orrell? >> two issues. one, make the fundamental decision about whether to use fed corp as the blue ribbon commission understands. it's an issue that translates to all of the other recommendations in some form. two, i would encourage the promulgation of the new disposal standards and regulations as these tend to take very long periods of time. >> all right. thank you, all, very, very much. senator barrasso? all right. he's going to yield to you. take it away. >> he already did that once. i'm getting in his debt. this has been very helpful and very interesting. mr. howes, let me ask you about yankee companies. you've got three sites, right? how many reactors? [ inaudible ] >> the sites are fully decommissioned. >> so all you've got stranded fuel. >> we have stranded nuclear fuel at three of our sites. the reactor, you know, all of the buildings have been removed. they're fully decommissioned. >> and so you've got the fuel that we're supposed to be taking care of? >> our fuel is licensed by the

orrell and mr. wright. >> well, my -- >> i ask you to be brief. >> without a robust discernible repository development program, the enthusiasm for moving early on consolidated storage will probably be short lived. >> all right. thanks. mr. wright? >> what he said. >> you guys are getting good at this, you know? might invite you to come back and be our third panel today. this is one for the entire panel. and if all of you were in our shoes, what would be your first action to get this country started and on a consent-based approach toward finding a final resting place for our spent fuel? and what should congress' first step be, and is there any action that we shouldn't take that we should rule out at this stage? that would be my question. do you want to go first, mr. fettus? >> you should start by doing what you're doing precisely today with these kinds of hearings. you should start with additional hearings on the issues that are going to be very complicated. like fees. the issue of site selection pro

orrell? >> as noted earlier, this hinges on the definition of consent and how you would secure that. if a host community needs consent on allowing interim storage or consolidated storage facility and it would like to have a knowledge that there is a repository program behind it, it would probably define what the level of progress would be. but one other measure might be simply an uncontested waste confidence decision. we have a recent waste confidence decision from the nrc that unfortunately has been legally contested and that brings at least to suspect whether or not we have a sufficient progress on a repository program. >> thank you. mr. fettus, you recommend removing the exemptions of radioactive pollutants from state environmental authority. why would giving states more authority over a nuclear waste site making consent-based siting more likely? and what does the wipp experience tell us about state authority? >> first, in answering this question, i want to respond briefly to senator carpe

andrew orrell of the sandia national lab is our nation's best expert on the science and policy of the nuclear fuel cycle. thank you for making a long trip here from albuquerque to be with us. dr. orrell has worked on yucca mountain and the science behind numerous international and potential nuclear waste solutions. sandia, dr. orrell and his colleagues in los alamos national lab are very valuable assets for the entire country on the nuclear issue. as we consider nuclear issues, i encourage all of my colleagues to reach out to both sandia and los alamos for reliable information. the second, i want to emphasize this is an extremely important hearing. the senate appropriations committee has already approved legislation on the interim nuclear waste storage. it is my understanding that that provision is within the jurisdiction of this subcommittee and this committee like many of the blue ribbon commission recommendations. we're trying to start over with a clean slate, so i think we should proceed with the regular order whenever possible. i know the senate energy committee also has a strong

orrell and mr. fettus.i'm tryi to drill wn a lile bohebon whe ie oar as you all know what doe can open a interim or consolidated site unless a permanent site as already opeed fa long do we need to be towards a permanent site before you start opening er tecoid? yhy . t heon nar now. i will start with that. i think, and is outlined extensively in my written testimony, there i ngn tstaytur prm wllauri attempts at the interim storage program, and as dr. metlay effectively outlined today, countries that ae ha any poan wn' a d ve tendency -- a suggestion my testimony as how we begin to do that in a more thoughtful way to voi the akesf pandhi a ift ntrk bf ayg teel t ctmo frdth front. that includes storage for the fina proposal. r.el swd ieis whhies ecnt if host community needs consent on allowing interim storage or a consolidated storfaty it ul ke vethkndg er aetprm ndtitl ab prsslde t otmee might be simply an uncontested waste position. we have a recent disiofrom nratortes enal enh orehave sufficient progress on