GAO: GNEP Lacks Industry Support, Relies on Unproven Technology

摘要

President Bush's plan for recycling spent nuclear fuel suffers from a lack of industry participation and a rush to build a reprocessing facility before completing research and development on the technology for recycling nuclear fuel, according to a new report from a nonpartisan congressional investigatory arm.rnIn its report, the Government Accountability Office challenged the safety and viability of the White House-backed Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), saying the program could actually generate more nuclear waste and would detract from efforts to clean up the nation's existing waste stockpiles.rn"While reprocessing technology may have the potential to solve a potentially long term nuclear waste problem, the GAO's report makes clear that [the U.S. Energy Department] is not ready for prime time," said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee's panel on oversight and investigations. "DoE's track record on large scale nuclear projects is characterized by massive cost overruns and project failure."