Funds for the Department of Energy’s planned program for interim storage of nuclear waste in the upcoming budget would be focused on headquarters operations in Washington, D.C., with smaller amounts distributed to Idaho and Nevada, according to figures released Monday.
The Energy Department on Feb. 10 requested $27.5 million for an Interim Storage and Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight program in fiscal 2021. The agency has said little regarding the details of the program, but the name indicates efforts to temporarily consolidate nuclear waste that is now dispersed around the country until a permanent repository can be built.
As of deadline Tuesday for Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, DOE had not released the detailed budget justification that might offer additional specifics on the interim storage program.
However, the agency on Monday released its laboratory tables budget document for 2021, laying out funding requests for dozens of sites around the nation. The breakdown for requested Interim Storage and Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight spending is: $15 million for Washington headquarters, $10 million for the Idaho Operations Office, and $2.5 million for the Nevada Field Office.
In the table for each location, the same amount is listed for Interim Storage and Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight and Interim Storage Programs.
The Nevada Field Office is primarily comprised of the Nevada National Security Site, overseen by the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The site houses a facility for disposal of low-level and mixed-low-level radioactive wastes from approved Energy Department and Pentagon facilities.
It is also near Yucca Mountain, which under federal law is the chosen site for a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants and high-level waste from defense nuclear programs. Prior to this month’s budget request, the Trump administration had three times asked Congress for funding to resume licensing for Yucca Mountain. Each request was rejected.
The Idaho Operations Office oversees cleanup and research operations at the Idaho National Laboratory, which include waste treatment and research involving spent nuclear fuel.
