Low-Level Radioactive Waste Act of 2003

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Act of 2003 directs the Department of Energy to establish a dedicated office responsible for developing a permanent disposal facility for "greater-than-Class C" low-level radioactive waste. This specific category of waste includes materials such as contaminated industrial equipment and medical sources that are too radioactive for typical commercial landfills but do not qualify as high-level waste like spent nuclear fuel.

The bill requires the federal government to provide Congress with updated cost estimates, a construction timeline, and a comprehensive plan for the continued recovery and secure storage of these materials until a permanent site is operational. For the public, this legislation aims to improve national security and environmental safety by ensuring that hazardous radioactive materials currently scattered across various hospitals, universities, and industrial sites are eventually consolidated and managed in a single, regulated, and secure underground facility.