U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined colleagues to introduce the Sensible, Timely Relief for America’s Nuclear Districts’ Economic Development (STRANDED) Act, a bill to provide federal assistance to communities around the country that are burdened with storing stranded nuclear waste.
The senators’ bipartisan legislation would allocate $175 million annually for five years in a federal noncompetitive grant program to compensate communities with decommissioned nuclear power plants where spent radioactive fuel remains stored, like the Town of Cortlandt, and the Village of Buchanan, which are facing financial losses due to the planned April 30, 2021 closure of the Indian Point Energy Center. It would also direct the secretary of Energy to issue an annual report to Congress on the progress and effectiveness of the federal aid allocations.
“After Indian Point shuts down, communities like the Town of Cortlandt and the Village of Buchanan will be, in effect, graveyards for nuclear waste and will suffer losses of tax revenues for critical local services and school funding. The federal government has a responsibility to make these affected surrounding communities whole with the compensation needed to build a successful, sustainable and vibrant future,” said Senator Gillibrand. “That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues and introduce the STRANDED Act as a means to ease the burden of housing nuclear waste during the decommissioning process and beyond.”
The STRANDED Act would provide resources for the federal government to plan for the future of these sites around the country, including establishing a Stranded Nuclear Waste Task Force within the federal government and an Innovation Solutions Prize to support private-sector research. Noncompetitive grants shall be equal to $15 for each kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at eligible nuclear power plant sites across the country. The bill was first introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth in 2017.
U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are cosponsors of the bipartisan STRANDED Act.
Read the text of the bill here.