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The
U.S. government tried for decades to create a large-scale
nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain in Nevada to store waste
accumulating at reactor sites, but the project was ultimately
rejected due to public concerns about safety.
"Nuclear energy is essential to achieving the Administration’s
goals to create a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and
net zero emissions economy by 2050,” the Department of Energy
said in a press release announcing the effort.
“Managing waste not only makes nuclear a more sustainable option
but also helps fulfill DOE’s obligation to manage the nation’s
spent nuclear fuel,” it said.
The DOE said it was issuing a “request for information on a
consent-based siting process” that would be used to identify
sites.
Kathryn Huff, the Department of Energy's Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, said hosting such sites
could bring communities jobs and new infrastructure and that she
expected "thousands of responses" to the request for
information.
“DOE is committed to responsibly managing the nation’s spent
nuclear fuel and willing communities have the right to explore
the benefits and conditions they need to host a federal interim
storage facility,” she said.
"We think that this consent based approach is the right thing to
do, and also our best chance for success," she added.
The United States has accumulated about 83,000 metric tons of
radioactive nuclear waste since the 1950s, which is now stored
in steel and concrete enclosures at 76 reactor sites in 34
states, according to the DOE.
(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by David Gregorio and
Nick Zieminski)
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