BACKGROUND
In 1987, Congress scrapped proposed sites in Texas and Washington and picked Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the probable home for the nation’s only permanent dump for highly radioactive nuclear waste. The nuclear energy industry has pushed for such a facility because storage space for spent fuel rods is running short at the nation’s 112 commercial power plants.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
