BI-PARTISAN HOUSE GROUPCALLS FOR SPEEDY COMPLETION OF YUCCA SER

A bi-partisan group of 81 Congressmen sent a letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane late last week, asking for the speedy completion of the Safety Evaluation Reports for the proposed Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository. An August federal court decision issued a mandamus for the NRC to complete the licensing review, which was shut down in 2010 when the project was deemed “unworkable.” The letter states, “It is our firm belief that completion of the SER will settle the debate and provide scientific data confirming what we have known for many years—that Yucca Mountain is a safe location for a permanent repository.” The lawmakers also promised to work to secure more funding for the review in light of a lack funds. Previously, Chairman Macfarlane had testified on the NRC’s progress on the completion of the Yucca Mountain license review before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy on Sept 10. While lawmakers accused the NRC of stalling the process, she said the commission was working “expeditiously” on the matter.