NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Questions Experts on Increasing Public Trust in Nuclear Energy

“This is an issue of public safety and public trust.” Click here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester’s Remarks U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today participated in a hearing on America’s nuclear waste policy. Blunt Rochester’s questions focused on the development of small modular reactors and on-site storage of nuclear waste, as well as increasing public trust and safety. Witnesses: Lake Barrett – Chair, American Nuclear Society Nuclear Waste Policy Task Force Katrina McMurrian – Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC) Kathryn Huff, Ph.D. – Professor and Department Chair, Department of Nuclear Engineering and Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison Senator Blunt Rochester’s exchange can be found here , and a key excerpt is below: Senator Blunt Rochester: “Delaware often ranks last among U.S. states in energy production and produces only a fraction of the energy that we consume. In response, our General Assembly created a 25-member bipartisan task force to look at whether small modular reactors could be developed in the state. “One of the main concerns is the lack of a long-term solution for high-level nuclear waste. Despite the fact that there’s been a law on the books for decades that requires the federal government to take ownership over this kind of waste. States like mine then have to weigh whether to invest in nuclear energy against doing it without a long-term solution. It’s a real risk for our communities. This is an issue of public safety and public trust. “So, Dr. Huff, what can the federal government do to build trust in communities interested in pursuing nuclear energy?” Dr. Huff: “ I think a key component is an independent organization like the one that’s been described. But another is to provide resources for independent technical oversight from those communities. A part of the consent-based system that we put together in the previous administration, and those that have succeeded in other nations like Finland and Canada, includes providing resources directly to communities to help to evaluate those claims and safety assessments, and work together with the government as they plan and design those facilities.” Senator Blunt Rochester: “Are there benefits to continuing to pursue new reactors while determining a long-term waste disposal solution?” Dr. Huff: “Yes, there absolutely are. As a carbon-free source of energy, we absolutely need more nuclear. Of course, it is reasonable for communities to want to see progress on the front of waste management before they do so.”