Since 1991 France has had a law on radioactive waste. The law is better known by the name of the man who initiated and tirelessly crafted it, the deputy for Nord, Christian Bataille. Reassuringly, it attracted a consensus, with deputies and senators on all sides for once united and acting responsibly to deal with this important matter in the public interest. A new law was passed in June 2006, extending the 1991 Bataille Act and setting new deadlines.