NRC Resumes Licensing After Revising Waste-Storage Rules

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will resume issuing licenses for new atomic reactors and allowing existing plants to extend operations after addressing deficiencies in its waste rules. The commission last week approved a final rule addressing the environmental effects of storing spent nuclear fuel at a plant site. It responded to a court order that it consider the possibility that the federal government will never establish a permanent waste-storage repository. That directive was part of 2012 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that struck down the agency’s “waste confidence” rule. The commission subsequently suspended final licensing decisions on new reactors as well as license renewals for plants and storage facilities while it formulated its response. NRC’s final rule is based on the premise that radioactive waste generated from reactors producing electricity can be stored safely for up to 60 years after a plant is closed or indefinitely if a permanent repository isn’t built. That finding will be used in future licensing decisions.