WASHINGTON -- After inspecting a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in France, Rep. Jon Porter on Thursday said Nevada universities should be at the forefront in researching the reprocessing of nuclear fuel.
"According to the French, there is a shortage of folks in this field; and if we can become the premier state in researching the recycling of nuclear fuel and alternative energy sources, the pressure to open Yucca Mountain might be reduced," Porter said.
During reprocessing, uranium and plutonium are separated from other materials in spent nuclear fuel. That could significantly reduce the 77,000 tons of nuclear waste which would be stored at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
But for more than 30 years, the United States has banned reprocessing of nuclear waste in an attempt to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons material.
"I think we have ignored a viable option for a number of years, and we need to accelerate efforts to look at reprocessing as a way to diversify our energy portfolio," said Porter, a three-term Republican.
Porter said the cost of completing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain ranges from $80 billion to $90 billion compared to about $15 billion to build a nuclear reprocessing facility.
Porter and Republicans Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Phil English and Bill Shuster, both of Pennsylvania, toured the Areva nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in LaHague, France, last week on a nine-day taxpayer-funded trip.
The lawmakers also inspected energy facilities in Azerbaijan and Turkey, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, which transports 1 million barrels a day and is projected to reach its capacity of moving 3 million barrels daily next year, according to Porter spokesman Matt Leffingwell.
Although not all of the oil goes to the United States, Porter described the BTC pipeline as a vital U.S. energy resource.
"The pipeline allows us to get oil and gas from that region without Russia and Iran who like to play games," he said.
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