Eric Niiler
Appearances
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
There's about 90,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, and that's being stored at sites in 39 states. Now, most of it is from commercial nuclear reactors, but it also includes more than three dozen university and government facilities. according to a report by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
Every year, just with current production from nuclear facilities and research labs, it's about 2,000 metric tons. Now, of course, that number is going to increase just because we've seen a greater demand for nuclear energy, for AI data centers, for just electricity demand throughout the economy.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
Basically, under federal law passed in the 1980s, the Department of Energy was supposed to pick up all the nuclear waste and find a location for it starting in 1998. It was a federal law. That didn't happen.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
And since then, basically the commercial nuclear reactor fleet, these utilities that run these plants, they've been suing the federal government and getting court-ordered payments of anywhere from $600 million to $800 million a year. to pay for basically not picking up the waste.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
That waste disposal cost is projected to reach up to $44.5 billion, according to a 2024 audit by the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
Well, for a while it was sort of not in my backyard syndrome. There was a permanent repository that was selected in Nevada. State officials said, no, this is not going to happen. Since then, there's just been sort of a lack of momentum, a lack of progress. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given licenses to two interim storage facilities.
WSJ What’s News
U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump Delays Tariffs on Canada, Mexico
These places, one in New Mexico, one in Texas, are under litigation themselves.