LRB-4309/1
RAC:kjf:ph
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
March 4, 2010 - Introduced by Representatives Petersen, Suder, Vos, Nygren,
Townsend, Pridemore, Bies, Brooks, Honadel and Knodl, cosponsored by
Senator Cowles. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AJR115,1,2
1Relating to: expressing the sense of the legislature that Congress should return
2State of Wisconsin Nuclear Waste Fund contributions.
AJR115,1,53
Whereas, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 requires the federal government
4to construct a national spent nuclear fuel repository funded by payments from
5nuclear power utilities through fees imposed on their ratepayers; and
AJR115,1,86
Whereas, the fees collected from ratepayers are deposited into the Nuclear
7Waste Fund, which is intended to be used for the construction of a national repository
8and the transport of spent nuclear fuel to the repository; and
AJR115,1,119
Whereas, in 1987, based on comprehensive scientific examination, Congress
10selected Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the sole spent nuclear fuel repository for all of
11our nation's nuclear reactors; and
AJR115,1,1412
Whereas, the repository in Yucca Mountain was scheduled to open in 1998 and
13with every year of delay more fees are collected from ratepayers for a nonfunctioning
14repository; and
AJR115,2,4
1Whereas, the construction of the Yucca Mountain repository has been
2indefinitely suspended and, due to this suspension, spent nuclear fuel must be stored
3on site at our nation's nuclear facilities passing added storage costs onto ratepayers;
4and
AJR115,2,85
Whereas, the federal Department of Energy continues to collect fees from
6Wisconsin consumers for the construction of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Yucca
7Mountain, Nevada, with no recognizable intention of completing and operating the
8repository; and
AJR115,2,119
Whereas, the ratepayers of the state of Wisconsin, as of September 30, 2009,
10have contributed $731.2 million in fees and accrued interest into the Nuclear Waste
11Fund; and
AJR115,2,1412
Whereas, moneys in the Nuclear Waste Fund have been misappropriated for
13deficit reduction, and the construction of a national repository has been unjustifiably
14delayed by the federal government; and
AJR115,2,1715
Whereas, due to federal mismanagement and delay, moneys in the Nuclear
16Waste Fund should be returned to the ratepayers from which it came; now, therefore,
17be it
AJR115,2,24
18Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That it is the sense of the
19legislature that Congress should reimburse all funds contributed to the Nuclear
20Waste Fund back to the ratepayers of the state of Wisconsin and to nuclear utilities
21in order to pay for the storage of spent nuclear fuel and in order to shield consumers
22from this added cost due directly to federal inaction and delay and for the federal
23Department of Energy to immediately suspend the collection of Nuclear Waste Fund
24fees.
