Richard Stewart appears before the Federal Blue Ribbon commission on nuclear waste

Richard Stewart, John Edward Sexton Professor of Law and director of the Frank J. Guarini Center on Environmental and Land Use Law, presented a plan for solving the nation’s nuclear waste dilemma to the federal Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future in Washington on November 15. “Our existing system of waste classification and regulation is patchwork and often dysfunctional, resulting in unwarranted regulatory burdens in some cases and inadequate protection in others,” Stewart said. “We need to transition to a system that is risk informed and performance based. “

Stewart urged the government to develop a consolidated storage facility for spent nuclear fuel now located at reactor sites, and a new repository for permanent disposal. He also called for creation of two new organizations, one to site waste facilities and the other to manage and dispose of wastes, as well as other steps. “The nuclear waste policies that we have followed for 30 years are bankrupt,” Stewart said following his appearance before the commission. “We need an entirely new approach.”

Posted November 17, 2010