Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz had few answers yesterday as House lawmakes pressed him on whether or not the Department of Energy would commit to defend its Yucca Mountain license application in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s adjudication process during a hearing in front of the House Energy and Power Subcommittee. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), one of the House’s major Yucca proponents, pushed Moniz on DOE’s willingness to follow the Nuclear Waste Policy Act by defending its application, but Moniz indicated DOE’s interpretation of the law does not require them to participate. He also pointed to major problems still existing with Yucca Mountain. “I must point out that the NRC also pointed out that we do not have the authorities in terms of the land and water for Yucca Mountain, which goes right back to the consent-based process,” Moniz said. He added, “I will have to check with the exact aspects of the law on that. I know that DOE was required to submit the application.”
Shimkus once again hammered the Department for its Fiscal Year 2016 budget request, which is seeking funds to implement a pilot interim storage facility. Shimkus alleged that DOE is skirting its responsibilities under the NWPA, which designates Yucca Mountain as the only resting place for commercial high-level waste, while also the ignoring the shifting sentiment in Nevada. In its request, DOE outlined an interim storage program that would cost $5.7 billion over the first ten years. “The Administration needs to appreciate that there is a change occurring in the state of Nevada,” Shimkus said. “The NRC has finished its Safety Evaluation Report that said that Yucca when closed would be safe for a million years. So, we are in a new world than we were before, and just for public record, $3 billion or $5.7 billion could be very helpful in the state of Nevada transitioning to restarting and reopening Yucca Mountain and also a pilot interim storage site.”
