Friday, August 19, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT: Lobbyist focuses on reprocessing option

Nuclear industry emphasizes possible retrieval of spent fuel

WASHINGTON -- Nuclear waste may be retrieved from Yucca Mountain for up to 300 years after it is stored, the nuclear power industry's chief lobbyist said Thursday, adding that the development of reprocessing technology could make retrieval more likely.

Frank L. "Skip" Bowman, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said it is important for the Department of Energy to maintain the option of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel even though the United States hasn't done it since 1977.

"A lot of people have the image that the idea is to put this stuff in, close the door, walk away, and that's the end of it," said Bowman, a retired Navy admiral.

"Not true. That would be irresponsible, and it never has been the plan."

An environmental impact statement prepared by the Energy Department requires the DOE to maintain the ability to retrieve highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from Yucca Mountain for at least 100 years and possibly for as long as 300 years, Bowman said.

Reprocessing allows spent nuclear fuel rods to be recycled through a chemical operation that separates useful fuel remaining in the rods from the waste.

Although reprocessing would not eliminate the need for a repository at Yucca Mountain, it could reduce the amount of waste stored there. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 calls for the mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas to store 77,000 tons of nuclear waste.

Bowman acknowledged that it would not be easy to revive reprocessing in the United States.

"Frankly, we've been out of (reprocessing) in this country for a long time, and we don't have the infrastructure now to step up to the plate and start doing it," Bowman said.

Bowman also acknowledged that plans to begin storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain by 2010 have slipped.

"For sure, there's not a drop-dead date, but we do have to see progress," Bowman said.

Bowman made his remarks at a news conference including six other energy lobbyists who discussed the energy bill signed by President Bush on Aug. 8 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The bill includes language supporting reprocessing but does not allocate money to develop the technology, according to an NEI spokesman.

Bob Loux, chief of Nevada's Nuclear Projects Agency, expressed skepticism about Bowman's remarks on reprocessing.

"I don't think anyone believes we can go into Yucca Mountain even 50 years after storage and retrieve this stuff," Loux said. "We're talking about internal temperatures above the boiling point of water with 100 percent humidity. It would be difficult for any robotic equipment to operate in that environment."

Loux criticized Bowman's call for legislation that would require Congress to direct all money from the federal nuclear waste fund to the Yucca Mountain repository.

"If the past is any indication, that is not going to happen," Loux said, referring to previous unsuccessful efforts to take the nuclear waste fund "off budget."

"Congress is not going to turn loose of the purse strings and oversight for this project, which needs more oversight than ever."