Full Title: Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal
Author(s): Mark Holt
Publisher(s): Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Publication Date: September 17, 2021
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Management of civilian radioactive waste has posed difficult issues for Congress since the beginning of the nuclear power industry in the 1950s. Federal policy is based on the premise that nuclear waste can be disposed of safely, but proposed storage and disposal facilities have frequently been challenged on safety, health, and environmental grounds. Although civilian radioactive waste encompasses a wide range of materials, most of the current debate focuses on highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants. The United States currently has no permanent disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel or other highly radioactive waste.