Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) last week introduced legislation that would block retired nuclear power plants from receiving exemptions to certain federal regulations until all of the site’s used nuclear fuel is in dry storage.
If the Safe and Secure Decommissioning Act of 2018 passes, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission would be barred from providing waivers or exemptions to 1954 Atomic Energy Act regulations on safety and emergency preparedness while any spent fuel remains in the reactor or cooling pool.
“As nuclear power reactors like San Onofre undergo the decommissioning process, we must ensure that every necessary measure is taken to protect the surrounding communities and environment,” Harris said in a press release. “This bill ensures that decommissioning nuclear power cites process adhere to commonsense safety precautions that have been on the books for decades.”
Spent reactor fuel that has been cooled for at least one year can be moved into dry casks for long-term storage at nuclear power plants. Dry storage is widely accepted to be safer and more secure than keeping the radioactive material in wet storage.
The NRC generally is authorized to provide license amendments or regulatory exemptions in emergency preparedness and other areas for nuclear sites in decommissioning, which pose a reduced danger than operational plants. The agency is currently conducting a rulemaking intended to reduce the need for exemptions in sites transitioning from operations to decommissioning.
Harris’ bill was referred to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. It has three co-sponsors: Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Harris, Markey, and Gillibrand also co-sponsored legislation submitted by Sanders last week that would give state and local governments greater say in NRC reviews of nuclear power plant decommissioning plans.
