Where to put spent U.S. nuclear fuel
Nonetheless, consolidating that waste on federal property would improve security and allow the federal government to finally fulfill its obligations under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Doing so will save taxpayers billions of dollars in legal costs.
Over the past few years, a number of nuclear utilities successfully sued the federal government for not taking their radioactive waste as required under the act. The latest successful litigant: Xcel Energy, which, in July, announced a $100-million settlement with the Energy Department.Continue Reading
More litigation is certain. Last month, two states – South Carolina and Washington – along with a coalition of utility regulators, sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in an effort to compel the agency to restart its review of the Yucca Mountain waste project.
The federal government has already paid out $956 million to the utilities, according to the Government Accountability Office. “Future liabilities,” the GAO reported in June, “are estimated to be at least $15.4 billion through 2020.”
Just two years ago, the GAO estimated that the legal liabilities due to federal inaction on nuclear waste would be “about $12.3 billion in damages through 2020.” So, over the last two years, the GAO’s estimated legal hit to taxpayers has jumped by more than $3 billion.
Whatever the actual legal burden, it’s readily apparent that the longer Washington postpones substantive action on nuclear waste, the worse things will be in terms of cost, plant safety and security.
In its report, the GAO discussed the possibility of storing the waste on federal land, but said that DOE “has no authority to implement this option.”
There’s an easy fix for that: Congress should immediately pass a bill giving DOE the authority to store commercial nuclear waste at sites like Hanford, Savannah River and Oak Ridge.
Nuclear energy provides 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs. It is likely to continue as an important part of our energy mix for decades to come. In the wake of Fukushima, it’s high time for Congress and the Obama administration to get serious about dealing with nuclear waste.
Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. His fourth book, “Power Hungry: The Myths of “Green” Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future,” was recently issued in paperback.
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