Closed NRC-DOE meetings questioned

Suzanne Struglinski

Monday, Dec. 8, 2003 | 8:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval has filed a formal complaint about another round of closed-door meetings that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Energy Department are conducting this week.

Commission staff members are meeting with Energy Department officials to talk about technical details of the Yucca Mountain nuclear spent fuel storage project, planned for 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The meetings are closed to state officials and the public, according to memos from the NRC.

The latest set of meetings is to last through the week and were to begin today. Two weeks ago the first set of technical meetings took place in Las Vegas.

Nevada officials spoke out against the meetings, saying they saw no reason for them to be closed. The Nevada congressional delegation filed formal complaints, and now Sandoval has followed suit regarding the second set of the meetings.

"As I am sure you are aware, secret meetings between a prospective license applicant and the NRC will further undercut public confidence in NRC as an independent regulatory agency," Sandoval wrote to commission chairman Nils Diaz. "This is especially true in Nevada where the public is already convinced that the NRC is working hand-in-glove with DOE to build a repository at Yucca Mountain."

Sandoval said that other than matters involving classified materials or homeland security issues he could not "conceive of any reason that these meetings should be closed."

The NRC said these types of meetings are normal in other reviews of license applications, and they have not been open to the public before.

A commission inspector general report issued last year found the previous meetings did not violate any laws.