Senate Introduces Bills to Boost Uranium Enrichment and Terminate Yucca Mountain Repository

The U.S. Senate is simultaneously targeting the beginning and the end of the nuclear fuel cycle. In August 2026, lawmakers introduced two bills that address the most stubborn bottlenecks in American nuclear energy: the MORE American Fuel Act to accelerate domestic uranium enrichment, and the Jobs, Not Waste Act to permanently terminate the Yucca Mountain waste repository.[1][3]

The dual legislative push reflects a broader infrastructure reality. As the U.S. prepares for a 2028 ban on Russian low-enriched uranium, the front end of the fuel cycle requires rapid capacity expansion. Conversely, the back end of the cycle remains paralyzed by the decades-old political stalemate over Yucca Mountain, forcing spent fuel to sit in temporary storage at reactor sites nationwide.[1][3]

The MORE American Fuel Act, co-sponsored by Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), targets the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) licensing sequence. Currently, developers must secure a full operating license before breaking ground on enrichment facilities. The new bill allows applicants to begin construction at their own financial risk once the NRC dockets their application.[1][4]

This pre-license construction is not unregulated. The legislation requires developers to provide advance written notice to state, local, and tribal governments at least 15 days before construction begins. Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) remain mandatory before any uranium can be enriched or stored on-site, preserving the NRC's ultimate authority to deny an operating license.[1][4]

At the opposite end of the cycle, the Jobs, Not Waste Act, introduced by Nevada Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, seeks to formally close the book on Yucca Mountain. The bill mandates that the Department of Energy (DOE) withdraw and terminate the licensing proceeding at the NRC, repealing the 1987 amendment that designated the Nevada site as the nation's sole high-level nuclear waste repository.[2][5]

Beyond administrative termination, the legislation requires the DOE to reclaim the site and mitigate any adverse environmental impacts caused by decades of characterization work. It also directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct a 180-day study on alternative economic uses for the site, such as a drone command facility, renewable energy development, or a scientific research center.[2][3]

The evidence driving the enrichment legislation is straightforward: domestic capacity currently falls far short of demand. In recent years, U.S. nuclear operators relied on foreign sources for approximately 80% of their enriched uranium, with roughly 20% historically imported from Russia. The impending 2028 import ban creates a hard deadline for domestic substitution, making regulatory friction a direct threat to fuel security. However, the limits of this legislative fix are clear: streamlining permits does not automatically solve the physical supply chain constraints of manufacturing advanced centrifuges.[1][4]

The evidence supporting the Yucca Mountain termination is largely political and operational. Despite billions of dollars in federal investment and a geological profile deemed suitable for deep disposal, the project has never opened due to sustained opposition from Nevada lawmakers and tribal communities. Consequently, roughly 76,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel remain stranded at temporary locations across the country. The data indicates that temporary dry cask storage is currently safe, but the long-term limit of this approach is the lack of a permanent geological solution.[3][5]

While both bills address clear bottlenecks, their downstream consequences carry transparent uncertainty. Accelerating enrichment facility construction transfers financial risk to developers, but it does not guarantee that supply chains for specialized components will keep pace. Similarly, terminating Yucca Mountain resolves a localized political conflict but leaves the United States without a designated permanent repository for high-level waste, shifting the burden to a yet-to-be-determined consent-based siting process.[3][4][5]

The Jobs, Not Waste Act capitalizes on recent shifts in federal posture. The legislation follows a proposal from the Trump administration to abandon the Yucca Mountain mandate in favor of a consent-based, voluntary siting strategy. By codifying this shift into law, the Nevada senators aim to prevent any future administration from reviving the project, ensuring the site remains permanently closed to waste storage.[2][5]

The enrichment legislation has garnered broad support from industry groups and policy analysts, including the Clean Air Task Force and the Nuclear Innovation Alliance. Proponents argue that aligning the NRC's licensing process with modern fuel cycle realities is essential for deploying the next generation of advanced reactors, which require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) that is currently in short supply.[1][4]

Ultimately, these two bills illustrate the bifurcated nature of American nuclear policy. While bipartisan consensus exists to accelerate the front end of the fuel cycle to secure energy independence, the back end remains an exercise in unwinding legacy decisions. The success of both efforts will dictate whether the U.S. can sustain its current nuclear renaissance without being constrained by fuel shortages or waste storage limitations.[1][3]