The chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s environmental subcommittee did not rule out interim nuclear waste storage sites as a part of the Biden administration’s climate agenda during a press conference Tuesday.
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), who heads up the Environment and Climate Change subcommittee, told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing during the virtual presser that radioactive waste disposal infrastructure needed to be in place if the government was going to pursue an “all of the above” clean energy agenda that includes nuclear.
The goal, Rep. Tonko said, is to create a permanent repository for nuclear waste. However, he said the committee would continue to work on legislation for interim storage “if there is an agenda” to move forward on a permanent site.
Rep. Tonko also suggested that the Biden administration may take a look at exactly how to deal with waste disposal.
“There will perhaps be a review by the administration on how to address the disposal of nuclear waste, which is key to moving forward for an all-of-the-above strategy with energy resources,” Rep. Tonko said.
The administration has yet to detail its plans for nuclear energy as part of its climate agenda. However, Biden’s energy secretary nominee Gov. Jennifer Granholm said during her Jan. 27 confirmation hearing that she would commit to working with Congress to locate a permanent nuclear waste repository.
