Nuclear Waste At Some N.E. Plants Piles Up, Draws Concern

In Boston, as state lawmakers prepare to discuss the safety of New England's nuclear plants at a hearing this week, it appears rate-payers could be in for some serious sticker shock in terms of the cost of storing the growing pile of spent nuclear fuel.

A new report from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting and the Hearst Connecticut media group found New England's nuclear plants generate 20 metric tons of nuclear waste a year.

In the last three decades electricity consumers shelled out nearly $1 billion to store nuclear waste — and will likely pay a lot more.

Shay Totten, one of the reporters who worked on the story, joined Morning Edition Monday to provide more details.