Last week, the German cabinet approved a deal to move the responsibility for nuclear waste disposal and storage from utilities to the state. The deal will require the four utilities operating Germany’s nuclear plants to pay 23.3 billion Euros (US $25.32 billion) to cover interim storage, transport, and final disposal of radioactive wastes; any additional costs will be covered by the state. This deal builds off a 2011 decision by Chancellor Merkel to decommission Germany’s 17 nuclear power plants by 2022, which accounted for 14% of Germany’s total electricity production in 2015, but in recent years have been competing with solar and wind power suppliers. For the full story, see http://www.dw.com/en/german-utilities-to-pay-for-nuclear-waste-disposal/a-19218042.