Recycling Power: Rethinking Nuclear Waste

Empty nuclear waste shipping containers sit in front of a waste isolation plant near Carlsbad, N.M., on March 6, 2014. AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan

Commentary

The oral argument before the Supreme Court in March is a reminder that our nation has a 66-year-old nuclear energy problem—and there is a ready and available solution in recycling used nuclear fuel.

The Problem

Nuclear energy produces nearly 20 percent of our electricity. The fuel used to run our reactor fleet loses its intensity over time. That used, but not yet depleted, fuel is called Used Nuclear Fuel (UNF). There are 90,000 metric tons of UNF currently stored at reactor sites across 39 U.S. states, including approximately 4,000 metric tons in my home state of Texas.