Reps. Engel, Lowey, Keating and Welch Reintroduce The Dry Cask Storage Act

Press Release

Congressman Eliot Engel (NY), Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY), Congressman Bill Keating (MA), and Congressman Peter Welch (VT) introduced a bill that would make nuclear plants safer by requiring dangerous radioactive waste be promptly moved into storage units known to be less vulnerable to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and system breakdowns.

The Dry Cask Storage Act (H.R. 3587) would require every nuclear reactor operator in the country to transfer qualified spent nuclear fuel rods out of cooling pools and into dry cask storage within seven and a half years, reining in the decades-long trend of plants piling more and more radioactive waste into on-site cooling pools. Nuclear reactor operators that fail to comply would have their emergency planning zone expanded to 50 miles.This legislation is similar to S. 945, a bill by the same name, introduced in the Senate by Ed Markey (MA), Barbara Boxer (CA), and Bernie Sanders (VT).

"Putting spent fuel into cooling pools is necessary in the short-term, but nuclear facilities are piling too much fuel into these pools for too long in order to delay more costly moves toward long-term storage," Rep. Engel said. "I am troubled by the crowded storage pools I've seen at Indian Point, where radioactive waste is so concentrated that if disaster struck, large amounts of radioactive material could be released just 24 miles from New York City. Dry cask storage isolates smaller, less dangerous amounts of radioactive waste inside units that are less vulnerable to disruptive events. It's time America's nuclear plants remove the unnecessary risk they are posing to nearby people and environments by moving cooled fuel rods out of pools and into dry casks."

"Safety is priority number one for nuclear facilities near densely populated areas," Rep. Nita Lowey said. "The Dry Cask Storage Act would immediately decrease the risks associated with storing radioactive waste and improve safety, while expanding emergency planning zones to a 50 mile radius if facilities fail to comply. I have also championed proposals that would require the NRC to evaluate aging power plants -- such as Indian Point -- to be re-licensed with the same stringent criteria used to license new plants, and require NRC to award grants for emergency preparedness when the agency collects safety-related fines from nuclear facilities. As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to help prevent a worst case scenario for the Lower Hudson Valley and New York City metro area."

"At home in Massachusetts, we know firsthand the importance of ensuring nuclear reactor operators achieve the highest standards of safety," said Rep. Bill Keating. "With today's announcement that Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station -- located in the heart of the Ninth Congressional District -- will close by June 2019, it is imperative that we continue to provide oversight and enhance safety measures. I firmly believe that a licensee should never be allowed to store spent fuel rods at a near-capacity site or without appropriate clean up measures. This bill is a simple yet important step toward improving safety standards at our nation's nuclear reactor operators."

"Dry cask storage is a much safer option than cooling pools for the temporary maintenance of nuclear waste at sites around the country. This legislation will ensure that high-level nuclear waste is made as safe as possible, as soon as possible," Rep. Peter Welch said.

Today, nearly 50,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel rods are being kept in on-site pools across the U.S. Cooling pools were designed to temporarily hold recently retired nuclear fuel rods still too hot to be moved into long-term storage. They require a constant supply of electricity and continual replenishment of water to actively control temperatures, meaning a severe accident, natural disaster, or terror attack that disrupts this cooling system could be catastrophic. What's worse, the large volumes of dangerous waste piled together at U.S. plants means the fallout from an incident at any one storage unit could be even more severe and far-reaching.

Dry casks are steel and concrete structures that do not require electricity or water to cool rods, making them less vulnerable to system failures. Experts agree that moving spent fuel rods to dry casks as they age and cool offers not only an immediate decrease in risk, but also progress towards the eventual packaging of radioactive waste for transfer to a long-term storage facility.