Issa bill sets five-year timeline for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel

The Department of Energy would be authorized to use interest from the Nuclear Waste Fund to pay for the temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel under legislation that U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) recently introduced.

The Interim Consolidated Storage Act outlines a path for the federal government to begin collecting waste from nuclear sites around the country in as little as five years.

“The Interim Consolidated Storage Act is a great solution that allows us to break through past years of political gridlock to get this waste out of our communities and into safe, secure sites that are both well-equipped and want to store it,” Issa said. “Maintaining the status quo isn’t an option. Until we can get temporary and – ideally – permanent storage facilities open, nuclear waste will remain on-site at more than 120 different sites nationwide.”

The San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station in Issa’s home district currently stores 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste near a densely populated community, the coast, a fault line and one of the largest U.S. military bases.

“Allowing it to stay there indefinitely is only asking for trouble,” Issa said. “This is just one of hundreds of examples of similar sites nationwide. This bill advances a creative solution to this problem and is a reasonable plan to get the waste moved quickly and securely.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX), who introduced the legislation with Issa, said licensed facilities are currently unable to serve as nuclear waste storage sites because of “bureaucratic inefficiencies.”

“As a result, nuclear utility plants currently have no choice but to store their waste on site,” Conaway said. “This legislation allows the Department of Energy to cut through the red tape and enter into contracts with these licensed facilities, such as the one in Andrews (Texas), ensuring that nuclear waste will be properly stored until a permanent site is established.”