Energy Secretary Admits Nuclear Waste Commission Will Not Consider Yucca

Jeff Witt / March 31, 2010

Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development last Wednesday, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu acknowledged to the committee that he explicitly directed the Blue Ribbon Commission charged with recommending a nuclear waste storage policy to the Obama Administration to strike the Yucca Mountain repository from its purview.  This is unfortunate, as considering Yucca would add significant credibility to the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Commission, which held its first meeting last week.  By asking the committee not even to consider Yucca Mountain, the Administration is solidifying the criticism that it is basing its decision on politics rather than scientific or technical data.

Secretary Chu’s written statement submitted to the subcommittee only says concerning the Yucca decision that “The Administration has determined that developing a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada is not a workable option…”  Indeed, for over a year the Administration has insisted that there are better options than Yucca Mountain for dealing with storage of the nation’s nuclear waste, and the Administration has all the while expressed confidence that an impartial review by the Blue Ribbon Commission would show that its position on Yucca is the right one.  Given Secretary Chu’s admission before the House subcommittee, however, it is plain that the Administration is not, after all, confident in the soundness of its decision as adjudged apart from political considerations. (more…)