nuclear-news

USA’s mounting mountains of nuclear waste, and of its legal costs

Some companies have won their lawsuits while others have settled with the government.  According to the Justice Department, the government has already paid the companies $960 million. And assuming the government will be able to collect the waste by 2020, the Energy Department estimates the government’s liability could reach $16.2 billion.

Nuclear-Power Firms Push Back Against Fees – WSJ.com, FEBRUARY 11, 2011,   By TENNILLE TRACY “……..Fund fees, paid by utilities or their ratepayers and facilities, are based on a charge of one-tenth of a cent for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated at a nuclear plant.

Nuclear-power facilities in Illinois, Pennsylvania and South Carolina have made particularly large contributions to the fund, with each state responsible for more than $1 billion worth of payments, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Power companies are now considering a lawsuit to suspend the fee until the Energy Department determines what type of project it wants to pursue and a general timeline on which it wants to pursue it, Mr. O’Connell said.

But the federal government’s failure to build a nuclear-waste site or develop an alternative storage plan has already cost taxpayers a billion dollars.

For the last several years, nuclear-power companies have sued the federal government for its failure to collect radioactive waste from their facilities, as required under the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act, and the companies have sought compensation for the cost of storing the waste themselves.

Some companies have won their lawsuits while others have settled with the government.  According to the Justice Department, the government has already paid the companies $960 million. And assuming the government will be able to collect the waste by 2020, the Energy Department estimates the government’s liability could reach $16.2 billion. But these lawsuit didn’t halt the Energy Department’s ability to collect the fees……….Nuclear-Power Firms Push Back Against Fees – WSJ.com

February 12, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA