Congresswoman Matsui Applauds Progress Towards Storage Solution for Nuclear Waste
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Lauren Dart Congresswoman Matsui Applauds Progress Towards Storage Solution for Nuclear Waste Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) applauded the announcement that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received an application for the operation of a high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel consolidated interim storage facility. The application provides a solution to securely store high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel at a west Texas facility administered by Waste Control Specialists. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) - Sacramento's public utility - stores spent nuclear fuel at the site of Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station, which SMUD operated until 1989. SMUD spends approximately $5 million annually maintaining the spent fuel, but the federal government has a statutory responsibility to store the material. Currently, SMUD must periodically recover federal funding through lawsuits to reimburse its storage costs. "Today's announcement is an important step forward in our efforts to address the stranded spent nuclear fuel at decommissioned plants across the country," said Congresswoman Doris Matsui. "A storage solution will improve the safety of our communities and reduce the cost burden on our local utilities. I urge Members of Congress to fund the licensing, construction, and operation of an interim storage facility." "SMUD has successfully decommissioned a former nuclear plant, and now safely maintains spent fuel in dry storage casks on that site. Today's announcement is a significant step forward towards realizing the federal government's statutory responsibility to remove that spent fuel so that the site can be redeveloped," said Arlen Orchard, SMUD's CEO and General Manager. "We appreciate Congresswoman Matsui's leadership in advancing enabling legislation so that an interim storage facility may come to fruition." Congresswoman Matsui led a letter in March 2016 to the House Appropriations Committee requesting that a pilot consolidated interim storage facility be fully funded, as included in President Obama's FY 2017 budget request. Congresswoman Matsui is also a cosponsor of the Interim Consolidated Storage Act of 2015, which clarifies the authority of the Department of Energy (DOE) to enter into contracts with private parties for the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. ### |