Back-End Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Advising Utilities and Developers on SNF Storage, Transport, and Disposal

This CLE webinar will explore the back-end nuclear fuel cycle and discuss the current regulatory climate and how counsel can effectively advise clients on reducing risk and successfully contracting as providers in this industry space.

The panel of experts will examine on-site storage (ISFSIs), consolidated interim storage (CISFs), deep geologic repositories, and reprocessing/recycling, with a focus on current agency regulatory and statutory enforcement. The panel will review the federal authorities impacting the industry, including the Atomic Energy Act, Nuclear Waste Policy Act, NRC, DOE, and EPA. The experts will explain what each facility type is, who regulates what, and how federal licensing, NEPA, and environmental justice (EJ) review, transportation rules, and state siting/permit regimes interact on real projects.

The program will address what has recently changed with the administration and the courts and why it matters to risk and timing. The experts will discuss party-status/Hobbs Act implications for NRC licensing challenges and DOE's consent-based siting efforts for interim storage and a future repository.

The panelists will explore handling and abating risk, including how the Price-Anderson Act impacts storage and transport, DOE indemnity vs. NRC financial-protection regimes, and the role of commercial insurance.

Finally, the experts will discuss contracting best practices: allocating construction and licensing risk, changes in law, regulatory delay, and force-majeure, milestones and termination rights, indemnity and insurance, and community-consent/EJ engagement commitments.

Listen as our panel provides an overview of the back-end nuclear fuel cycle and the current regulatory climate, as well as best practices to enhance client ability to structure deals, manage licensing and environmental review, align transport logistics, and mitigate liability and litigation risk.