Collins, Duckworth Push for Federal Assistance for Communities Struggling With Stranded Nuclear Waste

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a bipartisan letter to leadership of both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to prioritize federal assistance to communities who are struggling with nuclear waste.  Due to the federal government’s inability to find a permanent solution to store spent nuclear fuel, communities around the country with closed nuclear power plants have become unwilling interim storage sites for stranded nuclear waste.

“Strong funding is necessary to support public works investments and economic diversification initiatives in communities across the country,” wrote the Senators.  “The scale of the challenges facing these communities, in addition to further expected nuclear power plant closures, creates a need for robust economic adjustment assistance funding.”

Earlier this year, Senators Collins and Duckworth introduced the bipartisan STRANDED Act, which is a comprehensive approach to helping these communities.  Their legislation would provide much needed impact assistance and economic development incentives to communities around the country burdened with storing stranded nuclear waste.