To speed up the commercial recycling of used nuclear fuel, the federal government should issue a national policy statement supporting the technology and update decades-old energy laws. According to the authors of the newly released report, officials also need to create a long-term plan that combines waste disposal with recycling while increasing funding for private-sector partnerships.
The report states that the government should “Update legislation such as the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to bolster the commercial deployment of modern recycling technologies.” Furthermore, it recommends the adoption of “a national policy statement in support of UNF recycling, modeled after the statement in the George W. Bush administration’s 2001 National Energy Policy.”
These recommendations suggest that current rules, some written nearly seventy years ago, are not suited for today’s recycling methods. By changing these laws and making a clear public commitment to recycling, the government would provide the legal and financial certainty that companies and investors need to build new facilities. This approach moves away from just storing waste underground and instead treats it as a resource that can be reused to generate more power.
The report “The Case for Commercial Recycling of Used Nuclear Fuel: Assessment and Recommendations” was published by the Energy Innovation Reform Project in Fairfax, Virginia, in April 2026. It was prepared by a team of experts including Dr. Christina Leggett, Paul J. Saunders, and Samuel Thernstrom.
