House, Senate bills aim to improve nuclear decommissioning and waste disposal

Two bills were introduced in the last several weeks aiming to address nuclear power at the end of life-decommissioning plants and recycling used fuel.

The REACT Act: Rep. Mike Lawler (D., N.Y.) introduced H.R. 5803, the Reactor Expenditure Accountability and Compliance Transparency Act, on October 21. This legislation would ensure stronger oversight and public accountability for how nuclear power plants use their decommissioning trust funds.

It directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to require power reactor licensees to include more detailed and transparent reporting in their financial assurance status reports, including earned interest, projected annual returns, and a full accounting of expenditures drawn from decommissioning trust funds.

Senate bill on waste recycling: Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) earlier this month reintroduced a bill that would require the Department of Energy to conduct a study analyzing the cost benefits and risks of recycling of national used nuclear fuel as opposed to interim storage.

Cruz, who is chair of the Senate Energy Commerce Committee, said in a statement that used fuel "has the potential to dramatically increase America's energy, economic, and national security."

The proposed bill has the backing of companies that are looking to pursue used fuel recycling, including Curio and Oklo. Separately, Oklo was selected as one of four companies to build nuclear fuel lines for advance reactors, as reported by Nuclear Newswire.