A pair of California Democrats expressed frustration Tuesday over Congress’ continued failure to address the nation’s long-term nuclear waste problem, even as lawmakers advance legislation aimed at further streamlining regulations for new reactor projects.
Reps. Scott Peters and Doris Matsui, whose districts both contain decommissioned nuclear reactors storing spent fuel, said lawmakers are avoiding the more difficult conversation of finding a permanent disposal solution during an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy hearing.
“I think we’re gonna have to make the hard choices that we’ve tried to avoid in Congress,” Peters said. “This kind of material just can’t sit next to the ocean, next to a military base, next to population centers.”
Under current law, the Department of Energy is responsible for developing a permanent underground repository for the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
