NEI wants nuclear waste fee to remain at current level

Washington (Platts)--13Feb2006

The nuclear industry would like Congress to freeze the nuclear waste fee at
its current level of 1 mill per kilowatt-hour of nuclear-generated electricity
sold, Steve Kraft, the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) director of waste
management, said yesterday. Kraft's comment came in an address to the staff of
the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (Naruc) nuclear
issues subcommittee as Naruc kicked off its winter meeting in Washington, D.C.
The industry has reviewed its policies regarding the management of utility
spent reactor fuel, Kraft said, adding that industry doesn't want to ever see
the fee increased. Congress put the fee in place in 1983 to bankroll DOE's
waste program. Industry also sees a need to develop advanced technologies so
the nuclear fuel cycle can be closed when the technologies are mature enough
that the economics and environmental benefits from their use can be realized,
he said. However, Kraft also stressed that the development of advanced
reprocessing technologies does not obviate the need for the repository DOE
plans to build at Yucca Mountain, Nev.

Please visit: www.platts.com

Their coverage of energy matters is extensive!!.