Split vote by NRC allows Obama administration to close Yucca Mountain

[The Straight Story]

Split vote by NRC allows Obama administration to close Yucca Mountain

WASHINGTON - A divided Nuclear Regulatory Commission has allowed the Obama administration to continue plans to close the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada.

The commission split, 2-2, on whether to uphold or reject a decision by an independent nuclear licensing board, which voted last year to reject the Energy Department's attempt to withdraw its application for Yucca Mountain. The licensing board said the government failed to make a scientific case for why the application should be withdrawn.

Despite the split vote, the NRC said in an order Friday that the licensing board should continue steps to close down Yucca Mountain by the end of the month.

The decision is a victory for NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko, who has worked to close the dump since becoming chairman in 2009

http://www.startribune.com/nation/129537673.html

[ClarkUSA]

1. Great news! Again, this President delivers.

[mmonk]

2. Excellent.

[gateley]

3. So good to hear the right decision in a nuclear issue. Thanks! nt

[TheWraith]

4. Reprocess it, the way Europe does!

What we do right now with out nuclear fuel would be the equivalent of buying a used car, then leaving it on the side of the road once it runs out of gas. It's insanely wasteful. We can reprocess our used fuel rods to produce NEW fuel rods, thus saving 97% of the bulk of our "waste," and reducing our uranium purchases.

[nykym]

5. Which would create

more jobs with the proper safety regulations in place please.

[jwirr]

6. There absolutely has to be more to the answer than closing Yucca.

All around this country we have spend uranium laying around waiting for an answer. Not to mention that we have been taking it from other countries to keep it out of the hands of terrorists.