09/20/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/20/2024 06:19
As the Department of Energy embarks on its consent-based process for siting a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, a new report from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA highlights relevant lessons from the federal government's now defunct Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator.
Established under Title IV of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the office, an independent agency within the executive branch, was primarily active from 1990 to 1995. Its role was to engage with state and tribal governments to find an acceptable and suitable host site for a repository.
The full report, Lessons from the Nuclear Waste Negotiator Era of the 1990s for Today's Consent-Based Siting Efforts, is now available online. Its executive summary is available here.
Written by senior research scholar Matt Bowen, the report draws lessons from the experience of the two negotiators who served during the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator's short tenure, David Leroy (1990-1993) and Richard Stallings (1993-1995).
While Bowen notes that neither negotiator was able to reach an agreement with a state or tribe while the office was active, "tangible signs of local interest at both the county and tribe levels indicate that with more time, continuity, and other modifications to the office, an agreement might have been reached."
Key takeaways: According to Bowen's report, lessons from the role of nuclear waste negotiator that can be applied to today's repository siting efforts include the following:
Conclusions: In the report, Bowen concludes that, "A federal program today premised on a negotiated approach with states could borrow from lessons learned during the negotiator era, such as the importance of ensuring greater continuity for the office and having the benefits of hosting such a facility defined right at the beginning of public discussion to be weighed against any perceived risks."
Bowen adds, "While an approach based solely on the negotiator provisions of the NWPA would not address all the challenges facing the U.S. SNF and HLW management program, it could help give some definition to local and state officials, as well as members of Congress, of what will at a minimum be required as part of consent to hosting associated facilities and encourage greater engagement."