Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
consortium of commercial reactors, is not yet operational. Two sites in
Colorado and Idaho that are managed by DOE and store commercial spent
nuclear fuel from the Fort St. Vrain and Three Mile Island reactors,
respectively, are not included in this count.
[32]
NRC has determined that there is reasonable assurance that a geologic
repository will be open by 2025, giving it confidence that the nuclear waste
issue will be resolved. In the meantime, NRC testified that continued
interim storage is considered safe. In February 2006, NRC licensed a
centralized interim storage facility in Utah that the electric power industry is
pursuing to relieve congested spent fuel pools. However, there is no
timetable for construction.
[33]
Funding includes $8.3 billion from the Nuclear Waste Fund, $3 billion from
defense waste, and the remainder from various reprogramming actions.
Both commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level defense waste are
planned for disposal at Yucca Mountain.
[34]
The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, (Pub. L. No. 95-617,
(1978)) requires that utilities buy excess energy generated by small energy
producers. The states determine its minimum purchase price.
[35]
Renewable technology plants are exempt from taxes placed on power plants
that emit carbon dioxide.
[36]
One of the new offshore developments, Horns Rev II, is expected to be
operational by 2009.
[37]
The German government also amended the Atomic Energy Act in 2002,
which will systematically decommission the nation's existing nuclear power
plants once the volume of electricity specified for each plant is generated—
the last nuclear power plant in Germany is estimated to shut down about
2020.
[38]
About half of Japan's total energy demand is for oil, which is primarily
imported from the Middle East.
[39]
Results from a nonprobability sample cannot be used to make inferences
about a population because in a nonprobability sample some elements of the
population being studied have no chance or an unknown chance of being
selected as part of the sample.
[40]
Some payments are still being made to producers that qualified for the
program prior to 1999. However, these payments are now less than 20
percent and are being continuously phased out.
