WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 27, Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) applauded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for releasing a report and timeline outlining the federal government’s process to find a nuclear waste storage solution. This is another critical step that signals DOE’s serious commitment to collecting and storing spent nuclear fuel.
The recently released report reflects community feedback from the “request for information” phase, which Congress directed DOE to complete and Courtney helped facilitate in eastern CT. Last year, Courtney welcomed Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Kathryn Huff to eastern Connecticut to listen to community members and tour CT Yankee and Millstone.
The new report is the first update since that takes immediate action to find a community-driven interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. DOE’s action plan will consolidate the number of locations where commercial spent nuclear fuel is stored, which result in the removal of spent fuel from communities such as Waterford and Haddam.
“Nuclear energy is critical to achieving a clean energy future and has created thousands of good-paying jobs for our region. That said, eastern Connecticut has been burdened for far too long with storing nuclear waste—a responsibility that is ultimately up to the federal government to manage. Stranding this material at over 70 power plants across the country at sites such as CT Yankee and Millstone has forced these host communities to bear a responsibility that they never signed up for.
“I appreciate Secretary Granholm and Assistant Secretary Dr. Huff for coming to eastern Connecticut in 2022, listening to residents, and now acting on their promise to advance our nation’s spent nuclear fuel management.
“The Department’s recent announcement of an implementation timeline makes clear the Biden-Harris administration is making good on their promise to lift the storage burden off CT Yankee and Millstone and find a nuclear storage solution that is safe, efficient, and community-driven.”
Courtney is a member of the bipartisan House Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Caucus and has been a long-time leader in finding a nuclear storage solution that reflects eastern Connecticut’s best interests.
For example, in 2018 Courtney helped pass bipartisan legislation which, for the first time, authorized a consolidated interim storage program that will allow stranded nuclear waste stored in local communities to be moved to a remote location before a permanent repository is completed.
In 2020, he helped lead a request to the House Appropriations Committee requesting funding for developing interim storage plans in the FY2021 budget, ultimately funded at $20 million in the final FY21 spending package passed in December 2020 and being used now to initiate this process. Congress appropriated an additional $20 million in FY2022 and $53 million in FY2023 to support the Department of Energy’s consolidated interim storage program.
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Energy & Environment
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