WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today said a new report confirms his long-held belief that it would be economically and environmentally beneficial for the United States should embrace commercial nuclear waste recycling.

 Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee and the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, today welcomed the release of the “Economic Assessment of Used Nuclear Fuel Management in the United States” report from the Boston Consulting Group.  The report was prepared for the French-based Areva Corp. and was released today at the National Press Club in Washington.

 “This report uses real economic figures to validate the position that it is time for the United States to embrace recycling of commercial spent fuel to maximize our energy use and minimize the amount of nuclear waste that must be stored,” Domenici said.

“A single-minded focus on burying waste is not in our best interest, or that the world.  Recycling spent fuel to power new nuclear power plants here makes sense.  A new focus on recycling would be beneficial to the rebirth of U.S. nuclear power and to the international goals we’ve set with the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership,” he said.

The economic study of the costs of recycling commercial spent nuclear fuel found significant benefits in waste reprocessing as opposed to a singular permanent repository, such as Yucca Mountain.  (http://www.bcg.com/)

 Domenici expects to conduct a Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in September on the report, as well GNEP and related current initiatives.  (http://www.gnep.energy.gov/gnepReliableFuelServices.html)