Idaho, DOE announce ‘targeted waiver’ of settlement agreement

The Department of Energy and Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) announced late Tuesday they have agreed to a “targeted waiver” of certain aspects of a 1995 settlement agreement designed to expedite removal of old spent nuclear fuel from Idaho National Laboratory.

The agreement, which was later modified in 2019, calls for removal of most spent nuclear fuel from the laboratory by 2035.

The parties said in a news release the waiver will assist key research on a high burnup nuclear fuel cask taken from a commercial nuclear power plant. The research will provide data as licenses are extended to support the extended storage of spent fuel at 54 nuclear power units in 28 states.

With cancellation of the Yucca Mountain spent fuel repository in the Barack Obama administration, there is no federal underground disposal site on the horizon.

“The collaborative effort between the State of Idaho, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Idaho National Laboratory showcases our commitment to advancing nuclear energy research while upholding the goals of the 1995 Settlement Agreement,” Little said in the joint press release. “We are proud to support innovation in nuclear energy that will support national security and energy independence into the future,” he added.

The news release itself did not share many specifics on the waiver. A DOE backgrounder on the settlement agreement is available online.