1997 Senate Joint Resolution 11
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: memorializing Congress to ensure that the federal government will accept civilian spent nuclear fuel on January 31, 1998.
Whereas, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 [
42 USC 10222 (a) (5)], the federal government entered into contracts with electric utilities, including electric utilities in Wisconsin, that provide that following the commencement of operation of a permanent federal repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, the U.S. secretary of energy shall take title to spent nuclear fuel from civilian nuclear power reactors as expeditiously as practicable upon request of the fuel's owner and, beginning no later than January 31, 1998, will dispose of the spent nuclear fuel in return for payment of fees to the nuclear waste fund; and
Whereas, electric utilities owning nuclear power plants in Wisconsin have collected over $240,000,000 to date from Wisconsin ratepayers for the required payment of fees to the nuclear waste fund; and
Whereas, the federal department of energy has repeatedly delayed the projected opening date for the federal nuclear waste repository and is now projecting that the date will be after the year 2010 under the most optimistic assumptions; and
Whereas, delays in the development of the federal repository have necessitated that one Wisconsin utility spend over $10,000,000 for additional, temporary on-site storage of its spent nuclear fuel and the utilities owning the other nuclear power plant in Wisconsin are facing similar prospects, and these costs would not be necessary if the federal government had upheld its commitment to develop, in a timely manner, a single government-owned and government-operated permanent nuclear waste repository; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the legislature of the state of Wisconsin urge President Clinton and the U.S. Congress to uphold the federal government's commitment to accept and take title to civilian spent nuclear fuel on January 31, 1998, through enactment of appropriate funding resolutions and legislation that authorize and fund the development of a federal centralized, temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel that will accept spent nuclear fuel between January 31, 1998, and the beginning of commercial operation of the permanent federal nuclear waste repository; to use funds in the nuclear waste fund to provide adequate funding for the expedient development of the permanent federal nuclear waste repository; and to not increase the fee for the nuclear waste fund; and, be it further
Resolved, That the senate chief clerk shall provide a copy of this joint resolution to the President of the United States, to the president of the U.S. senate, to the speaker of the U.S. house of representatives and to each member of the U.S. congressional delegation from this state.
