US Code

Public Law 119-83 (04/13/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 10161

Monitored retrievable storage

(a)

Findings

The Congress finds that—
(1)
long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel in monitored retrievable storage facilities is an option for providing safe and reliable management of such waste or spent fuel;
(2)
the executive branch and the Congress should proceed as expeditiously as possible to consider fully a proposal for construction of one or more monitored retrievable storage facilities to provide such long-term storage;
(3)
the Federal Government has the responsibility to ensure that site-specific designs for such facilities are available as provided in this section;
(4)
the generators and owners of the high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel to be stored in such facilities have the responsibility to pay the costs of the long-term storage of such waste and spent fuel; and
(5)
disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel in a repository developed under this chapter should proceed regardless of any construction of a monitored retrievable storage facility pursuant to this section.
(b)

Submission of proposal by Secretary

(1)
On or before , the Secretary shall complete a detailed study of the need for and feasibility of, and shall submit to the Congress a proposal for, the construction of one or more monitored retrievable storage facilities for high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Each such facility shall be designed—
(A)
to accommodate spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste resulting from civilian nuclear activities;
(B)
to permit continuous monitoring, management, and maintenance of such spent fuel and waste for the foreseeable future;
(C)
to provide for the ready retrieval of such spent fuel and waste for further processing or disposal; and
(D)
to safely store such spent fuel and waste as long as may be necessary by maintaining such facility through appropriate means, including any required replacement of such facility.
(2)
Such proposal shall include—
(A)
the establishment of a Federal program for the siting, development, construction, and operation of facilities capable of safely storing high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, which facilities are to be licensed by the Commission;
(B)
a plan for the funding of the construction and operation of such facilities, which plan shall provide that the costs of such activities shall be borne by the generators and owners of the high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel to be stored in such facilities;
(C)
site-specific designs, specifications, and cost estimates sufficient to (i) solicit bids for the construction of the first such facility; (ii) support congressional authorization of the construction of such facility; and (iii) enable completion and operation of such facility as soon as practicable following congressional authorization of such facility; and
(D)
a plan for integrating facilities constructed pursuant to this section with other storage and disposal facilities authorized in this chapter.
(3)
In formulating such proposal, the Secretary shall consult with the Commission and the Administrator, and shall submit their comments on such proposal to the Congress at the time such proposal is submitted.
(4)
The proposal shall include, for the first such facility, at least 3 alternative sites and at least 5 alternative combinations of such proposed sites and facility designs consistent with the criteria of paragraph (1). The Secretary shall recommend the combination among the alternatives that the Secretary deems preferable. The environmental assessment under subsection (c) shall include a full analysis of the relative advantages and disadvantages of all 5 such alternative combinations of proposed sites and proposed facility designs.
(c)

Environmental impact statements

(1)
42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)42 U.S.C. 4321 Preparation and submission to the Congress of the proposal required in this section shall not require the preparation of an environmental impact statement under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (). The Secretary shall prepare, in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary implementing such Act [ et seq.], an environmental assessment with respect to such proposal. Such environmental assessment shall be based upon available information regarding alternative technologies for the storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Secretary shall submit such environmental assessment to the Congress at the time such proposal is submitted.
(2)
42 U.S.C. 4321 If the Congress by law, after review of the proposal submitted by the Secretary under subsection (b), specifically authorizes construction of a monitored retrievable storage facility, the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( et seq.) shall apply with respect to construction of such facility, except that any environmental impact statement prepared with respect to such facility shall not be required to consider the need for such facility or any alternative to the design criteria for such facility set forth in subsection (b)(1).
(d)

Licensing

section 5842(3) of this titleAny facility authorized pursuant to this section shall be subject to licensing under . In reviewing the application filed by the Secretary for licensing of the first such facility, the Commission may not consider the need for such facility or any alternative to the design criteria for such facility set forth in subsection (b)(1).

(e)

Clarification

Nothing in this section limits the consideration of alternative facility designs consistent with the criteria of paragraph (b)(1) in any environmental impact statement, or in any licensing procedure of the Commission, with respect to any monitored, retrievable facility authorized pursuant to this section.

(f)

Impact assistance

(1)
Upon receipt by the Secretary of congressional authorization to construct a facility described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall commence making annual impact aid payments to appropriate units of general local government in order to mitigate any social or economic impacts resulting from the construction and subsequent operation of any such facility within the jurisdictional boundaries of any such unit.
(2)
Payments made available to units of general local government under this subsection shall be—
(A)
allocated in a fair and equitable manner, with priority given to units of general local government determined by the Secretary to be most severely affected; and
(B)
utilized by units of general local government only for planning, construction, maintenance, and provision of public services related to the siting of such facility.
(3)
Such payments shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines are necessary to ensure achievement of the purposes of this subsection. The Secretary shall issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection.
(4)
section 10222(c) of this title Such payments shall be made available entirely from funds held in the Nuclear Waste Fund established in and shall be available only to the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts.
(5)
The Secretary may consult with appropriate units of general local government in advance of commencement of construction of any such facility in an effort to determine the level of payments each such unit is eligible to receive under this subsection.
(g)

Limitation

section 10132 of this titleNo monitored retrievable storage facility developed pursuant to this section may be constructed in any State in which there is located any site approved for site characterization under . The restriction in the preceding sentence shall only apply until such time as the Secretary decides that such candidate site is no longer a candidate site under consideration for development as a repository. Such restriction shall continue to apply to any site selected for construction as a repository.

(h)

Participation of States and Indian tribes

Any facility authorized pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of sections 10135, 10136(a), 10136(b), 10136(d), 10137, and 10138 of this title. For purposes of carrying out the provisions of this subsection, any reference in sections 10135 through 10138 of this title to a repository shall be considered to refer to a monitored retrievable storage facility.

Pub. L. 97–425, title I, § 14196 Stat. 2241 (, , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Pub. L. 91–19083 Stat. 852 section 4321 of this titleThe National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, referred to in subsec. (c), is , , , which is classified generally to chapter 55 (§ 4321 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.