§ 8-9-803 — Purpose

The purpose of this subchapter is to authorize the Department of Energy and Environment to: (1) Protect the public health and the environmental quality of the state by identifying the applicable federal standards for: (A) Shipping spent nuclear fuel into the state and returning the shipping containers back to the point of origin after the extraction of the spent nuclear fuel for reuse and reloading; (B) Recycling spent nuclear fuel; (C) Interim storage of spent nuclear fuel before the spent nuclear fuel is to be recycled; (D) Interim storage of recycled nuclear fuel; and (E) Interim storage of waste by-products from the spent nuclear fuel recycling process; (2) Secure federal funding to contract with one (1) or more scientific and engineering organizations to study the technical and economic feasibility and commercial viability of the interim storage and recycling of spent nuclear fuel at locations in Arkansas; and (3) Based on the results of the study under subdivision (2) of this section, determine the appropriate time frames and conditions that must be met before it is technically and economically feasible, commercially viable, and appropriate to declare the state open to interim storage of spent nuclear fuel for the purpose of securing federal funding for the interim storage and recycling of spent nuclear fuel at locations in Arkansas.

Legislative History

Added by Act 2023, No. 259,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023.