Shimkus, Upton, Walden commend House committee passage of nuclear waste disposal bill

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Nov. 19 voted to advance bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Fred Upton (R-MI) to properly dispose of the nation’s high-level radioactive and spent nuclear fuel waste.

“Nuclear fuel and other high-level waste is currently stranded at 121 sites in 39 states around the country, so the bottom line, we need a permanent solution for safely disposing spent nuclear fuel,” Rep. Upton said on Tuesday following the committee’s markup of 18 bills. “The bipartisan legislation the committee advanced today is a critical step.”

Reps. Upton and Shimkus are original cosponsors of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019, H.R. 2699, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) to assist in resolving the currently pending permanent repository license that would restart the long-stalled licensing process to determine if the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada can be licensed and constructed.

“The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act ensures that we are following science and the law, both of which say that Yucca Mountain is the solution to the country’s nuclear waste problem,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Shimkus, who is the ranking member of the committee’s Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee, in a joint statement. “By advancing this bipartisan bill today, we are one step closer to delivering on a long overdue promise to address this national issue.”

If enacted, H.R. 2699 also would reform a financing mechanism to protect ratepayers and ensure proper federal funds are available for the U.S. Department of Energy to construct and operate a multi-generational infrastructure project, among other provisions, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Upton’s office.

“Now, it’s time to swiftly pass this legislation through the House and Senate and get it to President Trump for his signature,” said Reps. Shimkus and Walden. “We are committed to seeing this through for the American people.”

Rep. Upton and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) also offered a bipartisan amendment to the bill to disallow the permanent or long-term storage of nuclear waste near the Great Lakes by the governments of the United States or Canada. Committee members also unanimously passed the amendment during their markup of the bill.

“I’m also proud that my colleagues understand the importance of protecting the Great Lakes, which account for more than 20 percent of the world’s freshwater supply,” Rep. Upton said.

H.R. 2699 remains under consideration by four other House committees.