---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 10151"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "10151"
heading: "Findings and purposes"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/10151"
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 B — Interim Storage Program"
---

# §10151. Findings and purposes

- (a) The Congress finds that—
  - (1) the persons owning and operating [civilian nuclear power reactors](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6) have the primary responsibility for providing interim [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) of [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) from such reactors, by maximizing, to the extent practical, the effective use of existing [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) facilities at the site of each [civilian nuclear power reactor](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6), and by adding new onsite [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) capacity in a timely manner where practical;
  - (2) the Federal Government has the responsibility to encourage and expedite the effective use of existing [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) facilities and the addition of needed new [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) capacity at the site of each [civilian nuclear power reactor](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6); and
  - (3) the Federal Government has the responsibility to provide, in accordance with the provisions of this part, not more than 1,900 metric tons of capacity for interim [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) of [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) for [civilian nuclear power reactors](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6) that cannot reasonably provide adequate [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) capacity at the sites of such reactors when needed to assure the continued, orderly operation of such reactors.
- (b) The purposes of this part are—
  - (1) to provide for the utilization of available [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) pools at the site of each [civilian nuclear power reactor](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6) to the extent practical and the addition of new [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) capacity where practical at the site of such reactor; and
  - (2) to provide, in accordance with the provisions of this part, for the establishment of a federally owned and operated system for the interim [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) of [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) at one or more facilities owned by the Federal Government with not more than 1,900 metric tons of capacity to prevent disruptions in the orderly operation of any [civilian nuclear power reactor](/usc/42/10101.md?p=6) that cannot reasonably provide adequate [spent nuclear fuel](/usc/42/10101.md?p=23) [storage](/usc/42/10101.md?p=25) capacity at the site of such reactor when needed.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 97–425, title I, § 131, Jan. 7, 1983, 96 Stat. 2229.)