The U.S. Department of Energy today filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to withdraw its application for a license to build Yucca Mountain.
The agency filed the motion “with prejudice,” which means it believes the site is unsuitable and that it has no intention to reopen the license application process.
“This is great news for Nevadans and marks the final stage of a battle that I’ve fought since arriving in Congress,” Sen. Harry Reid said in a statement. “With the decision by President Obama to pursue the withdrawal of the license application and cut off funding, Nevadans can rest assured that they will not face dangers posed by nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain. Through the establishment of a Blue-Ribbon Commission, we will find a responsible solution to safely managing nuclear waste.”
The Energy Department has been planning to submit the filing for more than a month. The president has said since his election campaign days that he would cancel plans to build a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.
The state has fought the Energy Department’s plans for more than 20 years. It has concerns about the proposed facility’s proximity to the state’s economic hub, Las Vegas, which is about 90 miles from Yucca Mountain.
This is one promise made by President Obama that he's really followed through on. Just this alone makes me not regret one minute of campaigning for him here. Same goes for Harry Reid and why he's been earning my support. Yucca was going to be an environmental and national security catastrophe-in-the-making... But Obama and Reid stopped this fiasco in its tracks.
And so far, it seems like the recent string of good news for Senator Reid continues today... ;-)
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