---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 10142"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "10142"
heading: "Disposal of spent nuclear fuel"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/10142"
units:
  - "Chapter 108 — Nuclear Waste Policy"
  - "Subchapter I — Disposal and Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste, Spent Nuclear Fuel, and Low-Level Radioactive Waste"
  - "Part A — Repositories for Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nu­clear Fuel"
---

# §10142. Disposal of spent nuclear fuel


Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, any [repository](/usc/42/10101.md?p=18) constructed on a site approved under this part shall be designed and constructed to permit the retrieval of any [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) placed in such [repository](/usc/42/10101.md?p=18), during an appropriate period of operation of the facility, for any reason pertaining to the public health and safety, or the environment, or for the purpose of permitting the recovery of the economically valuable contents of such spent fuel. The [Secretary](/usc/42/10101.md?p=20) shall specify the appropriate period of retrievability with respect to any [repository](/usc/42/10101.md?p=18) at the time of design of such [repository](/usc/42/10101.md?p=18), and such aspect of such [repository](/usc/42/10101.md?p=18) shall be subject to approval or disapproval by the [Commission](/usc/42/10101.md?p=7) as part of the [construction](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=7) authorization process under subsections (b) through (d) of [section 10134 of this title](/usc/42/10134.md).


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 97–425, title I, § 122, Jan. 7, 1983, 96 Stat. 2228.)