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Groups Testify on Impact of Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Transportation and Storage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December, 5, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC – At a Department of Energy (DOE) hearing today, a coalition of environmental and security groups detailed their concerns over the proposed plan to transport nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Nevada for storage.  Citing serious security, environmental, and public health threats associated with shipping nuclear waste through residential areas across the United States, the groups stated that the Yucca Mountain plan has fundamental flaws and should not go forward.

In 1987, Yucca Mountain, Nevada was selected by Congress as the only site to be studied as a permanent geologic repository for the United States’ now approximately 60,000 metric tons of commercial nuclear waste. Due to a protracted battle over security, environmental, scientific and health concerns, the Yucca Mountain Geologic Repository has never opened. After a twenty year battle, the DOE is still struggling against strong public and congressional opposition to the plan.

"Shipping tens of thousands of high-level radioactive waste trucks, trains, and barges through 45 states and the District of Columbia risks severe accidents and terrorist attacks releasing catastrophic amounts of deadly radioactivity in major population centers," said Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear. "These waste transports would represent potential Mobile Chernobyls and dirty bombs on wheels rolling past the homes of millions of Americans."

“Instead of the flawed Yucca Mountain plan, our member organizations support hardened on site storage of spent nuclear fuel as described in the Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors,” said Alfred Meyer, Program Director of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability representing 35 organizations around the U.S.

"From a scientific, national security and energy policy perspective, Yucca Mountain is a failure. Rather than continue to sink precious public resources into the failed nuclear waste dump, the Department of Energy should be focused on promoting the technologies proven to work: renewable energy like wind and solar and energy efficiency," said Tyson Slocum, Director of Public Citizen's Energy Program.

“Yucca Mountain is a volcano on an aquifer in an earthquake zone,” said Ben Schreiber, Energy Advocate for Environment America.  “It is unsound for the permanent storage of nuclear waste.”

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