WASHINGTON -- Rep. Merrill Cook says he has come up with a way to solve decades-old fights over nuclear waste storage and give each major opposing group what they want the most.
It would also stop the proposed temporary storage of such wastes by eastern utilities in Utah, which the Goshute tribe has sought for its Skull Valley reservation.Cook, R-Utah, introduced a bill Thursday calling for all nuclear wastes to be stored on-site at plants that generated them until the U.S. government finally licenses a centralized, permanent storage facility -- now proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nev.
He says the plan helps taxpayers because it would prevent "wasting" what he estimates are $4 billion in costs for temporary, centralized federal interim storage some groups want -- also proposed for Yucca Mountain.
He said such proposals only drain money away from licensing and developing a permanent site.
Cook said he believes his proposal should also help utilities by pushing harder for a permanent site, and meanwhile by offering a new funding mechanism to help them better afford on-site storage.
Cook noted that they now pay fees to the Energy Department to fund a permanent disposal site. He proposed allowing them to put the money in escrow accounts instead. Utilities could then invest it at higher market rates -- and keep any interest above what the government would have earned to pay for their on-site storage.
Other money in the escrow accounts would eventually be turned over to the federal government once a permanent disposal site is licensed.
Cook said his plan should also please environmentalists and states by stopping extra shipments of nuclear wastes -- and by allowing states to impose extra safety standards beyond federal minimums if they choose for on-site storage.
Cook said his plan should also please states by protecting them against forced interim centralized storage in their borders.
Cook said, "I've been working closely with governors, taxpayer groups and the nuclear industry to come up with the best solution to moving and storing nuclear waste.
"My bill focuses on getting the problem solved as quickly and most efficiently as possible," he said.
Cook added, "Nuclear waste materials are being stored all over the country at tremendous cost to taxpayers and businesses. This bill helps defray the cost of on-site storage while a permanent storage solution is being developed and certified."