Reforming Nuclear Waste Management & Moving the Yucca Mountain Repository Forward (H.R. 3053)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 3053?
(Updated February 15, 2019)
This bill — the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 — would reform the nation’s nuclear waste management policy to ensure the federal government’s legal obligations to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste are fulfilled. It includes provisions related to the temporary storage of nuclear waste while a permanent repository is built at Yucca Mountain, benefits to be received by host communities, and revising how the Nuclear Waste Fund operates. Summaries of its various sections can be found below.
Storage & Building a Permanent Repository
The Dept. of Energy (DOE) would be authorized to contract with a non-federal entity (like a nuclear utility) to store spent nuclear fuel on an interim basis or to develop its own away-from-reactor, centralized storage facility — known as monitored retrievable storage. Fuel from decommissioned reactors would prioritized.
The DOE would be directed to prioritize activities relating to an agreement with a non-federal entity (like a nuclear utility), and such facilities would have to hold a National Regulatory Commission (NRC) license and have approval from the state, local government, and affected tribes.
This bill would also include “land withdrawal” (legal descriptions of how federal land can be used) for a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and remove impediments to license approval for the Yucca Mountain site. This would allow the formal licensing process to determine if the repository can be licensed and built. It’d also clarify regulatory and permitting requirements for repository development.
Host Community Benefits
Local stakeholders would be permitted to directly engage with the federal government to mitigate impacts from hosting a repository or interim storage facility.
This section of the bill would update the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to requalify the state of Nevada to enter into an agreement with the DOE to mitigate potential impacts that may result from hosting the repository. It would also require the DOE to prioritize work with Nevada-based academic institutions, reserve future economic value from spent fuel to the state of Nevada, and make funding directly available to Nevada once spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste arrives at the Yucca Mountain site.
Funding & DOE Operations
This section of the bill would ensure that previous defense spending supports the completion of the repository licensing process to facilitate the quickest pathway for communities hosting DOE national securities to remove radioactive material.
The method used by the DOE to fund its nuclear waste management activities through the collection and usage of Nuclear Waste Fund fees. This section of the bill would also make specific portions of previously collected funding available to the DOE without further funding throughout the multi-decade life cycle of the repository program.
The DOE would be required to take ownership of commercial spent nuclear fuel once it is accepted for transport to an interim storage facility or repository. This would reduce ongoing taxpayer exposure to claims against the Judgment Fund because DOE’s current lack of ownership places them in breach of contract.
Argument in favor
Spent nuclear waste sits idle in 121 communities across 39 states because America lacks a permanent repository, creating a threat to public safety and exposing taxpayers to liability because of the federal government’s inaction. This bill helps resolve the pending licensing process for the Yucca Mountain repository while reforming nuclear waste management policy in a bipartisan manner.
Argument opposed
This bill is another step in the long process of forcing Nevada to host the nation’s nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain repository which is wrong as communities hosting nuclear waste should have the right to give their consent. Congress shouldn’t be passing judgment in favor or in opposition to the Yucca Mountain repository while the licensing process is still underway.
Impact
Communities with spent nuclear waste, or that would host a repository or interim storage facility; nuclear utilities; and the DOE.
Cost of H.R. 3053
The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would reduce fees collected from utilities by about $1.5 billion over the 2018-2027 period and increase spending on payments to state, local, and tribal governments by $260 million over that period
Additional Info
In-Depth: House Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) offered the following statement when his committee passed Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-IL) bill to reform the nation’s nuclear waste management policy and advance the Yucca Mountain licensing process:
“At the end of the day this bill is good for taxpayers, communities, and ratepayers… It’s now time for the federal government to fulfill its obligation and permanently dispose of the spent nuclear fuel sitting in our states, alongside our lakes, rivers and roadways. The time for action is now and we intend to roll up our sleeves to get this done.”
Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) expressed her opposition to this bill in a statement:
“This legislation is Screw Nevada 2.0. Nothing has changed since I testified against this flawed bill last summer. The bill rejects the science and it ignores Nevada’s continued and steadfast opposition. H.R. 3053 simply doubles down on the failed policies of 31 years ago. Bringing this legislation to the floor is nothing more than a show for the nuclear industry and its campaign cash recipients in Congress. It is an exercise that does nothing to implement a consent-based decision process. Nevada is not a wasteland, and I’ll continue to fight any attempt to turn it into the nation’s nuclear waste dumping ground.”
This legislation passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a 49-4 vote in June 2017 and has the support of 109 bipartisan cosponsors, including 88 Republicans and 21 Democrats.
Of Note: The House Energy & Commerce Committee notes that nuclear waste sits idle in 121 communities across 39 states because the federal effort to find a permanent repository for the waste is ongoing. Yucca Mountain, Nevada was identified as the host site for the repository in 1987 and the project was approved in 2002, but in 2011 the Obama administration worked to block funding for the project, which has been at a standstill since.
Media:
-
House Energy and Commerce Committee Press Release
-
CBO Cost Estimate
-
Las Vegas Sun
-
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) Press Release (In Favor)
-
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) Press Release (Opposed)
-
NIRS (Opposed)
Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: tunart / iStock)The Latest
-
🌎 Are You Ready To Take Action Against Climate Change?Scientists claim that last year "smashed" the record for the hottest year by a large margin , offering a "dramatic testimony" of read more... Environment
-
Should U.S. Implement a New Tax on AI to Fund Worker Benefits?The debate As technology advances, artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into our society. While leaders in AI read more... Artificial Intelligence
-
SCOTUS Hears Arguments of Abortion Pill Mifepristone CaseUpdated March 27, 2024, 12:30 p.m. EST On Tuesday, March 26, the Supreme Court heard arguments about the mifepristone case, read more... Women's Health
-
IT: ⛑️ It's American Red Cross Giving Day, and... How will you give back today?Welcome to Wednesday, March 27th, philanthropists and entrepreneurs... It's American Red Cross Giving Day - a time to ensure the read more...