In 1977, President Jimmy Carter banned nuclear reprocessing in the US due to proliferation concerns, even as other countries continued developing the technology.
Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel can extract uranium and plutonium that can potentially be reused as fuel or weapons.
The US instead planned underground storage at Yucca Mountain but later abandoned it without an alternative solution.
Recent funding in a spending bill marks the first support from Congress for commercializing nuclear reprocessing in the US.
Private companies are now working on technologies to safely recycle nuclear waste for reuse as fuel.
Recycling nuclear waste could help address the growing stockpiles in the US and reduce reliance on imports for fuel and technology.
The funding and policy shifts show bipartisan growing acceptance of reprocessing as a potential solution for nuclear waste in the US.
Source: huffpos
