Breaking the Cycle: Recommendations For
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
e Energy Communities Alliance A COMMUNITY HANDBOOK ON NUCLEAR ENERGY: Understanding Nuclear Energy and Alternatives for the Future Kara Colton Allison Doman Seth Kirshenberg Copyright© 2014 Energy Communities Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This handbook was prepared by Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy, under Cooperative Agreement DE-NE0000006. It does not represent the views of the Department of Energy, and no official endorsement should be inferred. This handbook is an update to the version originally released in March 2012. The authors are Kara Colton, Allison Doman and Seth Kirshenberg of ECA. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of many local government officials, including the ECA Board of Directors impacted by nuclear waste and storage issues, those interested in nuclear fuel cycle alternatives, and those communities considering support for new nuclear energy facilities and technology development. We also appreciate assistance from Department of Energy officials who provided input and resources. Finally, ECA would like to thank the many individuals who reviewed and provided input and technical guidance to ECA on the drafts of this handbook. Chair Treasurer Immediate Past Chair Mayor Tom Beehan Councilor Fran Berting Councilmember Robert Thompson City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee Incorporated County of City of Richland, Washington Los Alamos, New Mexico Vice Chair Secretary Councilmember Chuck Smith Mayor Steve Young Aiken County, South Carolina City of Kennewick, WA LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AEA: Atomic Energy Act MOX: Mixed Oxide AEC: Atomic Energy Commission MRS: Monitored Retrievable Storage AEO: Annual Energy Outlook NARUC: National Association of Regulatory AFCI: Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative Utility Consumers BIA: Bureau of Indian Affairs NAS: National Academy of Sciences BNFL: British Nuclear Fuels NE: Nuclear Energy or Office of Nuclear BRC: Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Energy Nuclear Future NEI: Nuclear Energy Institute BWR: Boiling Water Reactor NFS: Nuclear Fuel Services CO2: Carbon Dioxide NGO: Non-Governmental Organization DHLW: Defense High-Level Waste NIF: National Ignition Facility DNFSB: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety NIMBY: Not in My Backyard Board NNSA: National Nuclear Security DOE: Department of Energy Administration DOE-EM: Department of Energy-Office of NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Environmental Management NRG: NRG Energy, Inc. DOE-NE: Department of Energy-Office of NUMO: Nuclear Waste Management Nuclear Energy Organization of Japan DOE STRATEGY: Department of Energy’s NWF: Nuclear Waste Fund Strategy for the Management and Disposal for NWPA: Nuclear Waste Policy Act Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive NWTRB: National Waste Technical Review Waste Board DOI: Department of Interior ONSIR: Office of Nuclear Security and Incident DOT: Department of Transportation Response ECA: Energy Communities Alliance OPEC: Organization of the Petroleum EDF: Électricité de France Exporting Countries EIA: Energy Information Administration PFS: Private Fuel Storage, LLC EM: Environmental Management or Office of MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Environmental Management PILT: Payment in Lieu of Taxes EPA: Environmental Protection Agency PUREX: Plutonium-Uranium Extraction EPRI: Electric Power Research Institute PWR: Pressurized Water Reactor FEMA: Federal Emergency Management R&D: Research and Development Agency RCRA: Resource Conservancy and Recovery FFHR: Fusion-Fission Hybrid Reactor Act GAO: Government Accountability Office SFR: Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor HLW: High-Level Waste SMR: Small Modular Reactor IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency SNF: Spent Nuclear Fuel INL: Idaho National Laboratory TEPCO: Tokyo Electric Power Company ISFSI: Independent spent fuel storage TMI: Three Mile Island installation TRU Waste: Transuranic Waste JAEA: Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency UN: United Nations kWh: Kilowatt Hour UREX+: Uranium Reduction and Extraction LLW: Low-Level Waste WANO: World Association of Nuclear LWR: Light Water Reactor Operators MDO: Waste management and disposal WIPP: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant organization WNA: World Nuclear Association A Community Handbook on Nuclear Energy: Understanding Nuclear Energy and Alternatives for the Future CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROLE IN SITING ........................................... 21 CHAPTER 3: NUCLEAR ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES ................................... 31 CHAPTER 4: THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE IN THE UNITED STATES ................ 45 CHAPTER 5: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: SMRS, RECYCLING AND NEW NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES ................................................................... 53 CHAPTER 6: REGULATING NUCLEAR WASTE ......................................................... 63 CHAPTER 7: NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL IN THE UNITED STATES ............... 69 CHAPTER 8: PERMANENT GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL ............................................. 81 CHAPTER 9: INTERIM STORAGE OF WASTE ............................................................ 87 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 91 APPENDICES Appendix A — Examples of Engaging Local Governments from Abroad Appendix B — Endnotes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Local governments have a critical role to play in the development of new nuclear facilities and need to be part of the discussion on future nuclear policy with decision-makers at the federal, state and regional levels. Nuclear facilities and activities can provide a community, region and state with economic opportunities. Expanding nuclear energy manufacturing and resources also can provide a “clean” and reliable electricity supply. However, risks do exist and a community must become educated in order to understand and address such risks. Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) developed A Community Handbook on Nuclear Energy: Understanding Nuclear Energy and Alternatives for the Future (Handbook) to assist local communities in identifying and understanding the myriad issues associated with potentially hosting a nuclear power production, manufacturing, defense, disposal or other facility. Included in this Handbook is the history of issues that should be considered and more importantly the role that local governments and communities can play in the development of a nuclear facility in their community. This Handbook is an update of the May 2012 version of A Community Handbook on Nuclear Energy (Original Handbook). Although many of the lessons learned and the history have not changed since the Original Handbook was published, a number of efforts to prioritize and address nuclear waste management have evolved and key issues such as the role of the local government in siting a nuclear waste facility are addressed in this update. Further, this Handbook expands on local community strategies, provides an update on the future of the nuclear industry in the United States, and addresses new waste management legislation that has been introduced in the past two Congresses. This Handbook is not written by people who work for the nuclear industry, the federal government, or anti- or pro-nuclear groups. Instead, this Handbook is written from the experience of local governments that host nuclear facilities, which have been and will be most impacted by any policies regarding nuclear energy development and nuclear waste management. ECA’s leadership consists of mayors, councilmembers, commissioners, chairpersons, judges, city and county managers, Community Reuse Organization executives and board members, economic development professionals, and others. They assisted in the development of this Handbook and provided input into the realities of hosting such a facility, including the benefits and challenges. Handbook Outline From the outset this Handbook introduces local governments that may be interested in hosting nuclear facilities to the concepts, terminology, benefits and challenges associated with Nuclear Energy – Community Handbook nuclear energy and nuclear waste. This Handbook aims to assist local communities to better understand the development and impact of nuclear energy policies; the various stages of the “nuclear fuel cycle;” alternatives to manage, store and dispose of nuclear waste; and the new nuclear technologies that are being developed. At the beginning of each chapter, key issues are outlined for local governments and communities to consider, and, at the end of each chapter, this Handbook makes recommendations for local governments and communities interested in taking an active role in the future of nuclear energy. Finally, this Handbook includes case studies in Appendix A that consider how nuclear waste issues are handled in other countries. Specifically, the case studies examine the role of local governments in other countries that are evaluating whether to (1) increase the use of nuclear energy, (2) close the fuel cycle to manage nuclear waste or (3) develop a permanent geological repository for high-level nuclear waste. Some aspects of the case studies can serve as models for communities in the United States to consider. Recommendations Nuclear energy policy — in regards to new nuclear facility development and nuclear waste management — is constantly evolving. In 2012, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first award of a small modular