Yucca missing from plan to remake nuclear waste policy

Yucca missing from plan to remake nuclear waste policy; ReviewJournal.com

Nevada senators seeking to redirect the nation away from Yucca Mountain introduced a bill Thursday that would create a nine-member expert panel to overhaul nuclear waste policy.

Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign proposed a blue ribbon commission that would be given two years to plot a direction for how highly radioactive materials should be managed. The waste -- more than 56,000 tons of it and growing -- now is stored at power plants and government facilities in 39 states.

The legislation was structured by the Nevada senators to develop other choices besides Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, that has been the focus of the federal government's nuclear waste disposal efforts for the past 20 years.

It follows an announcement last month that President Barack Obama plans to dramatically scale back development of a proposed underground repository at the site, while seeking alternatives. ...