NUKE WASTE GROUP CALLS ON NRC TO COMPLETE YUCCA REVIEW

The Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition, an interest group representing consumer advocates, local governments, and state utility regulators, along with other government and industry experts, yesterday called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move forward with the timely completion of the Commission’s review of the license application for the Yucca Mountain repository. The coaltion’s Sept. 3 letter comes in response to the NRC’s request late last week for information about how to best restart the license review process after a recent ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a mandamus petition aimed at forcing the NRC to complete the licensing process for Yucca Mountain. Citing the amount of consumer money spent to establish a permanent repository, the letter states, “Clearly, these consumers deserve to know once and for all whether Yucca Mountain is a safe site for the permanent disposal of used nuclear fuel.”