nuclear-news

Yucca nuclear waste project dead in the water

Yucca project review halted NRC chief tables viability study of nuclear waste site, ReviewJournal.com, By STEVE TETREAULTSTEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREA, 7 Oct 10,

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tossed water on the embers of the Yucca Mountain project this week, directing agency scientists to halt a formal review of the nuclear waste site.

The guidance by NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko could hasten a final chapter on the nuclear repository program, whose personnel have dispersed and whose offices in Las Vegas and Washington were shut down as of Oct. 1.The move was applauded by Nevada federal and state officials eager to see the nuclear program ended. But it has raised hackles in other states and among industry groups, and attorneys said it could add fuel to the ongoing legal battles over the project’s remains.

The commissioners who lead the nuclear safety body have not yet ruled on a Department of Energy request to withdraw a construction application for the site — about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas — raising questions as to whether it might be premature for NRC analysts to stop their work, some attorneys said….

Yucca project review halted – News – ReviewJournal.com

October 8, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive