SAVANNAH, Ga. — Proponents of advancing disposition of the U.S. stockpile of used nuclear reactor fuel must make their voices heard in Congress, speakers said Tuesday at an industry conference here.
The need for advocacy on Capitol Hill was a common refrain during the first day of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Used Fuel Management Conference – starting with discussion of Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-Ill.) Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, which contains language easing the way for the federal government to build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee last June passed the measure to the full chamber in a broadly unanimous 49-4 vote, and supporters say a floor vote could finally happen in coming weeks. But the bill’s chances remain unclear in the Senate, which generally has been more skeptical of Yucca Mountain and where Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) has vowed to quash any effort to bring nuclear waste into his state.
“Broadly speaking, we’re optimistic,” said Mark Richter, NEI senior project manager for fuel and decommissioning programs. “Here in the final push, in the closing days and weeks … advocacy is going to be key, reaching out to your elected officials in Congress to help them understand the importance of moving that forward.”
A Shimkus spokesman said Tuesday there was no update on when the bill might go to the floor.
As speakers on panel discussions and the audience pointed out, the Department of Energy is more than two decades past the congressionally mandated Jan. 1, 1998, date to begin taking spent reactor fuel from nuclear plants for disposition.
The Trump administration has sought funding in the current budget and upcoming fiscal 2019 to revive the licensing process for Yucca Mountain at both the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The omnibus spending bill signed into law for fiscal 2018 included nothing for the project.
“We continue to look for the guidance from elected officials to get it to us,” said Ned Larson, a team leader with DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. “Once that happens we believe we have the data and information to move and to act at that point. But it’s our elected officials that will be making those decisions.”
