NUCLEAR FUELS REPROCESSING COALITION

May 23, 2013

The Honorable Ron Wyden                              The Honorable Lisa Murkowski

Chairman                                                           Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources                   
United States Senate                                         
Washington, DC 20510                                    

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Murkowski:

Having reviewed the Nuclear Waste Bill Section-by-Section Summary of Discussion Draft, April 2013, I was disappointed to learn that comments are being solicited on [bracketed] provisions only.  I believe more of the bill deserves to be reviewed by all concerned parties and commented on.

I do not favor the principal officers to the Nuclear Waste Administration being appointed by the same President who terminated the Yucca Mountain Project.  I do not favor a Nuclear Waste Oversight Board being composed solely of the Deputy Director of OMB, the Chief Engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Deputy Secretary of Energy.  For that matter, because of the ongoing political reluctance to resolve our nation’s nuclear waste dilemma, this proposal is not intended to be successful if implemented.

For over 16 years I have proposed the creation of an autonomous federal agency led by a Board of Governors comprised of representatives from various public and private stakeholders, with an Executive Director selected by the Board.  The Executive Director will be accountable to the Board, and will also serve as the Board Chair.  This arrangement would promote greater stability in the executive ranks in order to ensure the organization’s success.

With renewable energy sources such as wind and solar being too unreliable to satisfy baseload electrical demands, combined with a significant reduction in the number of coal-fired power plants, and mounting problems with the distribution and pricing of natural gas, nuclear power will take on an even greater role in satisfying our demands for electricity.  If that is so, then we need an efficient organization to manage spent nuclear fuel, not one that is doomed to failure.

I have enclosed a copy of the proposed Nuclear Waste Management Agency Act of 2013 that I wrote so you can compare my bill with the one you are promoting.  Also, feel free to follow the nuclear waste discussions on our group’s site on LinkedIn.

Respectfully,

Clinton E. Crackel

Clinton E. Crackel

Co-Founder and Co-Chairman

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC  20006  443-569-5102