This document, “Consent-Based Siting Process” (DOE, updated 2023/2024), is an official policy framework issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It lays out how the federal government plans to identify locations for consolidated interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel using a “consent-based” approach.
Rather than selecting a site, the document describes a multi-stage process for engaging communities, evaluating potential locations, and ultimately choosing one or more sites for nuclear waste storage. It builds on earlier federal recommendations, public input, and congressional direction.
This document is not a law or regulation, and it does not authorize the construction of any facility. Instead, it is a federal policy roadmap that guides how DOE will act under existing legal authority:
- Congress has directed DOE through recent appropriations laws to move forward with identifying interim storage sites using this consent-based approach.
- The process outlines phases of federal action, including planning, community engagement, site screening, detailed evaluation, and eventual negotiation with potential host communities.
- It emphasizes voluntary participation, meaning communities can engage at each stage and decide whether to continue.
- It helps build the administrative record and policy justification DOE will rely on when making future siting decisions and seeking licenses or approvals.
However, any actual facility would still require separate legal steps, including licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and, in many cases, additional congressional authorization.
