Bennett says nuclear waste a priority

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. government should take steps to improve the reprocessing or reuse of nuclear waste, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, says.

With experts saying that Bennett will likely be the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, Bennett said a focus on nuclear waste could help increase the use of nuclear power nationwide, the Deseret News said Monday.

Bennett said that in observing European energy sites he learned that the key to reducing U.S. carbon emissions is embracing nuclear energy.

Bennett said if the nation is to embrace nuclear energy, U.S. experts must find ways in which to reuse or reprocess the ensuing waste products.

Bennett said previous U.S. administrations under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan ceased reprocessing efforts that could be invaluable in a nuclear power nation.

"Ronald Reagan reversed the executive order that banned reprocessing. But by that time, frankly, it was too late because the industry had gone ahead on the assumption that there would be no reprocessing. The technology had gone overseas. The rest of the world engages in reprocessing, and America doesn't," he told the Deseret News.