ANS revises Position Statements #35 and #47

The Board of Directors of the American Nuclear Society, along with the ANS Public Policy Committee (PPC), recently approved revisions to Position Statement #35: Advanced Reactors and Position Statement #47: Management of Surplus U.S. Nuclear Material.

ANS endorses a number of position statements that reflect the Society's perspectives on nuclear-related issues of relevance to both the public and legislators. These statements are prepared by Society members with related experience. They are then reviewed by relevant ANS committees and divisions before being considered by the Board of Directors.

PS #35 revisions: Position Statement #35 describes advanced reactors as a broad category of technologies that often includes desirable innovations such as more efficient and flexible power generation, nonpower applications, reduced complexity and greater resilience, and improved fuel utilization and reduced volumetric waste generation.

With this new revision, PS #35 has been combined with the now retired Position Statement #25: Small Modular Reactors, recognizing that these categories often have been combined. A notable example of this merging of categories is in the ADVANCE Act, where the term "advanced nuclear reactor" includes SMRs.

The statement also endorses the following actions to accelerate the deployment of advanced reactors:

• Continued federal support for existing advanced reactor projects and additional incentives to sustain new programs.
• Continued progress toward a technology-inclusive regulatory framework using risk-informed, performance-based attributes in parallel with more efficient utilization of existing frameworks and environmental permitting reform.
• The enabling of expedited siting, permitting, and funding of advanced reactors at the state level.
• Innovative public-private partnerships to accelerate deployment and provide cost certainty to spur early movers.
• Continued government support for nuclear R&D and associated workforce and infrastructure development by national labs, universities, and the private sector.
• Accelerated and expanded implementation of the Nuclear Fuel Security Initiative by the government.
• Proactive management of spent nuclear fuel from advanced reactors by federal agencies, private industry, and other stakeholders.

PS #47 revisions: Position Statement #47 was originally titled Disposition of Surplus Weapons Plutonium and called for converting weapons-grade plutonium into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel to be used by commercial light water reactors. This recommendation would have been supported by the U.S. MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility, which was canceled in 2018.

The updated PS #47 is significantly expanded in scope to include other surplus government-owned materials that could be made accessible to the nuclear industry for beneficial uses (such as for advanced reactor fuels or as sources of medical isotopes) rather than being disposed of.

In all, PS #47 recommends five approaches for leveraging these valuable and currently underutilized resources:

• Establish fissile material disposition policies to prioritize energy production and innovation over waste disposal. ANS endorses the halt to surplus plutonium "dilute-and-dispose" in Executive Order 14302.
• Congress should enact legislation to prioritize beneficial use of fissile material over disposal.
• The DOE should conduct reviews involving potential industry users to identify alternatives to disposal for management of fissile materials.
• Incentivize private industry to convert fissile materials into usable reactor fuels.
• Support pilot projects to demonstrate the use and value of fissile materials in next-generation reactors.

"Significant effort went into revising these position statements, and the PPC would like to acknowledge the efforts and patience of Evan Swiker and Kurt Harris on stewarding them through the process," said Sven Bader, chair of the PPC.

Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding these position statements can be directed [email protected]. Bader also invites any ANS member with a desire to participate in the PPC to contact him via email.

Each ANS position statement can be read in full at ans.org/policy/statements/.