The claim, plainly
The United States has accumulated roughly 90,000 metric tons of commercial nuclear waste and produces about 2,000 metric tons annually.
a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the
references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape
below the player is the source.
Assessment
Both legs of the claim made by Dr. Jen Shafer on March 26, 2026, are confirmed by official data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). First, as of 2022-2026, cumulative commercial spent nuclear fuel in the United States is documented at approximately 90,000 to 95,000 metric tons of heavy metal (DOE reported ~90,000 MT in 2022, PNNL reported exceeding 90,000 MT as of end-of-2022, GAO reported over 90,000 MT in June 2025, and IAEA reported 94,926 MT in June 2026), well within the +/-10% margin. Second, the annual generation rate is consistently documented at approximately 2,000 metric tons per year (DOE benchmarks ~2,000 MT/year, EIA 2013-2017 discharge data averaged ~2,159 MTU/year, and GAO confirmed annual growth of ~2,000 MT/year in 2025), falling well within the +/-15% margin.
- DOE Office of Nuclear Energy benchmark reports that commercial power reactors have accumulated 'about 90,000 metric tons of spent fuel' and generate 'about 2,000 metric tons of spent fuel each year.'
- PNNL Inventory Report (PNNL-33938 Rev. 1.1) and IAEA Global SNF Inventory (June 2026) confirm U.S. commercial spent fuel inventory exceeded 90,000 MT by end-2022 and reached 94,926 tHM by 2025.
- GAO report (June 2025) specifies that the U.S. has 'over 90,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel' stored and that inventory 'continues to grow by about 2,000 metric tons a year.'
- EIA Form GC-859 historical discharge data shows commercial annual discharges averaging approximately 2,159 MTU/year.
assessed as of 2026-09-02
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