Rep. Mike Levin Applauds Department of Energy’s New Plan for Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Washington, D.C.- Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) new report on the Consent-Based Siting Process for Federal Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel. This report outlines DOE’s plan for implementing a consent-based process to site one or more interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel. It lays out a path to implement a federal Consolidated Interim Storage (CIS) location in 10-15 years that will allow for the removal of nuclear waste from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
The report incorporates public feedback received from DOE’s 2021 request for information on a consent-based siting process to identify sites for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel.
“This new report is the result of a years-long process to restart the consent-based siting process that will allow us to remove the spent nuclear fuel from SONGS. It is a thoughtful, community-driven report that lays the groundwork for securing a location for the spent fuel in 10-15 years. DOE has been a strong partner in developing solutions to move nuclear waste from our region and ease the burden on residents and communities. I commend them for this report,” said Rep. Levin. “Since I took office in 2019, I have been fighting for more federal resources to remove spent nuclear fuel from our district. It is a top priority of mine, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made, but more work must be done. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Caucus to advance the consent-based siting process and empower federal agencies to take action on nuclear waste.”
Since 2019, Rep. Levin has been advocating for federal action and resources to address the challenges at SONGS and remove the nuclear waste out of the region. Rep. Levin secured $20 million in the Fiscal Year 2021 government funding legislation to restart DOE’s consent-based siting process. He secured an additional $20 million in Fiscal Year 2022 for the DOE to continue work on consent-based siting, and recently secured an additional $53 million in Fiscal Year 2023 to bolster this process.
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