HB 7

This bill prohibits the disposal or storage of high-level radioactive waste in Texas, with a specific exception for storage at sites of current or former nuclear power reactors and nuclear research and test reactors operated by universities. The legislation amends the Texas Health and Safety Code to define "high-level radioactive waste" (including spent nuclear fuel) and explicitly prevents the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from issuing permits for facilities licensed to store such waste by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, except at university-operated reactor sites. The bill takes effect immediately with a two-thirds legislative vote or on the 91st day after the legislative session ends, effectively blocking any new commercial high-level nuclear waste storage facilities while allowing universities to continue managing their own nuclear waste on-site.