Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

iblv editorial:

Nearly dead and buried

Energy Department still needs to abandon license application

Nevada has been fighting for more than 20 years efforts by the federal government to build a dump for the nation’s high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, a mere 90 miles northwest of the heavily populated Las Vegas Valley. Despite the clout of the nuclear power industry, things have begun to go Nevada’s way. Thanks to the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the actions of the Obama administration, funding for the ill-conceived project is drying up.

The only major hurdle that remains is to have the Energy Department withdraw its license application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a permanent Yucca dump. It is only after that application is abandoned for good that Nevadans can truly rejoice.

The time to break out those Champagne bottles may come as early as next month. That is when the Energy Department plans to abandon its application, according to internal memos obtained by The Energy Daily. The publication, which covers the nuclear power industry, reported last week that the only money the agency plans to spend on Yucca Mountain in fiscal 2011 is for the purpose of shutting down the project.

Nuclear utilities should not waste any more time trying to persuade the government to impose a deadly dump on Nevada, especially one that would require radioactive waste to be shipped through Las Vegas and other major U.S. cities. Instead, those utilities should focus on alternative waste disposal methods.

They also should recognize by now that Nevada is so strong in its resolve that the state is prepared to fight the dump plan until it is buried for good.

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