The Idaho congressional delegation last week urged Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to prioritize preparation of spent nuclear fuel at the Idaho National Laboratory for shipment out of state by the end of 2034.
The Energy Department should follow the U.S. Navy’s lead in getting spent fuel at INL “road ready,” the lawmakers said in a letter.
The lawmakers want DOE “to begin loading of spent nuclear fuel into a multi-purpose canister (MPC) at the Idaho National Laboratory using existing facilities,” according to the April 8 letter from Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, along with Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, all Republicans.
A 1995 agreement between Idaho, DOE, and the Navy allowed the federal entities to ship a certain amount of spent fuel into the state in phases for nuclear research. The agreement also bound them to remove all pre-existing spent fuel from INL by Jan. 1, 2035.
Last November, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden reached a deal with the federal government to supplement the 1995 agreement to allow research quantities of commercial spent nuclear fuel to enter the site. The agreement is contingent upon DOE reaching certain cleanup milestones at the lab, including shipment of transuranic waste out of state and startup of the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit.
