Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§10131 Findings and purposes

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 108— - NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - DISPOSAL AND STORAGE OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, AND LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE › Part Part A— - Repositories for Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel › § 10131

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Sets rules to make sure radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel are disposed of safely and without harming people or the environment. It says the buildup of spent fuel and other radioactive waste is a national problem. Federal efforts over the past 30 years have not solved it. The federal government must provide permanent disposal to protect health and the environment, but the people or companies that produce or own the waste must pay the costs. Those producers must also pay for temporary storage until the Secretary of Energy accepts the waste. States and the public must be involved, and steps must protect current and future generations. The law’s goals are to set a schedule for finding, building, and running disposal sites that protect people and the environment; make clear the federal role and policy; define how the federal and State governments will work together; and create a Nuclear Waste Fund paid by waste producers to cover disposal costs.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §10131

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Congress finds that—

(1)radioactive waste creates potential risks and requires safe and environmentally acceptable methods of disposal;

(2)a national problem has been created by the accumulation of (A) spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors; and (B) radioactive waste from (i) reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel; (ii) activities related to medical research, diagnosis, and treatment; and (iii) other sources;

(3)Federal efforts during the past 30 years to devise a permanent solution to the problems of civilian radioactive waste disposal have not been adequate;

(4)while the Federal Government has the responsibility to provide for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste and such spent nuclear fuel as may be disposed of in order to protect the public health and safety and the environment, the costs of such disposal should be the responsibility of the generators and owners of such waste and spent fuel;

(5)the generators and owners of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel have the primary responsibility to provide for, and the responsibility to pay the costs of, the interim storage of such waste and spent fuel until such waste and spent fuel is accepted by the Secretary of Energy in accordance with the provisions of this chapter;

(6)State and public participation in the planning and development of repositories is essential in order to promote public confidence in the safety of disposal of such waste and spent fuel; and

(7)high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel have become major subjects of public concern, and appropriate precautions must be taken to ensure that such waste and spent fuel do not adversely affect the public health and safety and the environment for this or future generations.

(b)The purposes of this part are—

(1)to establish a schedule for the siting, construction, and operation of repositories that will provide a reasonable assurance that the public and the environment will be adequately protected from the hazards posed by high-level radioactive waste and such spent nuclear fuel as may be disposed of in a repository;

(2)to establish the Federal responsibility, and a definite Federal policy, for the disposal of such waste and spent fuel;

(3)to define the relationship between the Federal Government and the State governments with respect to the disposal of such waste and spent fuel; and

(4)to establish a Nuclear Waste Fund, composed of payments made by the generators and owners of such waste and spent fuel, that will ensure that the costs of carrying out activities relating to the disposal of such waste and spent fuel will be borne by the persons responsible for generating such waste and spent fuel.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 10131

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73