Congressmen urge DOE to start processing spent nuclear fuel

WASHINGTON D.C. (KIFI/KIDK) - Idaho's congressional delegation is urging the Department of Energy to take additional action to remove spent nuclear fuel from the Idaho National Laboratory.

The delegation, Governor Brad Little, and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced a supplemental agreement last November that allows DOE to bring quantities of commercial spent nuclear fuel to INL for research purposes. But they say DOE should take additional action to prove it will meet the 2035 deadline for removal of spent nuclear fuel from the site.

In the letter, the congressmen told Energy Secretary Dan Brouilette, "We encourage the Department to initiate activities needed to begin loading of spent nuclear fuel into a multi-purpose canister (MPC) at the Idaho National Laboratory using existing facilities."

You can see the delegation's correspondence here.

The 1995 Agreement between Idaho, the DOE and the U.S. Navy allowed for the DOE and the Navy to ship a prescribed amount of spent nuclear fuel to the site in phases. Under the Agreement, the DOE and the Navy would remove all fuel from Idaho no later than January 1, 2035. The Navy has been working to prepare its fuel for shipment out of the state, and the Delegation is encouraging the DOE to do the same.