The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday approved a slate of bipartisan bills spanning issues from nuclear waste recycling to plastics cleanup and diesel emissions.
Most of the measures cleared the committee unanimously, though one major proposal — the “Nuclear REFUEL Act,” S. 2082, sponsored by ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) — faced limited pushback from a few Democrats concerned about nuclear safety.
The legislation aims to streamline the licensing process for projects that recycle spent nuclear fuel. Supporters say such reprocessing could both supply fuel for advanced reactors and reduce the more than 85,000 metric tons of spent fuel currently stored at more than 100 sites across the country.
“Spent nuclear fuel is a $45 billion disposal liability that could be an energy opportunity,” Whitehouse said. “Our bill paves the way to license nuclear fuel recycling facilities that can help make these wins a reality.”
