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THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2002

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to relax rules governing the storage of nuclear waste by eliminating events it considers unlikely.

The scenarios, as described by The Las Vegas Sun, include volcanic eruption or human drilling into waste. The paper says the NRC believes there is less than 10 percent chance the events would occur within 10,000 years.

The rules would affect licensing of nuclear facilities, including the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham is recommending the nation's nuclear waste be stored there.

The proposed rules are to be published in tomorrow's Federal Register.

In other Yucca-related news, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a vocal opponent of the site, is calling for changes to a federal law which provides insurance for the nuclear industry. He said taxpayers shouldn't be shouldering costs that can be taken on by the industry.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is calling on other municipalities to reject the site.

Get the Story:
New Rules Proposed for Yucca N-Waste Site (The Las Vegas Sun 1/24)
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS: Reid challenges insurance program (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 1/24)
Goodman tries to turn mayors against dump (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 1/24)

Relevant Links:
The Yucca Mountain Project, Department of Energy - http://www.ymp.gov

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