A bill aimed at keeping a privately-run interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel out of New Mexico cleared a legislative milestone Monday after passing a floor vote in the state Senate.
If signed by the governor, the proposed legislation would amend state law to ban the storage of spent nuclear fuel in New Mexico without approval from Santa Fe. The bill passed in the state’s upper legislative chamber on a 21-13 vote Monday afternoon.
Sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D), the measure would block the construction of spent fuel storage facilities in the Land of Enchantment until Santa Fe has “consented to or concurred” with such a project.
The bill would also bar the storage of spent fuel in the state until a national permanent spent fuel repository is open, and would add private storage facilities to the purview of an existing statewide radioactive waste task force.
A state House-side version of the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Matthew McQueen (D), is currently awaiting debate in the lower chamber’s Natural Resources Committee, which meets Tuesday.
Steinborn’s legislation would function as a check to Holtec International’s proposed interim storage facility in Lea County, N.M. The state senator has tried in the last two legislative sessions to get similar bills through the state house — so far, without success.
Despite that, Steinborn remains convinced that a spent fuel ban is the right move for the Land of Enchantment.
“This is the card we have to play to construct a different scenario,” Steinborn said during floor remarks Monday. “No state has suffered more at the hands of uranium than New Mexico and our native communities.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for licensing the proposed Holtec site, has said that it could make a final decision on whether to approve the project by March or so. NRC staff in June recommended that the project receive a license.
If built, Holtec has said that its proposed facility could store up to 8,700 tons of spent nuclear fuel in 500 canisters, with capacity upgrades of up to 10,000 canisters to be added via future license amendments.
