This archived White House webpage explains the creation of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, a federal advisory panel established by President Obama in 2010. The Commission was formed by a presidential memorandum directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to assemble a group of experts to study the nation’s nuclear waste problem and recommend a new strategy.
The Commission brought together policymakers, scientists, and industry leaders to conduct a comprehensive review of how the United States manages spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. It ultimately produced a final report in 2012 with recommendations for a new national approach.
This document is not a law, regulation, or enforceable decision. It is a presidential directive establishing an advisory body.
- It formally establishes the Commission and defines its mission: to review federal nuclear waste policy and recommend changes.
- The Commission itself has no regulatory authority; it cannot approve sites, issue licenses, or create binding rules.
- Its final recommendations were submitted to DOE and Congress to inform future legislation and federal policy decisions.
- The process and resulting report became part of the federal policy record, influencing later programs like consent-based siting and interim storage planning.
