The FADS Act of 2025 clarifies that the Department of Energy can dispose of Russian-origin americium-241 (a radioactive material) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico, the nation's underground repository for nuclear defense waste. Currently, only U.S.-origin americium-241 is eligible for disposal at WIPP, even though Russian-origin material has identical properties and poses the same storage challenges. By expanding WIPP's disposal authority to include these foreign-origin materials, the bill aims to help the National Nuclear Security Administration remove thousands of disused radioactive sources from storage more quickly, reducing the risk that the material could be stolen or misused in a radiological weapon. The Department estimates this change would require only 1-2 shipments per year with negligible impact on WIPP operations.
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