Radioactive Waste

WASHINGTON (CN) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission claims it can renew nuclear plant licenses and grant new ones because radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants is safely stored for a long period of time in temporary holding pools or casks approved by the NRC "without significant environmental impacts," according to planned Commission rule changes.

The changes would remove the time limit from language that states radioactive waste may be stored 30 years past current nuclear reactor license periods, since the Commission has determined that the current storage could successfully hold the waste for at least 50 or 60 years.

The NRC claims that the new language would allow the Commission to efficiently make rulings on anticipated nuclear reactor license renewals and new licenses, as objections based on the lack of a permanent holding facility for the waste would be moot.

The planned rule pushes the projected completion date of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal facility beyond 2025.

Click the document icon on the front page for details and other new regulations.

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