Congress bans private nuclear waste storage, centralizes control under federal authority

What it does

This bill prohibits the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from issuing licenses for private companies to store spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste at independent facilities away from power plants. It voids any such licenses already issued and requires all interim storage to occur either at the reactor site where the fuel was generated or at a federally owned facility. The bill centralizes control of nuclear waste storage under federal authority rather than allowing private interim storage operations.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a prohibition on private interim storage licenses and nullification of existing ones, centralizing nuclear waste management under federal control. This is a regulatory restriction on private-sector activity in nuclear waste handling, not a subsidy, tax provision, or commemorative measure.

What the text implies

• Voids existing private interim storage licenses (e.g., Holtec International's license for New Mexico facility), potentially triggering litigation and regulatory uncertainty for licensees.
• Concentrates all interim storage at reactor sites or federal facilities, which may increase on-site storage duration and create capacity constraints if federal facilities are unavailable.
• Assumes federal repository will eventually be built and funded; if not, the bill creates a bottleneck with no private alternative, leaving spent fuel stranded at reactors.
• May increase transportation costs and safety risks by forcing all waste to federal facilities rather than distributed interim storage closer to generation sites.
• Reflects ongoing circuit split on NRC authority; bill legislatively resolves the legal dispute by denying the authority Congress finds the NRC lacks.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Citizens benefit from centralized federal oversight and elimination of private interim storage sites, which reduces distributed risk and ensures uniform safety standards. However, the bill may delay or complicate waste management by eliminating a storage pathway, potentially leaving spent fuel at reactor sites longer or creating bottlenecks in the federal repository system, which itself remains incomplete and unfunded.

Named in the bill

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Atomic Energy Act of 1954, Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Holtec International (implied licensee), Consolidated interim storage facilities

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Dec 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.