Yucca Mountain

The City’s Position
The city of Las Vegas is opposed to the licensing and construction of a high-level nuclear waste repository in Nevada and transportation of radioactive waste through the Las Vegas Valley.

Risks to the public from potential transportation accidents, acts of terrorism and sabotage are unacceptable to the city of Las Vegas.

The city supports on-site storage of spent nuclear fuel at existing power plant sites and the research and use of alternative renewable energy sources.

Background
1987–Congress singles out Yucca Mountain as the only site in the nation to be studied and considered for permanent storage of the nation’s high-level nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel.

1994–The DOE begins a five-mile tunnel through the mountain ridge for exploratory studies. The tunnel is completed in 1997.

2002–In July President George W. Bush approves legislation allowing the DOE to proceed with its license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Nevada’s then-Governor Kenney Guinn vetoes the resolution, but Congress overrides his veto.

2008–DOE submits its license application to the NRC, the only federal agency with the authority to approve the development of a nuclear repository.

What’s Happening Now

For the next few years, the NRC will conduct a technical review of the DOE’s application for a license to operate a repository at Yucca Mountain. The NRC will make the final decision on whether the DOE is allowed to proceed with the project. Legal hearings that are open to the public are part of this process. 

If approved, the license will be issued in two stages. The first is a construction authorization; the second phase is a license to operate the facility and receive nuclear waste. The NRC is expected to reach a final decision by 2012.

Transportation

The transportation of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain is perhaps the most significant issue to city of Las Vegas residents. If Yucca Mountain is licensed, spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would be transported across 44 states and 33 Indian nations to Nevada for up to 50 years.

DOE’s proposal now calls for 9,500 rail shipments and 2,700 truck shipments during the shipping campaign. That means one or more shipping casks of spent nuclear fuel or high level nuclear waste would be moving on a train somewhere in America virtually every day for five decades or longer. 

Trucks–If the repository were approved, a combination of trucks and rail lines would be used for nuclear waste transportation. The nation’s system of interstate highways is the default route for trucks, unless and until individual states designate alternative routes. In southern Nevada, highways that could be affected include I-15, U.S. 93, U.S. 95, I-215 and state highway 160.

Trains–Rail is the preferred method of transporting the waste, according to the DOE. In March 2008 the DOE filed an application to build and operate a 319-mile railroad line to Yucca Mountain. Commonly called the “Caliente route,” this new rail line (if constructed) would connect from an existing line in Caliente, a town about 120 miles northeast of Las Vegas. A projected estimate of eight percent of the total nuclear waste shipments would travel through downtown Las Vegas to reach the Caliente rail line.

DOE defines the regions of influence for radiological impacts as one-half mile on either side of the transportation route.

An analysis prepared for the State of Nevada concluded that about 95,000 residents currently live within one-half mile of the Union Pacific rail route in Las Vegas. There are also 34 hotels with more than 49,000 hotel rooms located within the one-half mile region of radiological influence.

The state of Nevada estimates that more than 1.8 million residents live within the 50-mile region of influence for accidents and sabotage in southern Nevada and adjacent areas of Arizona, California and Utah.

In December 2008, city of Las Vegas officials testified at a public hearing conducted by the Surface Transportation Board, a regulatory agency connected to the U.S. Department of Transportation that Congress has charged with the mission of resolving railroad issues. Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and City Attorney Brad Jerbic both strenuously objected to the construction of the Caliente rail line. Jerbic referred to the project as “a scale of stupidity unrivalled in our country’s history.”

Public Safety

In the event of a radiological emergency in or near the city of Las Vegas, significant impacts could result to the agencies charged with protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens and visitors. Additional costs to fire, police and emergency management public safety agencies could create a burden in the billions of dollars.

Additionally, public perception related to the fear of dangers connected to man-made radiation and exposure to nuclear waste could severely impact the tourism industry, as well as an already weakened real estate market. Commercial and home property value losses, particularly in the event of an accident, are a concern. Any news about the transportation of radioactive materials in Las Vegas could damage the reputation and economy of the city.

Current issues

• Expansion of the repository–DOE filed a report in December 2008 to Congress, recommending the expansion of the Yucca Mountain repository beyond its current legislative cap of 70,000 metric tons. U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said, “Unless Congress raises or eliminates the current statutory capacity limit of 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal, a second repository will be needed. The statutory limit is not based on any technical considerations, and the repository layout at Yucca Mountain can be expanded to accommodate three times the amount of fuel allowed under the current arbitrary cap.”
• Interim storage–DOE also issued a congressional report stating that Congress would need to pass new legislation to permit DOE to take custody of spent nuclear fuel currently stored at decommissioned reactor sites. DOE wants to develop an interim storage facility for the 2,814 metric tons of waste from reactors in Michigan, Connecticut, California, Wisconsin, Maine, Oregon, Massachusetts and Illinois.
• Killing the program–Speculation about the viability and funding of the Yucca Mountain program abounds. President-elect Barack Obama indicated he supports keeping nuclear waste stored at power plants, “until we find a safe, long-term disposal solution that is based on sound science.” However, only time will tell what effect the new administration will have.

Target dates for future Yucca Mountain activities

The above DOE schedule does not take into account potential funding cuts, litigation, procedural delays or a more lengthy review by the NRC.

Submit Comments

Submit your comments regarding Yucca Mountain to Nevada's representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives at http://www.nevadadc.org/delegation.htm .