ECA CO-LEADS CALL FOR CONGRESS TO ADVANCE EFFORT ON UPDATING EPA STANDARDS FOR HLW DISPOSAL
ECA Staff | 11/06/2023
Last week, ECA joined a call on Congress to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update the standard for the safe, permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW), 40 CFR Part 191, and harmonize it with international practices for commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposal.
In the letter, ECA and eight organizations asserted that the EPA’s generic geologic repository standard has become outdated and inconsistent with modern international repository standards and a revised standard is essential to be applied to future repositories and to protect public health and safety.
The letter encourages Congress to take action and direct the EPA to begin development of a new standard as soon as possible, as these standards should be finalized prior to a site selection process. The letter emphasizes this same sense of urgency regarding the timeframe, stating how it is imperative that EPA starts now on refreshing the standard since it is a long-term endeavor that may take five to ten years.
In filing the congressional letter, ECA was joined by the following organizations:
Read the full letter here.