S.Amdt. 3101

SA 3101 is an amendment proposed by Mr. Cruz and Mr. Heinrich to be added to bill S. 2296. The purpose of this amendment is to require the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on new technologies used to recycle spent nuclear fuel.

The amendment aims to add a new section to the bill that mandates the following:

• Expert Committee: The Secretary must put together an independent committee of experts from industry, academia, National Laboratories, and the Office of Nuclear Energy. This committee cannot include the authors of a specific 2023 National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, though those individuals can still serve as advisors.

• Scope of Study: The committee is tasked with analyzing the costs, risks, and benefits of recycling spent nuclear fuel for use in commercial light water reactors, advanced nuclear reactors, and non-reactor applications like medical or space-based uses. The study must compare recycling to the "once-through fuel cycle" and look at different recycling processes, such as aqueous and non-aqueous methods.

• Additional Analysis: The study must also examine:

  • The feasibility of extracting isotopes for industrial, medical, and space use.
  • The possibility of colocating recycling facilities with other sites.
  • The impact on parties currently affected by temporary storage of nuclear fuel, including Tribal governments and local communities.
  • Different siting options for facilities, such as regional or centralized locations.
  • Regulatory gaps and the need to modernize definitions of radioactive waste.
  • Policy changes needed to support these technologies.

• Public Report: The Secretary must submit a public report of no more than 120 pages to several House and Senate committees. This report must be written for a nonspecialist audience and include an executive summary, an explanation of why recycling is not currently done in the U.S., and policy recommendations to enable commercial adoption of recycling.