Spent Fuel Prioritization Act of 2023
Key claim: The bill would require the Department of Energy to give top priority to decommissioned reactors in densely populated, seismically active, or security-sensitive areas when accepting spent nuclear fuel for disposal or interim storage.
Abstract
(HR3862 · 118th Congress) Spent Fuel Prioritization Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE), in determining the order for accepting high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel for disposal or storage under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, to prioritize the acceptance of waste or fuel from certain civilian nuclear power reactors. DOE must give the highest priority to decommissioned or decommissioning reactors located in areas (1) with large populations, (2) with high earthquake hazards, and (3) where the continued storage of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel poses a significant national security concern. Latest action (2023-06-09): Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.
Why this matters
The proposal would make population density, seismic activity, and security sensitivity explicit factors in deciding which decommissioned reactor sites receive priority for federal spent-fuel acceptance. That could affect where on-site storage burdens persist, but the finding establishes neither removal schedules nor quantified cost or safety benefits; its status is introduced, not enacted.