CLEAN SMART Act introduced to accelerate cleanup of DOE legacy sites

Legislation that aims to leverage the best available science and technology of U.S. national laboratories to support the cleanup of legacy nuclear waste has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D., N.M.).

The Combining Laboratory Expertise to Accelerate Novel Solutions for Minimizing Accumulated Radioactive Toxins (CLEAN SMART) Act, introduced on on December 12, would codify and fund the Department of Energy to accelerate the development, demonstration, and deployment of breakthrough technologies and innovations for nuclear waste cleanup.

Legacy waste: Currently, the DOE's Office of Environmental Management is responsible for the remediation of 15 legacy sites across the United States that hold nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. According to Lujan, the cost to decommission these remaining sites continues to grow and is estimated to be nearly $700 billion, for a completion date near the end of the century.

Increasing federal support for science and technology that can allow more innovative and cost-efficient approaches to cleanup will save taxpayer dollars and shave years off the cleanup schedule, said Lujan, who co-chairs the Senate National Labs Caucus.

The CLEAN SMART Act would:

Codify and fund the DOE's Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship;

Improve interagency coordination on environmental management research, including on areas of basic research;

Direct the DOE to maintain a comprehensive technology development and deployment plan that promotes the full range of R&D options; and

Mandate corrective actions when sites exceed cost thresholds to mitigate cost overruns, incorporating recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

They said it: "Across the country, national labs-like New Mexico's Sandia and Los Alamos Labs-are home to our brightest minds who drive innovation and develop breakthrough technology," said Lujan. "As we continue to address our nation's environmental legacy from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War, I'm proud to introduce the CLEAN SMART Act to leverage the expertise of our national labs to speed up the cleanup process and save taxpayers billions."

Craig Piercy, chief executive officer and executive director of the American Nuclear Society, commented, "We applaud Senator Lujan for promoting dialogue in this important area. We acknowledge the fundamental need to identify and prioritize solutions for high-cost legacy waste cleanup and management. ANS looks forward to engaging more on this topic in the 119th Congress."