Houston Daily

Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) has introduced the Consolidated Interim Storage Facility Restriction Act, a bill aimed at clarifying the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regarding storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The legislation is intended to address ongoing legal disputes about whether privately owned consolidated interim storage facilities (CISFs) can be licensed for this purpose.

The current framework, established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, mandates that such waste must be stored either on site at civilian reactors or in federally owned storage facilities. Despite these guidelines, the NRC has continued to license private CISFs, leading to years of litigation and differing opinions from federal courts, including those in the Fifth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits. The Supreme Court’s decision in NRC v. Texas did not settle these issues, resulting in ongoing confusion for both states and industry stakeholders.

According to Congressman Nehls, his bill will resolve uncertainties around who is responsible for storing nuclear waste. “For decades, legal confusion and uncertainty has left the responsibility of nuclear storage unclear,” said Congressman Nehls. “I’m glad to introduce legislation that clarifies the statutory authority of the NRC, making it clear that only the federal government is responsible for the safe and proper storage of nuclear waste. Importantly, my bill will prevent future litigation, which only impedes the lawful storage of nuclear waste and delays the development of our nation’s nuclear energy sector, which fuels our nation’s electric grid and the addition of A.I. data centers.”

Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13) is an original cosponsor of this measure.

Troy Nehls has previously secured electoral victories in Texas’ 22nd Congressional District; he won against Sri Preston Kulkarni in 2020 with 51.5% of votes, defeated Jamie Jordan in 2022 with 62.2%, and prevailed over Marquette Greene-Scott in 2024 with 62.1%.

More details about this bill are available through The Texan.