U.S. House Passes Bill to Restart Yucca Mountain, Search for Interim Sites

摘要

Democrats joined Republicans to pass a bill looking for a place to deposit the growing stockpile of nuclear waste generated by power plants across the country - including the 3.55 million pounds of spent fuel at the San Onfore Nuclear Generating Station, or SONGS, sitting just yards from the Pacific Ocean. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 340-72 in favor of what is called the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendment Act that calls for restarting the licensing process at the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Though the Yucca Mountain debate dominated the discussion on the House floor, the bill also authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to construct a potential interim storage facility to accept waste from nuclear facilities. SONGS sits between the Pacific and one of the busiest freeways in the country - Interstate 5. About 8.4 million people live in a 50-mile radius of the plant in an area with a history of seismic activity. "The federal government must keep its commitment to safely dispose of nuclear waste and this proposal will put us back on track to advance to a long-term permanent site as well as more immediate interim options," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who also voted in favor of the bill.