Abraham vows to keep Yucca on track

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, July 26, 2001 | 11:14 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on Wednesday again pledged to keep a plan to bury the nation's nuclear waste in Nevada "on track."

Finalizing that plan is vital to the future of nuclear power in America, Abraham told members of the media during a National Press Club luncheon. And an expansion of nuclear power output is necessary to avoid future energy shortages, Abraham said, sounding a familiar Bush administration theme.

"My hope is we can keep the nuclear power component of our electricity generation -- which is now about 20 percent -- on line," Abraham said during a question and answer session after a speech on the nation's energy policy.

The DOE is managing studies at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to determine whether the site is suitable as a national nuclear waste dump. It is the only site under consideration.

Abraham said he will review scientific analysis of the site and decide whether to recommend it to President Bush.

"I can't predict what that outcome will be," Abraham said.

Some owners of the nation's 103 operating nuclear power plants have sued the DOE for breaking a contract to haul their waste to Nevada by 1998. The waste, mostly radioactive, spent uranium-pellet fuel rods, is piling up in storage areas at each of the plants. Strong opposition by Nevada officials and other snags have delayed a possible Yucca opening until 2010 at the earliest.

Nuclear power is a key part of the nation's energy mix, which includes natural gas, coal and limited use of solar, wind and geothermal sources, Abraham said. Earlier this year Bush released a 105- recommendation National Energy Policy, a plan to increase conservation and power generation.

Building new nuclear power plants is one goal of the plan. No new plants have been commissioned since the late 1970s due to public anxiety and the high cost of new plants.

When asked if utility companies would construct new nuclear plants within five years, Abraham said, "I don't know about five years, but in the future."

Abraham stressed the importance of other recommendations in Bush's report: Don't tax funds set aside by utility companies to decommission plants, create insurance protection for new plants in case of a catastrophic accident and expedite the process for old plants to get re-licensed.

Abraham, beleaguered by problems ranging from California energy shortages to high gasoline prices, said dealing with the nation's nuclear waste was one of his toughest tasks.

"It's a tremendous challenge for me," Abraham said.