Nuclear Waste Policy Act

Nuclear Waste Policy Act

Other short titles	Atomic Energy Act Amendments of 1981 Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982
Long title	An act to provide for the development of repositories for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, to establish a program of research, development, and demonstration regarding the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and for other purposes.
Enacted by	the 97th United States Congress
Effective	January 7, 1983
Citations
Public law	97-425
Statutes at Large	96 Stat. 2201
Codification
Titles amended	42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare
U.S.C. sections created	42 U.S.C. ch. 108 § 10101
Legislative history
Introduced in the House as H.R. 3809 by Morris K. Udall (D-AZ) on June 4, 1981 Committee consideration by House Energy and Commerce, House Interior and Insular Affairs, House Rules, House Armed Services, House Judiciary, House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on January 7, 1983

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 is a United States federal law which established a comprehensive national program for the safe, permanent disposal of highly radioactive wastes.

• The US Congress amended the act in 1987 to designate Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the sole repository.
• The act allowed Nevada to override this designation, which it did in April 2002.
• Congress overrode Nevada's veto in July 2002.
• Nevada appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with Nevada in 2004.
• At least one other jurisdiction (Aiken County, South Carolina in 2011^[1]) filed suit to force Yucca Mountain to accept the nuclear waste from the rest of the US.