Idaho lawmakers urge Department of Energy to remove spent nuclear fuel from INL

by CBS2 News Staff

Wed, April 8th 2020, 9:02 PM UTC

FILE - In this May 11, 2015, file photo, nuclear waste is stored in underground containers at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho. A federal judge on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to make available to the court documents sought by former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus involving nuclear waste shipments to eastern Idaho. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Idaho representatives and senators are urging the Department of Energy to take additional steps to remove spent nuclear fuel from the Idaho National Laboratory.

Idaho’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, U.S. Senator James Risch, Representative Mike Simpson and Representative Russ Fulcher sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy Wednesday encouraging further action by DOE. The letter asks the DOE to remove spent nuclear fuel from the Idaho National Lab (INL) consistent with the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement.

The delegation wrote, “We encourage the Department to initiate activities needed to begin loading of spent nuclear fuel into a multi-purpose canister (MPC) at the Idaho National Laboratory using existing facilities.”

The letter urges DOE to take additional action to prove it will meet the 2035 deadline for removal of spent nuclear fuel. Read the full letter HERE, or the text below.

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