Three Senate Bills Introduced To Reform the Regulatory Framework for Nuclear Waste Management (S. 3146, S. 2761, and S. 2804)

A variety of bills in the Senate are designed to reform the regulatory framework for nuclear waste management. S. 3146 would direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to regulate the storage and disposal of all forms of radioactive waste and would establish standards for the disposal and storage of uranium mill tailings and low level radioactive waste which may be regulated by the States. S. 2804 differed from S. 3146 in that it would exempt certain Department of Energy (DOE) waste storage operations at existing facilities and did not address the need to establish standards for uranium mill tailings. S. 2761 contained provisions for State participation in site selection process for nuclear storage and disposal facilities. In order to develop and implement a national nuclear waste management program, the fragmentation of existing responsibility for governing the storage and disposal of nuclear wastes between DOE and the NRC must be abandoned; questions concerning the proper Federal and State roles in dealing with nuclear waste management must be resolved; and public and political acceptance of radioactive waste storage and disposal locations must be developed. All of DOE's nuclear waste storage and disposal facilities should receive independent oversight. The extent and role of Federal agencies, State governments and private industry in nuclear waste management must be clarified if an adequate and comprehensive national nuclear waste management program is to be developed in a timely manner.