The Path Forward for Nuclear Waste in the U.S.

The U.S. needs to be on a path forward to address how to permanently and safely dispose of nuclear waste from old and new reactors, especially considering the projected expansion of nuclear power. The federal government intended this material to go into a deep geologic repository, but more than 50 years after the first nuclear power plant came online, most of this waste remains stuck at reactor sites.

For the last 15 years the U.S. has accomplished virtually nothing to solve the nagging question of how to permanently dispose of this waste. Over 100,000 tons of spent fuel sits at 76 sites around the country in pools and dry casks. There are now over 4,300 large 100-ton casks temporarily storing this stranded spent nuclear fuel on U.S. seashores, lakes, and rivers. This number continues to grow and will expand further with new reactors coming online. This situation is already costing American taxpayers dearly and hindering further nuclear energy expansion.

“We have an opportunity to make the necessary real progress on nuclear waste disposal in the U.S.,” said Lake Barrett, one of the report’s leaders. “Our bipartisan group feels that we have hit upon a solution that will move the ball forward for our country.”

The Path Forward for Nuclear Waste in the U.S. report (view here) recommends a new kind of implementing organization to manage nuclear waste disposal in the U.S. Instead of assigning the nuclear waste problem to a federal agency such as the Department of Energy, which is severely constrained by its many responsibilities, the group recommends an independent corporation, a Nuclear Corporation or NuCorp, take the lead. This independent corporation would be led by the owners of nuclear reactors themselves.

“We looked at what has worked elsewhere, including Finland and Sweden, which are both constructing deep repositories for their nuclear waste, having already settled on a site for the facility,” said SPPGA Prof and Director Allison Macfarlane, another of the report’s leaders. “We realized that the nuclear reactor owners are the real experts on managing nuclear waste because they already do it, and they will be best at aligning efficiencies and doing a safe and cost-effective job,” she noted.

The bipartisan group that authored The Path Forward report represents diverse interests and draws on many years of experience on nuclear waste disposal. It is made up of representatives of the nuclear industry, former government officials, members of public interest groups, academics, representatives of states, communities where spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste is currently stored, and Native American Tribes.

The report recommends that NuCorp be required by new legislation and be responsible for the management, transportation, storage, and disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel. Oversight will be provided in part by an independent Advisory Committee made up of technical experts as well as representatives of affected state, Tribal, and local governments. A repository or a centralized storage facility for spent fuel would have to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Advisory Committee would be required to report to Congress, the Board, and the public annually on NuCorp’s progress. NuCorp would be required to develop a plan to move forward on developing a repository within a few years of its establishment.

The group also addresses the financing of nuclear waste disposal in a repository. They suggest providing assured funding for NuCorp so that they can successfully find a permanent repository for the waste.