nuclear-news

US Nuclear REgulatory Commission voted on Yucca Mt – but which way?

The commissioners did not reveal the direction of their votes, leaving it unclear whether the commission was divided on the issue

US Nuclear Commissioners Have Voted On Fate Of Yucca Mountain, NASDAQ, By Tennille Tracy, WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- 5 May 11,  U.S. nuclear commissioners said Wednesday that they have voted on the Obama administration’s request to abandon a nuclear waste project at Yucca Mountain, Nev., appearing to contradict recent statements by the chairman of the U.S. nuclear agency suggesting the commissioners were still debating the issue.

The news escalates a years-long debate over Yucca Mountain and fuels a Republican-led effort to scrutinize the recent actions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for deciding the fate of Yucca Mountain.

The NRC was asked to vote on the controversial Yucca Mountain project after the Energy Department submitted a request to abandon the project in March 2010.

Republicans have accused NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko of intentionally delaying a vote on Yucca Mountain, questioning whether Jaczko is unwilling to let the project move forward.

Before becoming chairman of the NRC, Jaczko served as a staff member for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada who is a vocal critic of Yucca Mountain.

On Wednesday, in a rare congressional hearing in which four of the five NRC commissioners appeared before lawmakers, the majority of the commissioners said they had taken final votes on the DOE’s March 2010 request

The commissioners did not reveal the direction of their votes, leaving it unclear whether the commission was divided on the issue……..http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201105041212dowjonesdjonline000462&title=us-nuclear-commissioners-have-voted-on-fate-of-yucca-mou

May 5, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general