic repository for nuclear waste under one of the nation’s nuclear parks. The House of Commons’ Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee published its findings regarding the government’s draft national policy statement for geologic disposal infrastructure, issued in January. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has denied the latest, and presumably last, request to extend the comment period on the scope of its environmental impact statement for a proposed spent fuel storage site in southeastern New Mexico. Monday was the agency’s deadline for public input on this aspect of the NRC technical review of the license […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should address water supply and quality and a number of other issues in its environmental impact statement (EIS) for a planned spent nuclear reactor fuel storage site in southeastern New Mexico, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The environmental evaluation is a key part of a broader NRC technical review […]

The final version of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now needs only Senate approval and a presidential signature to become law, authorized no funding to send high-level nuclear waste generated by U.S. defense programs to the long-planned Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) quickly claimed credit for the lack […]

By John Stang About three dozen environmental and antinuclear organizations have requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission extend the end of its current comment period on a proposed temporary used nuclear reactor fuel storage site in New Mexico from July 30 to Oct. 30. The nuclear industry regulator through Monday is taking comments on […]

The City Council of Las Cruces, N.M., on Tuesday narrowly approved a resolution opposing plans for transportation and storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel in the state. With the 4-3 vote, the city joined Albuquerque and a number of other municipalities in voicing their concerns over Holtec International’s proposal to temporarily store more than 100,000 metric […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should address water supply and quality and a number of other issues in its environmental impact statement (EIS) for a planned spent nuclear reactor fuel storage site in New Mexico, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The environmental evaluation is a key part of a broader NRC technical review of […]

The public has until Sept. 14 to request an adjudicatory hearing before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel on a proposed facility for interim storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel in southeastern New Mexico. The NRC is reviewing Holtec International’s license application for storage of 8,680 metric tons of used nuclear fuel […]

Nearly a week after a technically bipartisan delegation of House members and staff visited Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev., lawmakers still have not set a date to begin final negotiations on a 2019 budget bill that, technically, could include funding for the proposed waste-repository. Those negotiations, a bicameral conference committee of lawmakers from the […]