Controversy surfaces in new Yucca Mountain bill

May 25

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., the ranking member of the Senate energy committee, has introduced legislation that would speed along development of nuclear storage capabilities at the controversial Yucca Mountain site in Nevada.

Domenici, along with Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and nine other co-sponsors on May 23 introduced the Nuclear Waste Access to Yucca Mountain Act, which is meeting with strong resistance from Nevada´s two senators.

Domenici´s legislation would authorize the Department of Energy to begin moving defense waste to an above ground storage facility at the repository within the Nevada Test site upon completion of an environmental impact statement. Civilian spent nuclear fuel could be sent to the site as well following the issuance of a construction permit by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The federal government has been developing plans for building a permanent storage site in the Nevada desert for more than two decades, but the project has been repeatedly delayed because of budget, legal and technical challenges.

Nevada´s two senators, Democrat Harry Reid and Republican John Ensign, said they would unite in an effort to defeat the Domenici bill that they said would recklessly speed up the licensing process.

"This is an irresponsible piece of legislation," Reid said. "Rather than addressing the problems facing the proposed dump at Yucca Mountain, its supporters are already trying to cram in more waste before it´s even built. The dump is not based on legal, political or scientific reality."

Ensign, also a longtime opponent of establishing the Yucca Mountain depository, said the Domenici bill disregards public safety and financial responsibility.

"For the last 25 years, the Yucca Mountain project has been disastrous and has wasted billions of taxpayers´ dollars," Ensign said. "This bill attempts to circumvent existing hazardous materials laws, start construction and increase spending on the broken Yucca Mountain project all prior to license approval."

Meanwhile, Domenici and other supporters of the bill said continuation and further development of nuclear energy projects are essential to addressing climate change, and development of Yucca Mountain is essential to safely managing nuclear waste.