Agency charges nuclear fee but does no work

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) have filed an appeal against the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for continuing to charge a fee for the moving and disposing of spent nuclear fuel.

Rate payers have paid the federal government nearly $30 billion over 27 years into a fund for the safe transport and permanent storage of spent nuclear waste. With the current administration, the permanent storage project has been shuttered before being completed.

Consequently, to date, no such facility has been established nor any real work initiated for the government to meet its explicit promise given 27 years ago.

Bottom line, customers (taxpayers) are charged a fee by the federal government on the electric utility bill for 27 years and yet no service has been provided to date. Worse yet, the government wants this fee to continue.

If this was a private enterprise operating in this fashion, business executives would be hauled before Congress and eventually tried, convicted and sent to jail. Why doesn't our government obey the law like the private sector?

Gary C. Young

Cedar Rapids