What's Up With Yucca Mountain?

State Legislatures, Sep 2009

With scientific concerns about the site and believing that "slates should not be unfairly burdened with waste from other states," President Barack Obama announced earlier this year that tfie proposed long-term nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain was no longer an option.

Steven Chu, the new Energy secretary, has announced plans to convene a blue ribbon commission to study what to do with spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste and make recommendations.

This is difficult news for states that have nuclear waste piling up. The transport of the waste is on hold while the administration tries to identify other permanent storage options. And ratepayers in these states are without the billions of dollars they already have paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund that was designed to help pay for the development of Yucca Mountain and transporta (ion costs to flic site.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has proposed a federal bill that would return the nearly $23 billion to consumers and power companies, which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on April 22.

During the 2009 legislative sessions, several states proposed measures seeking a return of the funds. Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada and South Carolina passed legislation or resolutions asking Congress and the administration to allow Yucca Mountain to open. Minnesota legislators considered a bill that would have moved ratepayers' fees into an escrow account rather than the Nuclear Waste Fund. The bill did not pass, however.