Court Rejects Most of Nevada's Challenges to Yucca Mountain Repository
A federal appeals court has ruled against most of the state of Nevada's objections to a proposed underground nuclear waste depository at Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. But the court did agree with Nevada and other critics of the site on one point--that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's requirement that protection against radiation releases at the site extend for 10,000 years is a violation of the 1992 Energy Policy Act. Nevada officials contend that part of the decision is enough to kill the project. At the least, it may lead to further litigation.
In 2001, the Dept. of Energy estimated the cost of the project to be $57.5 billion, including $4.5 billion for design and construction.