SENATE NUCLEAR WASTE BILL BUMPED TO 2014

The Senate’s Nuclear Waste Administration Act, originally planned for markup before the holiday break, will be pushed to 2014 due to scheduling conflicts. “Sen. Wyden had aimed for sometime before the end of the year,” Senate Energy and Natural Resources spokesman Keith Chu said. “Obviously, with the schedule in the next two weeks, it’s going to be pushed to next year.” The Nuclear Waste Administration Act was introduced in the Senate with bi-partisan support earlier this year. Among its provisions, the bill would create a new independent agency to handle the nation’s high level radioactive waste as well as create a consent-based siting approach for interim storage. Both Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) co-authored the bill drawing from some of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.