U.S. Court of Appeconfidence rule. The three judge panel expressed skeptism over how the NRC has addressed issues reagarding the environmental impact of storing spent nuclear fuel at sites around the country. Of major concern of the judges is NRC's contention that a national respository will be constucted with in 60 years. As Chief Judge Sentelle told the NRC attorney during argument, "als heard oral agrument on state lawsuits filed agianst the NRC in connection with NRC's revised waste confidence rule. The three judge panel expressed skeptism over how the NRC has addressed issues reagarding the environmental impact of storing spent nuclear fuel at sites around the country. Of major concern of the judges is NRC's contention that a national respository will be constucted with in 60 years. As Chief Judge Sentelle told the NRC attorney during argument, "We don't owe any deference to your political predictions."
03/14/12
Seante Energy Water Appropriations Subcommittee hold DOE FY12 Budget Hearing with Sec. Chu. Senator Freinsten demands "Full Court Press" on moving spent fuel.
10/27/11
House Science Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee held hearing on the BRC's draft recommendations. In his opening remarks, I&O Chairman Paul Broun (R-GA) said, "This Administration has long claimed that it makes its decisions based on science." However, regarding the specific direction that Energy Secretary Steven Chu gave to the BRC to exclude consideration of Yucca Mountain as an option for nuclear waste storage, Broun continued, "Any serious review of spent fuel management has to recognize the decades of research and billions of dollars in investment to ready Yucca Mountain to accept spent nuclear fuel."
Importantly, the witnesses all testified that the NRC Yucca Mountain licensing process should be completed,contrary to the Administration's effort to terminate.
The Petitioners in the Yucca Mountain litigation
filed their response brief to the earlier submitted Department
of Justice brief (filed 1/3/11) in the U.S. Appeals Court, District of
Columbia. The Court has scheduled oral argument for March 22, 2011.
In part, the Petitioners, including Aiken County and the states of South
Carolina and Washington as well as private petitioners Ferguson et al,
argue that the Federal Government in the agency of DOE has unilaterally
abandoned the NWPA's process to develop a repository at Yucca Mountain.
"Each discrete action taken by DOE, however, is merely the execution of a
singular, root decision by the Secretary on order of the President ...
It is this root decision that Petitioners challenge in their broader claim.
Because Respondents'' decision fundamentally repudiates the plain terms and
policy dictated by the NWPA, it is contrary to law."
"Respondents assert that the agency's pre-existing authority and organic
discretion to make policy decisions regarding the isposal of nuclear waste
can still trump the NWPA ..."
The Department of Justice filed its
Brief for the Respondents with the D.C. Circuit Court
of Appeals in the Yucca Mountain repository litigation.
Largely arguing procedural and legal ripeness issues,
the DOJ filing makes no new legal arguments on behalf
of the Federal government under than that the Secretary
has the discretion under the Atomic Energy Act and the Doe Organization
Act to decide on changing the direction of the DOE nuclear waste program
and terminating the Yucca Mountain project. The Plaintiffs have until
January 18, 2011, to file their reply briefs.
Careful What You Ask For!!! 07/10/2010From the Response Briefs filed by those parties in opposition to the NRC's review of the ASLB June 29, 2010 Order and Memorandum denying DOE's motion to withdraw the Yucca Mountain license application...
Blue Ribbon Commission's Road Not Yet Traveled 03/29/2010As the Blue Ribbon Commission held its first meeting in Washington last week, it was hard to discern what road not yet traveled would yield to any better result than the utter failure of the Federal G...
Shot heard around the Nation!!! 03/07/2010You would have to wonder what took so long for some of the elected officials in 121 communities and 39 states to stand up in opposition to the "leave where it is " policy of the administration on nucl...
NRC Waste Confidence Contremps 09/25/2009The recent publicly disclosed deliberations of the NRC on the matter of revising the NRC Waste Confidence Rule, in which the NRC staff has proposed eliminating the requirement of an operating geologic...
The above includes all receipts to date, including collections and interest.
About The Sustainable Fuel Cycle Task Force
MISSION
The Task Force is a new grassroots effort supportive of forging a fresh consensus on key open issues related to a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle for the United States, including:
Resolution of back-end disposition Yucca Mountain licensing and funding Closed fuel-cycle approaches advancing recycling Promoting an independent government corporation to meet fuel cycle obligations
