NATIONAL BRIEFING / NEVADA
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the proposed Yucca Mountain site is no longer an option for storing highly radioactive nuclear waste, brushing aside criticism from several Republican lawmakers.
Instead, Chu said at a hearing in Washington, D.C., that the Obama administration thinks the nearly 60,000 tons of waste in the form of used reactor fuel can remain at nuclear power plants while a new, comprehensive plan for waste disposal is developed.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama’s rival for president last year, asked whether it was true that Obama and Chu viewed Yucca Mountain as no longer an option.
“That’s true,” Chu replied.
Chu’s remarks are the most definitive signal yet that the government’s attempt to address the nuclear waste problem is going in a new direction.
Nevada lawmakers have battled the dump for years.
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