Yucca mountain repository is the proposed united states department of energy deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other radioactive waste. Litigation associated with attempts to abandon the planned nuclear waste repository todd garvey legislative attorney june 4, 2012 congressional research service 75700. There are ten 10 designated affected units of local governments aulgs in relative proximity to yucca mountain. The site is located on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, about 80 mi km. The nuclear waste policy act of 1982, as amended, requires the secretary of energy to determine, on the basis of the investigation, if the site is suitable for a repository and, if this determination is positive. We are pleased to be here today to discuss the department of energys doe project to develop a nuclear waste repository. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by. View archival yucca mountain documents that were previously posted on the website for the office of civilian radioactive waste management.
The energy department selected yucca mountain as one of five candidate sites in 1986, under a procedure laid out by the nuclear waste policy act. Yucca mountains characterization as a nuclear waste repository had received questions from the nuclear regulatory commission in comments on the 1988 u. Washington reuters republican lawmakers want to revive a planned underground nuclear. South carolina governor mark sanford discusses the obama administrations decision to scrap the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository. It is common sense, and sound science, to site and build a nuclear waste repository to isolate radioactive waste as completely as possible from the human environment for the hazardous lifetime of the waste. The repository is located in a desert on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, about 80 miles from the las vegas metropolitan area. Yucca mountain the most studied real estate on the planet.
Potential high level nuclear waste storage site for the next 10,000 years and beyond. Yucca mountain is located in western nevada, near the california border. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, weldon spring, missouri. Modern day technology has placed energy in high demand. In 2010, doe reversed course and said yucca mountain was no longer a workable option. Before the first commercial nuclear power plant in the united states had even begun producing energy, scientists were already debating the question of what to do with the resulting nuclear waste. There are many unresolved scientific issues relative to the suitability of the yucca mountain site.
Viability assessment of a repository at yucca mountain. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repositorybetween 1944 and 1989, the us produced plutonium for use in nuclear weapons at the does hanford nuclear reservation in the tricities. Will trump and perry revive proposed yucca mountain nuclear. Pdf this paper presents ethnographic, ethnohistorical, and legal.
Nikki haley aiken county councilman scott singer aiken county council chairman. The proposed action addressed in this final eis is to construct, operate and monitor, and eventually close a geologic repository at yucca mountain in southern nevada for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste currently in storage or. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987. Yucca mountain is an ideal site for nuclear disposal the. Yucca mountain as a national nuclear waste repository, which according to the most recent information from the u.
In 1996, yucca mountain is found to be lacking the natural geological and hydrological qualities that are needed to be the crucial first barrier of the waste. For instance, the people who live near yucca mountain, in the amargosa valley, depend on the aquifer beneath the mountain for their drinking and irrigation water. The fight against yucca mountain nevada attorney general. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository 2002 youtube. Situated some 90 miles from las vegas, nevada yucca mountain is currently the only site that has been studied in detail for geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel and defense highlevel waste. The states official position is that yucca mountain is a singularly bad site to house the nations highlevel nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel for several reasons.
The legislation stipulates the significance of geologic and hydrologic conditions in selecting a repository site and mandates the consideration of at least five sites in two or more types. Will trump and perry revive proposed yucca mountain. A bechtelled team studied yucca mountain as the site for the united states first national nuclear waste repository where spentfuel rods from nuclear power plants and solidified highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear defense activities could be stored permanently. Scientists prepare to debate danger of yucca mountains. The nearest commercial establishment is a brothel 15 miles.
Solving a national problem now on june 3, 2008, the u. Nuclear waste repository definition of nuclear waste. The yucca mountain nuclear waste dump, a political hot potato. These aulgs have been granted authority to provide information and public. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository between 1944 and 1989, the us produced plutonium for use in nuclear weapons at the does hanford nuclear reservation in the tricities. Calls to use yucca mountain as a nuclear waste site, now. It is the site of the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, which is currently identified by. Pdf on jan 1, 2004, christopher potter and others published structural geology of the.
In 2002 the department of energy recommended that yucca mountain be designated as the main nuclear waste repository in the united states on the basis that the geographic location, natural barriers, and design of the proposed facility was a unique combination that would ensure safe storage. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987, is a proposed deep geological repository. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository weldon spring. Nuclear regulatory commission nrc is an independent agency created by congress.
Environmental protection agency epa had deviated from recommendations of the national research council of the national academy of sciences. Yucca mountain and the proposed nuclear waste storage site. In 2002, the president and congress approved yucca mountain in nevada as the site for this repository. Feb 16, 2010 south carolina governor mark sanford discusses the obama administrations decision to scrap the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository. Governor sanford congressman joe wilson congressman gresham barrett lt.
Located in the great basin, yucca mountain is east of the amargosa desert, south of the nevada test and training range and in the nevada national security site. As one of the designated affected units of local government, eureka county maintains this website to keep citizens informed about the decisions concerning the potential transportation and disposal of nuclear waste at yucca mountain, nevadaon this website you will find current news clippings, documents, photos, maps, and much. Doe decided to terminate the yucca mountain repository program because, according. The agency filed for a construction permit there in 2008.
In 1987, congress amended nwpa to direct doe to focus on a repository at yucca mountain, nevada. This eis concluded that a mined geologic repository was the most preferred5 concept. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. This water is sure to be contaminated if nuclear waste is stored inside the mountain. Nevada, as a candidate site for disposing of the waste in a geologic repository. In 2008, doe submitted a license application for the repository but in march 2010 moved to withdraw it. In 2008, the department of energy applied to the nuclear regulatory commission to build an underground repository for this waste at yucca mountain in nevada. In 1983, yucca mountain was named as a potential site for a nuclear waste repository. Feb 16, 2010 governor sanford congressman joe wilson congressman gresham barrett lt. Department of energy to study yucca mountain as a nuclear waste repository in 1987. To construct a repository at yucca mountain would require at least 44 miles of tunnels. The repository will combine yucca mountains natural features its. Congress has 90 legislative days, till july 25, to override governor kenny guinns veto.
By 2012, existing waste at reactors exceeded the statutory capacity limit. Few ideas are so bad that they can legitimately be labeled as potentially catastrophic, but that term fits the proposed yucca mountain nuclear waste repository like a brightly glowing glove. This requires the project to start relying on engineered barriers. Currently, the doe controls and manages spent nuclear fuel policy and the yucca mountain repository. The successful challenge, brought by the state of nevada, argued that the u. Yucca mountain pros and cons aired in series of senate. The department of energy doe had previously evaluated possible rail routes for hauling highlevel nuclear waste to the proposed repository before the project was defunded in 2012. Burying nuclear waste deep beneath yucca mountain in nevada, as the u. Let us hope that the longneeded yucca mountain repository can proceed to completion. David howellscorbisgetty images geologist john hartley at the entrance to the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository in nevada. Congress selected yucca mountain in 1987 to become the nations permanent repository for nuclear waste generated by utility power plants and the military. Washington reuters republican lawmakers want to revive a planned underground nuclear waste deposit that was scrapped by the obama.
Additional yucca mountain license applicationrelated documents are available through the nuclear regulatory commissions licensing support network web site. Apr 01, 2020 the nuclear waste policy act of 1982 nwpa codified the u. A guided tour inside the proposed later killed yucca mountain nuclear waste repository in nye county, nevada. Yucca mountain sits on federal land in nevada, not far from death valley, in a remote stretch of desert, 90 miles northwest of las vegas. Doe and nrc then took steps such as eliminating funding and vacating nrc. The nuclear waste policy act of 1982 nwpa required the department of energy doe to investigate a geologic repository for nuclear waste.
Yucca mountain is located approximately 90 miles northwest of las vegas. Yucca mountain s characterization as a nuclear waste repository had received questions from the nuclear regulatory commission in comments on the 1988 u. A bechtelled team studied yucca mountain as the site for the united states first national nuclear waste repositorywhere spentfuel rods from nuclear power plants and solidified highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear defense activities could be stored permanently. In 1998, more than 200 public interest organizations petitioned the doe to immediately disqualify the yucca mountain, nevada site and declare it unsuitable for further consideration as a highlevel nuclear waste repository due to the finding of chlorine36 at elevated levels deep within the mountain. Apr 26, 2017 power plants in 33 states store nearly 80,000 metric tons of radioactive waste. Proposed yucca mountain nuclear waste repository overview of the storage of highlevel nuclear waste at yucca mountain. Numerous reasons have caused the delay, including scientific, technological, political, economic and legal problems. Department of energys responsibility for developing a geologic repository for used nuclear fuel. Yucca mountain archival documents department of energy. Transportation of spent nuclear fuel was the topic raised most often as senators heard several days of testimony on establishing a permanent nuclear waste repository at yucca mountain, nevada. It cant just stand in the middle of the streets with us because it wouldnt be healthy for our population and as such, yucca mountain as been proposed as a potential site to bury the nuclear waste.
Air force secretary critical of nuclear waste routes to. The deep geologic repository has been transformed into an engineered facility that relies almost exclusively on human built components to keep wastes isolated from people and the environment for tens of thousands of years yucca mountain is not being looked at as a geologic repository at all. Presentation on the geology of the proposed yucca mountain site. Department of energy doe submitted an application to the u. Doe and nrc then took steps such as eliminating funding and vacating. Although does motion to withdraw the yucca mountain license application was denied. The decision to site yucca mountain as a waste repository was based on politics, not science. Further, yucca mountain is located in an extremely active earthquake zone.
Without the repository, waste would not be transported to yucca mountain. While this land has been occupied for thousands of years by the western shoshone and southern paiute indigenous peoples, it was recently the center of a controversy concerning the proposal for a largescale storage of mass amounts of nuclear waste. Yucca mountain repository nye, nevada atlas obscura. Washington hosts and oversees the cleanup of nearly twothirds of the nations defenserelated, highlevel radioactive waste at hanford. A look at the attempt to establish yucca mountain in nevada as a site for a nuclear waste repository.
Pdf structural geology of the proposed site area for a highlevel. The fate of yucca mountain clara druzgalski march 22, 2012 submitted as coursework for ph241, stanford university, winter 2012 the search for a permanent solution. Nuclear waste is a product of the nuclear power plants and even though we would love not to have it, we still have to deal with it. Department of energy proposes to do, is neither an urgent necessity nor a rational, longterm solution to the problem of. A site where highlevel radioactive waste is to be stored for a prolonged period of time. Yucca mountain science and engineering report energy. Jul 23, 2015 nuclear waste is a product of the nuclear power plants and even though we would love not to have it, we still have to deal with it. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, nevada bechtel. Originally the chalk mountain route would have run right through the air force. Power plants in 33 states store nearly 80,000 metric tons of radioactive waste. Roughly 53 million gallons of nuclear waste is stored in 177 large. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository washington state.
The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987, is a proposed deep geological repository storage facility within yucca mountain for spent nuclear fuel and other highlevel radioactive waste in the united states. Yucca mountain, the proposed site for a nuclear waste repository, is seen from crater flat where dormant cinder cone volcanos dot the desert floor, on monday, may 22, 2017. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository jose garcia march 21, 2012 submitted as coursework for ph241, stanford university, winter 2012 nuclear waste. Effects of a termination of the yucca mountain repository. Its mission is to regulate the nations civilian use of radioactive materials in a way that protects public health and safety and the environment.
Yucca mountain archival documents from the former office of civilian radioactive waste management. Yucca mountain is a mountain in nevada, near its border with california, approximately 100 miles 160 km northwest of las vegas. Geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste at yucca mountain, nye county, nevada. Yucca mountain into the nations nuclear waste repository for over. Nuclear regulatory commission nrc for a license to construct a repository at yucca mountain. As required by law, doe has been investigating a site at yucca mountain, nevada, to. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of. It is unlikely a better location for the disposal of nuclear waste could be found. The yucca mountain nuclear waste dump, a political hot. Subcommittee passes bill to make yucca mountain the u. Welcome to the eureka county yucca mountain information office. Organization act grants the secretary of energy broad authority to create, eliminate, and merge. History of yucca mountain lander county repository.
Jun 01, 2011 the nuclear waste policy act of 1982 nwpa required the department of energy doe to investigate a geologic repository for nuclear waste. From this point forward, the problem of highlevel radioactive waste. Senate panel again drops yucca mountain licensing funding. This material contains more than 95% of the radioactivity not volume in the dregs of the nuclear age. Yucca mountain site characterization project website. Department of energy, will not be ready to accept spent fuel before 2017. Current dependence on exhaustible sources, such as fossil fuels, has led man to turn to the use of nuclear energy. Despite nevada protests against it, a measure to make yucca mountain the nations nuclear waste repository advanced in a congressional subcommittee thursday morning.
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