Newly installed Nuclear Regulatory Commission member David Wright has rejected Nevada’s request that he recuse himself from any decision on licensing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in the state.
Wright, who was sworn into office on May 30, pushed back against the state’s contention that his actions and comments in recent years showed he supported building the disposal facility and could not be impartial in ruling on the Department of Energy 2008 license application.
“I decline to recuse myself from the Yucca Mountain licensing proceeding,” Wright wrote in the introduction to his decision, which was made public Monday. “As discussed below, my limited participation was not related to the merits of the proceeding, and my public statements were intended as general support for a long-term nuclear waste storage solution. In short, I have not prejudged the technical, legal, or policy issues of the licensing proceeding.”
The Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, which spearheads the state’s efforts to block Yucca Mountain, said Monday it was reviewing Wright’s decision. Rep. Dina Titus (D), who like her Nevada colleagues in Congress opposes the repository plan, said the decision was “just the latest example of how this entire process has been rigged to license Yucca Mountain no matter what.”
The matter is moot at the moment, as neither the NRC nor DOE have received congressional appropriations needed to resume the licensing proceeding halted nearly a decade ago by the Obama administration.
In making its case against the former energy consultant, Nevada pointed to a 2010 petition, which he filed on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, opposing potential DOE withdrawal of the Yucca Mountain license application from the NRC. Wright responded that the petition was focused solely on the licensing process rather than the viability of Yucca Mountain itself for radioactive waste disposal.
He made a similar argument for his involvement in the Yucca Mountain Task Force established in 2005.
“While I advocated for the federal government to follow the process set forth in the [Nuclear Waste Policy Act], I had formed no opinions on the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site from a safety or environmental perspective,” Wright wrote.
