The problem of what to do with 90,000 tons of nuclear waste accumulated over 66 years by our energy and defense industries has not yet been solved. Currently, commercial and government nuclear facilities incur great expense by storing their waste on-site. This waste includes used, or spent, fuel rods, along with hundreds of millions of gallons of radioactive water. The Dept. Of Energy (DoE) claims on-site waste storage at 131 nuclear facilities increases the risk of leaks which could contaminate the environment or of terrorists acquiring this material. The Dept. of Energy (DOE) wants to build a permanent underground storage facility to reduce costs and minimize security threats. Congress has mandated a central repository must be built in a location with natural geological barriers. DOE was studying the feasibility of building a repository capable of storing nuclear waste for possibly 10,000 years deep inside Nevada’s Yucca Mountain. However, due to objections by Nevadans – many of whom experienced the effects of previous radioactive experiments in their state between 1945 and 1992 - plans for a Yucca Mountain repository were abandoned in 2010.

Opponents of a central repository claim it is unnecessary since studies have shown nuclear waste can be safely stored on location for 100 more years. They are also worried about the dangers of transporting nuclear waste across our country. Repository supporters say many power plants storing radioactive waste are located within 50 miles of a major metropolitan area. And many of these facilities are located near oceans or in humid environments which can corrode storage containers over time. They say the Yucca Mountain site was selected because it was remote and geologically stable. They say that nuclear waste will be isolated 1,000 feet under rock and 1,000 feet above the water table. They claim studies continue to show Yucca Mountain to be a suitable site for a repository.

Proposed Legislation: S.1234 Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2019
Prospective Sponsor: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK)