Dateline: 05/08/02

By a vote of 306-117, the House of Representatives has approved H.J. Res. 87, a resolution giving final approval for construction of the Yucca Mountain, Nevada nuclear waste storage project. A less-than-positive Senate now has the final say on what to do with America's growing pile of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.

Under provisions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, Nevada's Republican Governor Kenny Guinn filed an official notice of disapproval with the U.S. Senate on April 8, 2002. Both the House and Senate must now approve resolution H.J. Res. 87 in order to override Gov. Guinn's protest and allow the project to proceed. President Bush has indicated his support for the project.

Opponents of Yucca Mountain, who had conceded defeat in the Republican-controlled House, still hold out hope they can defeat the project in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 50-49 majority. Should the Senate fail to pass H.J. Res. 87, Gov. Guinn's protest would stand and the project would be defeated. If the Senate passes H.J. Res. 87, the project would then proceed to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for final licensing. The Senate is expected to debate and vote on the issue in July.

Located some 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the $56 billion Yucca Mountain repository is projected by the Department of Energy to be ready to accept an estimated 77,000 tons of radioactive material by the year 2010. Radioactive waste from the nations more than 100 nuclear power plants, military reactors and weapons facilities are to be transported by road and rail to Yucca Mountain for permanent underground storage. 

Aside from its distinctive radioactive bite and extremely special handling needs, nuclear waste is exactly like any other garbage in one key way: everybody wants it picked up but nobody wants it put back down. 

Since its inclusion as part of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, the Yucca Mountain Project has racked up over $4 billion in scientific and environmental studies, along with over 20 years of debate and legislative maneuvering by both proponents and opponents. Here are a few highlights:

• DOE Approves Nevada Nuclear Waste Site - Citing "compelling national interests," the Department of Energy decided to recommend to President Bush that construction of the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump go ahead. Nevada Gov. Guinn stated, "This decision stinks."
  
  
• Nuclear Waste: Coming sooner to a cave near you? - A 1999 amendment to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982 puts Yucca Mountain on the fast track, reducing the time required for environmental assessments.
  
  
• Nuclear Waste: From Both Sides Now - Can radioactive waste be shipped safely across the county through some of our most densely populated cities and towns?