Sep 01 - Las Vegas Review - Journal

By STEVE TETREAULT

A petition against the Yucca Mountain Project that has more than 4,000 signatures was sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday, according to Nevada lawmakers.

The petition urges the nuclear safety agency to reject a Department of Energy application to build the nuclear waste complex 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

"It's time for the NRC to listen to the collective voice of Nevada. The proposed Yucca Mountain dump is wrong, and we will not accept it," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who initiated the drive earlier this summer with other members of the state's delegation.

The staff of the nuclear agency has been conducting a preliminary screening of the Energy Department's 8,600-page licensing packet that was submitted in June.

If the staff determines the application is complete, it will be placed on the agency's docket for technical evaluations and hearings that could consume the next three to four years. The agency is expected to announce a docketing decision next week.

Energy Department officials are seeking permission to build a below-ground repository and above-ground waste handling complex for 77,000 tons of radioactive spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants and government-generated nuclear waste.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week rejected a request from Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto that the Yucca application be thrown out as incomplete. The four-member commission said it would be premature to judge the application before the staff completes its initial screening.

Nevada officials contend nuclear waste cannot be safely stored at Yucca Mountain for the thousands of years envisioned by the government.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@ stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760.

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