January

January 29, 2005 – Yucca foes may have DOE on ropes – Back in November I was convinced that President Bush's re-election would take the wind out of Nevada's epic fight against Yucca Mountain . . . If anything, however, the spirit of the undermanned Nevada forces is surprisingly optimistic. There is a feeling that victory is at hand – Columnist Jeff German, Las Vega Sun

January 29, 2005 Yucca irritates Sandova — White House tries AG's patience — WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Brian Sandoval said in a letter released Friday that he was losing patience with White House officials who have failed to respond to a Yucca Mountain complaint he raised last year — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
 Read Attorney Sandoval's letter to the CEQ  

January 28, 2005 — DOE unveils details of above-ground storage plan — Up to 21,000 metric tons of nuke waste could sit at Yucca for years — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department today unveiled new plans for a 500-foot-by-500-foot "aging pad" where nuclear waste would be stored above ground at Yucca Mountain until it was ready for placement in the underground repository — By Benjamin Grove Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 27, 2005 — Editorial: Yucca rush is now clear — Las Vegas Sun

January 27, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: DOE to reduce budget — Delays cause agency to seek less money than planned for nuclear waste project — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is preparing to reduce its budget for Yucca Mountain, reflecting delays that continue to hinder the nuclear waste program, government and nuclear industry officials said – Stephens Washington Bureau

January 26, 2005 — Energy nominee to pursue Yucca application this year – AP

January 25, 2005 – NRC nominees not on level playing field on Yucca issues –WASHINGTON -- The two newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have to play by different rules, at least for a year, when it comes to work related to Yucca Mountain, and that has the critics of the nuclear dump crying foul – Stephens Washington Bureau

January 20, 2005 – PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT: Bush names Reid aide to fill NRC spot – Senator's adviser on Yucca Mountain, nuclear proponent's pick both tapped – WASHINGTON -- President Bush followed through on a deal Wednesday, appointing an aide to Sen. Harry Reid to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the agency that sets rules for nuclear waste disposal.  Bush filled a vacancy on the commission with Gregory B. Jaczko, 34, Reid's chief adviser on the Yucca Mountain Project, a program the Nevada Democrat opposes and has tried to kill – By STEVE TETREAULTSTEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 20, 2005 – NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY: Bodman vows to press Yucca dump – Energy secretary nominee supports initiatives to expand nuclear programs – WASHINGTON -- Energy secretary nominee Samuel Bodman said Wednesday he will "enthusiastically follow through" to continue developing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.   Speaking at a confirmation hearing before the Senate energy committee, Bodman said he supported Bush administration initiatives to expand nuclear energy, like the Nuclear Power 2010 program to begin building new reactors by the end of the decade.  "But before that can happen, we have to make real progress at Yucca," where spent fuel from existing plants would be buried, Bodman said. "We have to overcome the legal and regulatory issues. I am committed to that." – Stephens Washington Bureau

January 18, 2005 – Leading Democrat questions Bush administration on Yucca funding   WASHINGTON -- The top Democrat on the House Energy Committee pressed the Bush administration Tuesday on its plans to fund the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in the 2006 budget.  Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., a supporter of the Yucca Mountain project, released a letter to the director of the Office of Management and Budget asking whether the administration planned to pursue the same funding scheme for next year as did for 2005. The 2005 plan linked most of the funding request for Yucca Mountain to congressional passage of legislation assuring that money collected through a special nuclear waste fund was spent for the project.  The legislation never passed, and Congress approved only $577 million of the $880 million Bush requested for Yucca Mountain – AP

January 14, 2005 – Abraham pushes more nuclear power plants – Yucca continues to be a challenge, outgoing energy secretary says – WASHINGTON -- Outgoing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham today said his four-year tenure brought progress to the government's plan to put nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, but Nevada's continued legal challenges could lead to additional delays – Las Vegas Sun

January 13, 2005 – Waters damage railroad tracks –Derailment renews concerns over Yucca – WASHINGTON -- Floodwaters this week damaged railroad tracks in Lincoln County, and Nevada officials promptly renewed their objections to the Energy Department's plan to ship nuclear waste by rail through the county to Yucca Mountain – Las Vegas Sun

January 11, 2005 – Nevada entitled to more funds to fight Yucca, lawyers say –Court to decide whether energy secretary can increase state's $1 million allocation – WASHINGTON -- Lawyers for the state of Nevada returned to federal court Monday over Yucca Mountain, arguing the state is entitled to millions more dollars to contest the proposed nuclear waste repository – By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 06, 2004 – PFS told to release N-waste documents – Salt Lake Tribune

January 05, 2005 – Nuke industry lobby donates $100,000 for inauguration – WASHINGTON -- The nuclear energy industry and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson are among the donors to President Bush's inauguration festivities.– Las Vegas Sun

January 05, 2005 – Bush retaps Reid science aide for NRC –WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday renominated an aide to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to become a leader at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a step toward fulfilling a deal reached last fall – Stephens Washington Bureau

February

February 28, 2005 — Attorney downplayed success of Yucca challenges — As reported by the Review-Journal on Tuesday ("Sandoval says project doomed"), Nuclear Energy Institute attorney Michael Bauser testified to the state Senate Judiciary Committee that out of 13 legal cases against the Yucca Mountain Project, nine of which were initiated by the state, all but one of the challenges were rejected.  He is wrong. — Las Vegas Review Journal

February 25, 2005 — Panel lets DOE keep job of studying rail line — WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has declined to intervene in a dispute over Energy Department plans for a railroad to carry nuclear waste through rural Nevada to a Yucca Mountain repository — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 23, 2005 — Nevada wants in on meetings on Yucca Mountain radiation standard — LAS VEGAS - Nevada wants to be part of federal meetings about the Environmental Protection Agency's effort to comply with a court ruling that stalled a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, lawyer for Nevada said Wednesday — AP

February 23, 2005 — NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: Yucca safety discussed — Experts talk about the challenge of predicting the distant future — Stephens Washington Bureau

February 22, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Sandoval says project doomed — Attorney general addresses lawmakers – CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers were told Monday that a proposed federal nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain will never open because of major problems, including its creation over time of "the world's largest septic field" of radioactive material — Las Vegas Review Journal

February 17, 2005 — Despite Yucca uncertainty, industry plans new plants — WASHINGTON -- Uncertainty on the Yucca Mountain federal nuclear waste repository will not stop the nuclear industry from planning to build new plants, industry experts said at a conference Wednesday — Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

February 16, 2005 — New member of NRC backs physical test of casks — WASHINGTON -- Plans for physical testing of an oversized cask designed to carry nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain won support Tuesday from a new member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commis- sion.   Peter B. Lyons said he backed the idea, which supporters say could build public confidence in the government's ability to safely manage shipments of highly radioactive spent fuel to the proposed Nevada waste repo- sitory — Stephens Washington Bureau

February 15, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Chu: DOE underestimated job — Failure to grasp enormity of database compilation task has helped delay project, director says — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department underestimated the job of compiling millions of documents into an electronic database for Yucca Mountain, a problem that has contributed to missed deadlines for the Nevada nuclear waste repository, the departing project director said Monday — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 14, 2005 — Repository's backers revive idea — Supporters of Yucca Mountain Project consider shifting management from government — WASHINGTON -- Frustrated by setbacks on the Yucca Mountain Project, states and utilities are reviving an idea to shift management of the proposed nuclear waste repository away from the Department of Energy — Stephens Washington Bureau

February 11, 2005 — A huge mountain to climb — Despite DOE efforts to push ahead, Yucca falling further behind schedule — WASHINGTON -- Under intense pressure, the Energy Department has pushed for years to open the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010 — By Benjamin Grove and Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun –WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 11, 2005 — Talks begin on how to handle sensitive Yucca documents — Lawyers for Nevada, Department of Energy seek common ground — Las Vegas Review Journal

February 11, 2005 — The $8 million question — OFFICIALS PUSH FOR LARGER SLICE OF YUCCA OVERSIGHT FUNDS — Representation from nine of 10 counties, each considered affected units of local government (AULG) under the Yucca Mountain project, convened in Tonopah Feb. 4 to develop a new formula to distribute $8 million in oversight funds. The funds are dispersed annually through congressional appropriations to fund oversight work of the Yucca Mountain project — Pahrump Valley Times

February 11, 2005 — Head of DOE Yucca nuclear waste program resigns — WASHINGTON - The official in charge of building the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada has submitted her resignation, the Energy Department announced Friday.  The departure of Margaret Chu as director of the department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management comes at a time when the Yucca Mountain program has been delayed because of budget cuts and problems developing acceptable radiation safety standards — AP

February 10, 2005 — State of Nevada Views on the Proposed Caliente Rail Corridor — Presentation to U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Caliente, NV

February 09, 2005 — Construction plans for Yucca rail line could begin next year — WASHINGTON -- Construction planning could begin as soon as next year for the rail line that is to carry nuclear waste across Nevada to Yucca Mountain, according to Energy Department budget documents — Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

February 09, 2005 — Lawmakers told Yucca project is limping — Another $2 million will continue state's efforts to stop nuke waste dump —The head of the state agency fighting federal efforts to open a high-level radioactive waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Southern Nevada told legislators Tuesday the dump faces many obstacles and may already be dead — AP

February 08, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Project's deadline falls back — Repository's opening to slip at least two years, official says — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's top manager for nuclear waste disposal said Monday the Yucca Mountain repository will slip at least two years beyond its planned 2010 opening, while another DOE official said the delay could be even longer — Stephens Washington Bureau

February 05, 2005 — Bush slices funding for Yucca project — Proposed budget to be unveiled Monday provides half of what was envisioned – WASHINGTON - President Bush will scale back spending for a proposed Nevada nuclear waste dump when he announces his new budget next week, reflecting delays in the program because of an adverse court decision, congressional and industry sources said Friday — AP

February 05, 2005 — Report sees Yucca battles paying off — Panel urges lawmakers to continue funding opposition to nuclear waste repository — WASHINGTON -- The board overseeing Nevada's efforts against Yucca Mountain called the troubled project a "dead man walking" in a report this week expressing optimism that it could be killed — Las Vegas Review Journal
    Read The Report
     Related Information

February 03, 2005 – Abraham: Congress should sidestep EPA on Yucca – WASHINGTON -- Congress -- not the Environmental Protection Agency -- should set a new radiation standard for Yucca Mountain, departing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Wednesday — Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 01, 2005 – Berkley bill would divert nuke funds – WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., planned to tell Congress today that money collected to pay for nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain should be used to research ways to keep the waste at nuclear power plants instead — Las Vegas Sun Washington Bureau

February 02, 2005 — Utah to ban B and C nuclear waste — New Envirocare chief leads charge to keep material out of state — The state of Utah posted a huge sign on its border Tuesday: No B and C wastes.   Legislation spelling out the ban hasn't actually been approved by state lawmakers — yet. But it appears the radioactive material will not be allowed to reach disposal sites in the state — Desertnews.com

March

March 31, 2005 — NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY: FBI looks at Yucca documents — Expanding investigation into possible document falsification could be 'tip of the iceberg' — WASHINGTON -- The FBI is investigating possible document falsification by workers on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump project in Nevada, a congressional staffer said Wednesday — AP

March 29, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Falsification suspicions spur hearings — WASHINGTON -- Congress is broadening its hearings on Yucca Mountain after disclosures that quality-assurance documents for the proposed nuclear waste repository might have been falsified . . . Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval are among Nevada representatives scheduled to testify before the House subcommittee — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

March 29, 2005 — Nuclear Power Plants Turning to Dry Casks for Storing Used Fuel — WASHINGTON — About 40 percent of the nation's nuclear power plants have begun moving spent fuel out of cooling pools and into massive dry casks, embracing a storage approach that a National Academy of Sciences panel said offers safety advantages — By Erica Warner, Associated Press

March 28, 2005 — Yucca Mountain Woes Giving Push to Alternate Plans for Nuclear Waste Storage — WASHINGTON — As problems mount with the government's plan to open a national nuclear waste dump in Nevada, lawmakers and industry officials are increasingly pushing for a Plan B. — By Erica Warner, Associated Press

March 26, 2005 — (Editorial) Requiem for Yucca Mountain - By Bob Loux — Without a miracle of some sort, it is all over. Yucca Mountain, the federal government's choice for storing nuclear waste from Cold War-bomb production and power plants, will never open —This editorial was published in the Salt Lake Tribune on March 26, 2005

March 24, 2005 — Porter requests falsified papers regarding Yucca — WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., has asked the Energy and Interior departments to turn in all alleged falsified documents related to the Yucca Mountain project to his House subcommittee by the end of the month – Stephens Washington Bureau

March 24, 2005 — Nevada files brief in suit against nuclear waste railroad — LAS VEGAS - Nevada is accusing the Energy Department of failing to complete required environmental studies and usurping jurisdiction of the government's railroad agency in planning to build a rail line to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site – AP

March 22, 2005 — State officials: DOE's Yucca woes are 'tip of the iceberg' —Energy Department officials knew they had quality assurance problems with Yucca Mountain documents well before it was disclosed last week, according to internal department documents — By Benjamin Grove, and Mary Manning LAS VEGAS SUN.

March 22, 2005 — Dozens of States Declare Support for Nuclear Power — PARIS — Nuclear power can play a key role in the 21st century in helping nations meet their energy needs and reduce the spread of greenhouse gases, a statement backed by nearly all 74 states at a nuclear conference said — By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

March 21, 2005 — E-mails on Yucca describe claims of false work — WASHINGTON -- Internal Energy Department e-mail messages written in preparation for seeking a license to open a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada show that the department made false claims about how it carried out its work — By Matthew L. Wald NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

March 18, 2005 — DOE audit in 2000 uncovered problems, Nevada lawyers say — The Energy Department may have known as early as 2000 about problems with Yucca Mountain "quality assurance" documents, lawyers working for Nevada said — Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2005 — The government's case for burying high-level nuclear waste under Yucca Mountain, Nev., hits a roadblock — Lawyers discovered evidence that government scientists falsified some of their research. Sources say the fabrications are serious and could cause years of delay — Morning Edition NPR

March 17, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Suspicion over data surfaces —Possible falsification lends more doubts about project — WASHINGTON -- Federal workers might have falsified Yucca Mountain documents, raising new questions about the science used by the government to build a nuclear waste repository in Nevada – Stephens Washington Bureau

March 14, 2005 — Reid seeks big change to nation's nuke policy — Bill would give DOE more power, make Yucca obsolete — WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., intends to unveil legislation aimed at making Yucca Mountain obsolete by allowing the Energy Department to take ownership of waste as it sits now at nuclear power plants. — Las Vegas Sun

March 13, 2005 —If Nevadans want more nuclear waste options, start with Congress — Nevada Appeal, Carson City

March 11, 2005 — EPA radiation options for Yucca met with criticism — Environmental groups: Choices won't create tougher standard — WASHINGTON -- The options that the Environmental Protection Agency is considering for a revised radiation standard for Yucca Mountain drew negative reviews from environmental groups that attended a closed-door EPA briefing this week — Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

March 11, 2005 — Energy Department says it needs cash to move on Yucca — WASHINGTON -- Money is really the only thing stopping the Energy Department from moving forward on the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, a high-ranking project official told a House panel Thursday Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

March 10, 2005 — Utah Republicans fight nuclear dump on reservation site — Hatch: 'Yucca Mountain is the ultimate goal' — SALT LAKE CITY -- Frustrated at failing to win over federal regulators, Utah officials took their case against a high-level nuclear repository proposed for a Utah Indian reservation to the White House on Wednesday.  Utah Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and Rep. Rob Bishop met with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, a former Utah resident and Bush strategist — AP

March 09, 2005 — New timeline being prepared for Yucca project — ROCKVILLE, Md. -- A new timeline for the Yucca Mountain project should be ready three to four months from now, a project official said Tuesday.  W. John Arthur, deputy director of the department's Office of Repository Development said the department is working on a new schedule that will lay out all the "critical decisions" on transportation planning, licensing, operations and other areas of the proposed nuclear waste repository in the next few months — Las Vegas Sun Washington Bureau

March 08, 2005 — Judges reject Nevada's bid to get more anti-Yucca funds — Nevada lost a bid today to get more money from the federal government to fight the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump — AP

March 07, 2005 — DOE, Nye officials take Yucca case door-to-door — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department and Nye County officials are taking a door-to-door tour of part of Nevada through which proposed rail routes would haul nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Sun

March 07, 2005 — Shoshone file suit against Yucca dump — The Western Shoshone Nation has rejected millions of dollars in compensation for the loss of their ancestral lands, and now the tribe is suing the federal government to stop nuclear waste from being housed at Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Sun

April

April 29, 2005 — Yucca e-mails: Smoking gun or blowing smoke? —WASHINGTON -- Nevada's congressional lawmakers say e-mails that suggest Yucca Mountain documents were falsified are solid insider information that could lead to a shutdown of the program.  The e-mails are the "smoking gun" that prove Yucca is a bad place for a nuclear waste repository, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. — By Benjamin Grove, Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

April 28, 2005 — Utility contract may be voided — Judge criticizes repository delays — WASHINGTON In an opinion highly critical of government delays at Yucca Mountain, a federal judge said she wants to void a California public utility's nuclear waste contract and give ratepayers their money back.    Judge Susan Braden said she has tentatively concluded that a 1983 contract signed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District should be rescinded.  She proposed the customer-owned utility get a refund for the $40 million it has paid to build a repository and to have radioactive spent fuel moved from the mothballed Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Station. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 28, 2005 — Tribe fights Yucca in court — Judge hears Western Shoshone lawsuit, makes no ruling — A federal judge made no immediate decision Wednesday on whether an American Indian tribe's 19th century claim to vast stretches of Western land should stop government plans for a national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 28, 2005 — Resolution urges government to end nuclear waste plan — Legislators worry about effect on tourism —CARSON CITY -- A Nevada legislative panel was asked Wednesday to back a resolution that urges federal lawmakers to oppose plans for storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.    No vote on Assembly Joint Resolution 4 was taken.   Senate Natural Resources Chairman Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, said the high-level nuclear repository planned by the U.S. Department of Energy could hurt tourism in the state — AP

April 26, 2005 — Yucca project chief to quit — WASHINGTON -- Acting Yucca Mountain project chief Theodore Garrish will retire May 13, the second leader of the program to depart this year.  The Energy Department has been searching for a permanent replacement for Margaret Chu, who resigned her position Feb. 25 as director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, which manages Yucca. Garrish, a Yucca deputy director, assumed her duties.  Department spokeswoman Anne Womack Kolton declined to say when a permanent Yucca chief would be named. The department is still conducting a search, she said — By Benjamin Grove, Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 26, 2005 — Task force supporting Yucca dump site forms — WASHINGTON -- Yucca Mountain advocates created a task force Monday to try to convince the public that the nation needs to open the proposed federal nuclear waste repository in Nevada.— By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 25, 2005 — New Nukes? No Thanks — An ENN Commentary

April 22, 2005 — New e-mails: Yucca 'flunked' — Messages show DOE knew that rock alone wouldn't isolate waste — WASHINGTON -- A new set of e-mails written by Yucca Mountain employees shows the Energy Department knew the project "flunked" because the mountain couldn't live up to its scientific billing, an attorney for Nevada says. . . . "I think this is going to go down in history as the greatest scientific fraud of all time." Egan, who represents the state on Yucca issues, and his staff found the new batch of e-mails in the project's public document database — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 22, 2005 — Report: DOE needs better management of records — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department needs to improve its overall management of records, illustrated by problems with Yucca Mountain project documents, according to an inspector general's report issued Thursday By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 20, 2005 — NRC won't get involved in current Yucca probe — WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will not get involved with ongoing investigations on possible falsified scientific data at the Yucca Mountain project— By Suzanne Struglinski Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 20, 2005 — Nevada lawmakers claim tide shifting on Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON - Meeting for the first time since a controversy broke out over document falsification at Yucca Mountain, the five members of Nevada's congressional delegation said Wednesday that they're detecting increasing skepticism about the project on Capitol Hill — By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 20, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Porter's House panel to hire investigator — Scientists' e-mails will be one focus for new staff member — WASHINGTON -- A House subcommittee announced plans Tuesday to hire a full-time investigator to scrutinize controversial Yucca Mountain e-mail messages and analyze management practices in the nuclear waste repository program — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 19, 2005 — Ruling may help Vegas block rail shipments — WASHINGTON -- A federal court ruling Monday could empower Las Vegas and other cities seeking to block rail shipments of hazardous materials — AP

April 19, 2005 — NRC's Jaczko set to appear before panel — WASHINGTON -- Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Greg Jaczko will appear before a Senate committee this week for a belated confirmation hearing — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 14, 2005 – Report urges feds to keep 10,000-year radiation standard – WASHINGTON -- Federal officials should keep the original 10,000-year radiation standard in place for the Yucca Mountain nuclear dump and should consider allowing a higher dose limit for the time frame beyond the 10,000 years, according to a report released Monday — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 13, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN E-MAILS: No scientists, no hearing — Subpoena remains option, Porter says — WASHINGTON -- Unable to secure key witnesses, Rep. Jon Porter called off today's House subcommittee hearing on Yucca Mountain Project e-mail messages that discuss falsifying documents — By STEVE TETREAULT - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 12, 2005 — Scientist continued work despite probe — WASHINGTON -- More research within the U.S. Geological Survey found that scientist Joe Hevesi completed 40 hours of work on the Yucca Mountain project last month, despite being under investigation for possibly falsifying documents — By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 09, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: E-mail investigation hits snag — Porter says House panel working to question three research hydrologists — WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter hit a wall on Friday in trying to question government scientists tied to controversial e-mails that mention falsifying Yucca Mountain documents — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 07, 2005 — Author of e-mails reassigned to DOE — A principal author of e-mails that discuss falsifying Yucca Mountain documents was reassigned to the Department of Energy last month to help with troubleshooting missing work, federal officials said Wednesday — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 06, 2005 — Report: Nuclear waste a terror threat — Plants are attractive targets, national academy says — Las Vegas Sun

April 06, 2005 — Officials demand new Yucca probe — Lawmakers grill federal officials in hearing on e-mails — WASHINGTON -- An independent commission needs to investigate the Yucca Mountain project instead of federal agencies already involved with the proposed nuclear waste repository, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said Tuesday — Las Vegas Sun

April 05, 2005 — Lawmakers investigate fraud allegations at Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers summoned top Energy and Interior department officials to explain e-mails in which scientists on the Yucca Mountain project talk about inventing facts, keeping two sets of records and deleting data that didn't get a desired result — By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 02, 2005 — Falsified Documents Regarding Yucca Mountain — Committe on Government Reform

April 01, 2005 — Press Release — Chairman Jon Porter’s Initial Probe into Allegations that Federal Scientists Falsified Data Used to Establish the Safety of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Reveals Disturbing Results

April 02, 2005 — E-mails say scientists fabricated quality assurance on Yucca Mountain research — Scientists on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project used "fudge factors" and made up dates to fabricate quality assurance of their work in modeling how water would move through the mountain under future climate conditions — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 01, 2005 — Bill would block nuclear waste storage in Utah — Lawmakers, environmental groups seek to designate 100,000 acres wilderness— SALT LAKE CITY -- U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop announced Thursday he would resurrect a bill designating 100,000 acres of Utah's West Desert as wilderness, which would preempt a plan to store spent nuclear fuel 50 miles west of Salt Lake City — AP

April 01, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Federal agencies criticized — WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter charged Thursday that government agencies are stonewalling Congress by not allowing the public release of e-mails that suggest Yucca Mountain documents may have been falsified — Stephens Washington Bureau

May

May 25, 2005 – House OKs stopgap storage — Interim sites sought for nuclear waste — WASHINGTON -- The House voted Tuesday to start storing nuclear waste at federal government sites as a stopgap while work continues on a Yucca Mountain repository — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 24, 2005 — Board Rejects Utah's Nuclear Dump Appeal — AP

May 19, 2005 — Panel urges stopgap waste sites — WASHINGTON -- A House committee approved a bill Wednesday that presses the Department of Energy to pursue stopgap storage sites for nuclear waste as delays mount at Yucca Mountain — The panel directed the department to consider placing spent nuclear fuel on federal reservations in Washington state, Idaho or South Carolina or other federally owned sites, closed military bases or fuel storage facilities not operated by the government – Stephens Washington Bureau

May 18, 2005 — EPA's proposal for new Yucca radiation standard is delayed — Process will likely affect DOE's license application —WASHINGTON -- A proposal for the new radiation standard for the Yucca Mountain project may not be done until September, according to the Environmental Protection Agency — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

May 18, 2005 — Federal judge denies Indian tribe's plea to halt nuclear dump — LAS VEGAS - A federal judge has denied an Indian tribe's plea to stop federal plans for a national nuclear waste dump in Nevada based on a claim the project violates a 19th century treaty.  With the Yucca Mountain repository yet to open and a disputed rail line yet to be built, U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro decided not to issue an injunction — AP

May 18, 2005 — New rules for Yucca budget sought — WASHINGTON -- Key House members are meeting to look at how they can get Congress to change budget rules for the Yucca Mountain project.  Efforts to change congressional budget rules on the Nuclear Waste Fund have failed in the past, but House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, said he is talking with David Hobson, R-Ohio, House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee chairman, on how to get the funding change passed this year By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

May 18, 2005 — 'Yucca is not dead,' head of nuclear energy group says — Industry conference urged to change image of proposed Nevada repository as a 'dump' — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 16, 2005 — Nevada Senate passes measure denouncing nuclear dump — CARSON CITY, Nev. - The Nevada Senate unanimously passed a measure Monday that urges federal lawmakers to oppose controversial plans for storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas — AP

May 13, 2005 — House panel OKs funds for moving nuke waste — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department may get $10 million to start moving nuclear waste to an interim storage site as early as 2006, based on a provision included in a House spending bill Thursday — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

May 11, 2005 — E-mail scandal doesn't doom Yucca, Bodman tells lawmakers — WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Tuesday the Bush administration will continue to move forward at Yucca Mountain while it investigates e-mail messages that suggest some quality assurance documents on the nuclear waste project might have been faked — By STEVE TETREAULT - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 10, 2005 — Nevada congressmen to meet with Bodman — WASHINGTON -- Nevada's congressional delegation is scheduled to meet with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman today to discuss the investigations into alleged falsified data in support of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump — Las Vegas Sun

May 10, 2005 — Yucca e-mails used to make case — Web site will present messages in chronology format , highlighting doubts — WASHINGTON -- On Oct. 2, 1997, top Yucca Mountain managers in Las Vegas gathered to make a presentation to Lake Barrett, then acting director the nuclear repository project — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU   (More Coverage - Las Vegas Sun)

May 09, 2005 — Nuclear review board will reserve Yucca judgment until investigation completed — WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will examine the outcome of investigations into scientific work on the Yucca Mountain project once they are complete, Board Chairman B. John Garrick told Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev — Las Vegas Sun

May 09, 2005 — Nevada resolution urges Washington to reject nuclear waste plan — CARSON CITY, Nev. - A Nevada legislative panel voted Monday to back a resolution that urges federal lawmakers to oppose plans for storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas — AP

May 05, 2005 — DOE expects more delays in filing for Yucca license — ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The Energy Department may wait longer than six months after it finalizes its Yucca Mountain project documents to file the license application, a lawyer told a three-judge panel Wednesday — By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 04, 2005 — Yucca won't take waste from Utah — A top Energy Department official on Tuesday said that any waste shipped to a high-level nuclear-waste facility planned for the Skull Valley Goshute reservation would not be accepted at the Yucca Mountain, Nev., federal waste repository — By Patty Henetz The Salt Lake Tribune

May 04, 2005 — State argues to get all documents on Yucca Mountain made public — WASHINGTON -- An attorney for Nevada was to argue today at an Atomic Safety Licensing Board hearing that the Energy Department needs to make certain Yucca Mountain project documents public.  The board's eventual decision will determine if the department has to hand over certain documents it does not want to load into a database right away.  A ruling in Nevada's favor may further delay the nuclear dump planed for Yucca Mountain — By Suzanne Struglinski Las Vegas Sun Washington Bureau

June

June 28, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN FUNDS: Bill offers counties greater freedom — Senate plan would limit DOE controls on how money to monitor project is spent — WASHINGTON -- Congress is moving to limit the Energy Department's controls on millions of dollars that the government sends to Nevada counties each year to monitor Yucca Mountain. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 24, 2005 — Utah senator wants new look at nuclear waste policy — WASHINGTON -- Saying he was growing "madder and madder" that a nuclear waste site is close to final approval in Utah, Sen. Orrin Hatch on Thursday proposed taking another look at the government's policies for disposing of radioactive spent fuel. Hatch, R-Utah, said he has prepared legislation calling for the Energy Department to study keeping the material near utilities' nuclear reactors or to store it at government-owned sites — Stephens Washington Bureau

June 21, 2005 — Nevada asks federal court to stop Yucca Mountain rail plan — LAS VEGAS - Nevada asked a federal court Tuesday to derail Energy Department plans for a rail line to ship radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain, claiming "abuses of authority" by the administration and its "decide-first, analyze-later approach." — AP

June 17, 2005 — Senate panel approves $577 million for Yucca — Unlike House bill, measure doesn't include funds for temporary storage . . . The bill also includes $12.5 million for Nevada to use for Yucca program oversight, with $3.5 million going to the state, $8.5 million going to the counties and an additional $500,000 for Nye County — Las Vegas Sun

June 17, 2005 — Progress made in science of recycling nuclear fuel — But experts warn lawmakers not to make decisions on reprocessing technology too soon— Stephens Washington Bureau

June 15, 2005 — Lawmakers spar over nuke storage — WASHINGTON -- The newly hatched House plan to begin storing the nation's high-level nuclear waste at temporary sites is on a collision course with the Senate, which could doom it for this year — Las Vegas Sun

June 14, 2005 — Ex-Yucca scientist to face subpoena — WASHINGTON -- A House committee today plans to subpoena a former Yucca Mountain scientist to testify later this month about e-mail messages that discuss document falsification on the nuclear waste project — Stephens Washington Bureau

June 10, 2005 — Chief of U.S. Geological Survey resigning amid flap over Yucca Mtn. documents — LAS VEGAS — The U.S. Geological Survey director criticized since the disclosure that several agency scientists might have falsified documents about a planned Nevada nuclear waste repository is stepping down — Reno Gazette Journal

June 07, 2005 — State seeks draft copy of Yucca license application — WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawyers have filed a petition to obtain a draft copy of the Yucca Mountain license application, which Energy Department officials have declined to make public — By Benjamin Grove SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 07, 2005 — Despite DOE e-mails, Yucca research deemed legitimate — Las Vegas Sun

June 03, 2005 — Yucca Mountain license efforts set for August — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department tentatively estimates it will take the next step toward licensing a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in August, according to a DOE report prepared this week.— STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 03, 2005 — Hazardous materials discussed — Mayor urges restrictions on shipping radioactive waste, other noxious materials — as Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman joined other local officials Thursday in bashing the Department of Energy's plans for transporting nuclear waste through Southern Nevada for disposal in Yucca Mountain, saying he would like state lawmakers to adopt a more compelling law against it — Las Vegas Review Journal

July

July 25, 2005 — Porter says full documents not received — WASHINGTON -- His staff may have 1,652 pages of Yucca Mountain project documents to begin to review today, but Rep. Jon Porter is still concerned about the pages that are not there — Las Vegas Sun

July 22, 2005 — Nevada wonders what DOE is hiding by withholding Yucca documents — State of Nevada

July 22, 2005 — DOE turns over subpoenaed documents in Yucca Mountain inquiry — Las Vegas Sun

July 20, 2005 — DOE: Yucca document collection facing another delay — WASHINGTON -- During arguments made before a Nuclear Regulatory Commission panel on Tuesday, lawyers for the Energy Department said that the department's final document collection for the Yucca Mountain project may be delayed for up to another six months — By Suzanne Struglinski - Las Vegas Sun WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 21, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Another official to leave project — Stephens Washington Bureau

July 19, 2005 — Subpoena on the way for DOE, Porter says — WASHINGTON -- A House committee chairman was readying a subpoena as the Department of Energy missed a deadline Monday for supplying Congress with documents for a Yucca Mountain investigation — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 18, 2005 — DOE says dedicated trains to be used for nuclear waste shipments — WASHINGTON - Nuclear waste will be shipped to a national repository in the Nevada desert on dedicated railroad cars, rather than sharing trains with other cargo, the Energy Department announced Monday. AP

July 14, 2005 — New deadline set on Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter set a new deadline Wednesday for the Energy Department to hand over documents related to Yucca Mountain workers' e-mails — Las Vegas Review Journal

July 13, 2005 — Key House lawmaker's bill aims to speed Yucca — Barton's proposal could force 10,000-year radiation standard —WASHINGTON -- A key House lawmaker said he plans to introduce a bill that could mandate a 10,000-year radiation standard for Yucca Mountain.  The bill, to be unveiled by House Energy Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, could include a number of other changes that would amount to an overhaul of the nation's nuclear waste policy, which since 1987 has focused on developing an underground repository at Yucca Mountain for the nation's most radioactive waste — By Benjamin Grove Las Vegas Sun - WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

July 13, 2005 — Porter sets final deadline for release of Yucca documents — WASHINGTON - Rep. Jon Porter set a new deadline Wednesday for the Energy Department to release documents related to potential paperwork fraud on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump — AP

July 13, 2005 — DOE, Nevada attorneys spar over Yucca draft — WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Nevada and the Energy Department sparred Tuesday over the availability of a Yucca Mountain draft application, a 5,800-page packet that could provide early clues about the government's bid to license a nuclear waste site — Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

July 12, 2005 — Yucca problems cited in court — Nevada argues that nuke ratepayers' money be refunded —WASHINGTON -- Nevada's lawyers are listing numerous problems with the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump as part of their effort to get the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to cancel the Energy Department's contract to take nuclear waste.  Nevada wants the court to order that utility ratepayer money that had been set aside to pay for a final storage site be refunded — By Suzanne Struglinski - Las Vegas Sun WASHINGTON BUREAU .

July 01, 2005 — Yucca funds fall short of president's '05 request — WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved $577 million for the Energy Department's Yucca Mountain project in a bill passed this morning and did not include additional money to begin research into temporary waste storage — Las Vegas Sun

August

August 31, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN FIGHT: Sandoval recruits supporters — Nevada attorney general writes letters to colleagues in 10 states to oppose EPA radiation standards —CARSON CITY -- Attorney General Brian Sandoval on Tuesday sent letters to the attorneys general in 10 states urging them to speak out about what he called unacceptable proposed radiation standards for the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain — By SEAN WHALEY Las Vegas Review Journal, Capital Bureau

August 29, 2005 — Public land sought for nuke rail study — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department wants to lock up more than 300,000 acres of public land from mining or drilling for 10 years, as part of its plan for a new rail line to move nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. — Las Vegas Sun

August 25, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Lobby group backs EPA on radiation — Nuclear power industry says two-tiered standard will protect future generations — The nuclear power industry's chief lobbying arm gave its strong support Wednesday to the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed radiation protection standards for the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository — Las Vegas Review Journal

August 19, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT: Lobbyist focuses on reprocessing option — Nuclear industry emphasizes possible retrieval of spent fuel — WASHINGTON -- Nuclear waste may be retrieved from Yucca Mountain for up to 300 years after it is stored, the nuclear power industry's chief lobbyist said Thursday, adding that the development of reprocessing technology could make retrieval more likely — By TONY BATT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

August 19, 2005 — Nevada's senators challenge latest nuclear waste transportation policy — Las Vegas Review Journal

August 17, 2005 — Nuke lobbyists to spend millions on new campaign — Yucca could be part of industry promotion — WASHINGTON -- The nation's top nuclear power lobby group is planning another public relations campaign to promote the industry, and possibly to advance the stalled Yucca Mountain program — By Benjamin Grove - SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

August 17, 2005 — Anti-nuke group's report: 'Congress should cancel' Yucca — WASHINGTON -- An anti-nuclear group included the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump on a list of 10 Energy Department radioactive projects for which the group says Congress should slash or cancel funding — By Suzanne Struglinski - SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

August 16, 2005 — Rising construction costs to affect Yucca - DOE estimates are badly outdated — WASHINGTON -- Las Vegas home buyers aren't the only ones being pummeled by the skyrocketing cost of construction -- rising prices are likely to deliver a severe wallop to Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Sun

August 16, 2005 —Yucca to cost Clark County $2.5 billion — A proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain is likely to cost Clark County roughly $2.5 billion in added fire, police and emergency expenses, according to a report that was expected to come before the commission this morning — Las Vegas Sun

August 13, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: 'Monkey wrench' — Report: DOE hasn't fully studied how to handle damaged fuel assemblies — WASHINGTON -- Thousands of fuel assemblies containing radioactive nuclear waste are expected to arrive damaged at Yucca Mountain, including some with undetected leaks and cracks, posing potential risks to workers and the public, according to a report prepared for the government — Stephens Washington Bureau

August 11, 2005 — EPA proposal gives Yucca a boost — Nevada officials vow to challenge radiation standard — Las Vegas Sun

August 10, 2005 — Yucca radiation limits unveiled — Standards will be good for 1 million years, EPA says — WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday unveiled a new set of radiation limits for Yucca Mountain that appear headed on a path to prolong and intensify clashes over the safety of burying nuclear waste in Nevada — Las Vegas Review Journal
(More Coverage Washington Post and the Las Vegas Sun)

August 06, 2005 — Energy bill ignored repository — Reid deterred inclusion of Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration and allies in Congress took pains to avoid mentioning Yucca Mountain as they pursued passage of a major energy policy bill, an Energy Department leader said Friday — Stephens Washington Bureau

August 05, 2005 — Yucca plan slowed by recent departure of key managers — WASHINGTON -- The Yucca Mountain program has lost five key managers in the last six months, raising speculation that recent controversy and frustration have led to a damaging exodus of leadership talent — Las Vegas Sun

August 04, 2005 — Energy Department left risks out of Yucca plan, staff says — WASHINGTON — The Energy Department left out risk factors related to potential airplane crashes and hazards at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in planning for the project, nuclear regulatory staff told the agency in a memo released Thursday. — AP

August 04, 2005 — DOE: Nevada misspent Yucca oversight funds — WASHINGTON -- Clark County misspent about $163,000 in federal funds earmarked for Yucca Mountain oversight, according to an Energy Department inspector general office report released today — By Suzanne Struglinski - Las Vegus Sun, WASHINGTON BUREAU

August 03, 2005 — Group: Water standard for radioactivity unsafe —Nevada officials ponder report's implications for planned Yucca Mountain waste site — WASHINGTON -- The government is underestimating the health risks from the presence of radioactive particles in drinking water, an environmental science group said in a report it plans to release today. — Stephens Washington Bureau

August 01, 2005 — Yucca Mountain facing new delay — License application date pushed back — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department probably will not submit its license application to build Yucca Mountain until March 2006 at the earliest, several months later than the most recent target date, according to an updated — AP

September



Sepember. 27, 2005 — GROUNDWORK CRITICIZED : DOE land use plan disputed — Nevada officials question proposed rail corridor that leads to Yucca Mountain — Stephens Washington Bureau

October

October. 29, 2005 — Nuclear waste storage undergoes simple shift — In the world of nuclear waste, simpler is better. That's the case with the so-called "new path" that government scientists embarked on this week to improve the design and safety of the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. — Las Vegas Review Journal

October 26, 2005 — 'Clean' plan for Yucca repackaged - DOE proposal unveiled — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's plan to make Yucca Mountain a "clean" nuclear waste dump is just more of the same old garbage to project critics — By Suzanne Struglinski, Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau
   Read DOE's Press Release

October 22, 2005 — Editorial: It's just a matter of time — Nevada is right to be suing over an Energy Department plan to ship nuclear waste by rail — Las Vegas Sun

October 20, 2005 — Long Yucca fight frustrates both side — WASHINGTON -- When people talk about Yucca Mountain and geological time, they're not necessarily talking about rocks. They just as well could be describing the protracted, yearslong debate over the federal government's proposal to put the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. — Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

October 2005 — EPA values public opinion — WASHINGTON -- When Environmental Protection Agency officials say they listen to every comment raised in the public hearings about the Yucca Mountain radiation standard, they mean it. — Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

October 19, 2005 — Nevada says DOE cut corners — Judges hear state's latest bid to stop Yucca project — WASHINGTON -- An attorney for Nevada on Tuesday set out to persuade a panel of federal judges that the Department of Energy cut corners in its initial planning to ship nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. — Stephens Washington Bureau

October 11, 2005 — Critics dominate final EPA hearing on radiation rule — WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency's final hearing on its proposed rule governing how much radiation could be released from Yucca Mountain drew a series of critics Tuesday, mostly environmentalists who said the standard was too weak to protect future generations. By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 11, 2005 — Finding common ground — Yucca foes Reid, Domenici said to be in talks over nuke bill — Las Vegas Sun

October 09, 2005 — EDITORIAL: News flash: More Yucca blunders — Las Vegas Review Journal

October 07, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Audit criticizes bonuses paid — Inspector general targets Energy Department's incentive fees to contractor — Las Vegas Review Journal

October 06, 2005 — Energy Department inspector general criticizes Yucca spending — WASHINGTON - The Energy Department paid incentive money to its managing contractor on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, Bechtel SAIC, even though Bechtel turned in late and low-quality work, an Energy Department inspector general report said Thursday. By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 05, 2005 — EPA's Yucca Mountain standard criticized — Speakers say proposal for protecting public contradicts intent of court ruling . . . One critic, Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency chief Bob Loux, said the EPA's proposal is an absurd attempt at "morally bankrupt standard-setting," that fails to protect future generations of Nevadans — Las Vegas Review Journal

October 04, 2005 — NRC appeals posting draft Yucca document on the Internet — WASHINGTON -- An order for the Department of Energy to post to the Internet its draft license application for Yucca Mountain was appealed on Monday.  Staff members for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission challenged the reasoning of a three-judge panel that sought to clarify the definition of draft paperwork for the proposed nuclear waste repository.— By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

November

November 28, 2005 — Federal government could oust Yucca Mountain contractor — The U.S. Dept of Energy is returning to the drawing board on how to improve management of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, located 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. And that upgrade could entail changing contractors — Las Vegas BUSINESS PRESS

November 23, 2005 — Support for Yucca softens a little more — WASHINGTON -- A key senator who was once a strong advocate of Yucca Mountain offered some of his harshest words yet about the proposed nuclear waste repository.  "As most of you know, it was not a good solution either on straight science, or surely, on economic grounds," Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said Tuesday in a speech to a group of U.S. and Japanese nuclear power leaders.   "So clearly, we have to move in another direction.> By Benjamin Grove - Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

November 21, 2005 — EPA to review Yucca input —Public weighs in on proposed radiation standards — WASHINGTON -- By the end of today, the Environmental Protection Agency will add its last pages to the stack of public comments on the proposed radiation protection standards for the Yucca Mountain project.  Today marks the end of an almost four-month comment period on the standards, proposed in August. The agency has to create a new standard after a federal appeals court threw out the existing ones last year.  The EPA received at least 120 written comments, according to its Web site. By Suzanne Struglinski Sun Washington Bureau

November 20, 2005 — Editorial: Yucca Mountain continues to fail — Inspector general's report reveals mounting evidence of flawed documentation — New evidence from the U.S. Energy Department's inspector general underscores -- again -- the vast amount of questionable science and flawed data that has gone into the proposal to build a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. Las Vegas Sun

November 17, 2005 — Yucca audit unearths more e-mail questions — WASHINGTON -- Government inspectors said in a report Wednesday that they discovered more e-mails that raise questions about work performed at Yucca Mountain, including one message that suggested backdating notebooks and another with a recommendation to "make up something." — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

November 17, 2005 — Senators block Bush choice — Questions surround pick to lead Yucca Mountain project, Ensign says — WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators are blocking confirmation of President Bush's pick to lead nuclear waste disposal efforts at Yucca Mountain.   Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said he and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., have placed holds on Ward Sproat, who has been nominated to become director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management in the Department of Energy. — Las Vegas Review Journal

November 15, 2005 — Energy spending bill approved by Senate —Nuclear waste burial funds slashed, fuel reprocessing OK'd . . . Among major items in the bill, Congress reduced the Bush administration's budget request to develop nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The stalled project was allocated $450 million, a 31 percent decrease from what Bush requested. — Stephens Washington Bureau

November 09, 2005 — Federal judge dismisses Indian tribe suit against nuclear dump —LAS VEGAS - An Indian tribe will try again to get a federal judge to stop plans for a national nuclear waste dump in Nevada based on a 19th century treaty after its initial lawsuit was dismissed, a lawyer for the tribe said Wednesday. By KEN RITTER ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 08, 2005 — Yucca dump may be losing support — Latest budget cuts show some are rethinking nuke dump — WASHINGTON -- The slashed Yucca Mountain budget could be the latest example of the proposed nuclear waste repository steadily losing steam and favor.  The $450 million budget is "just barely enough to keep it alive," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., a Yucca supporter and member of the panel that met Monday to finalize a broader energy and water projects spending bill. — By Benjamin Grove Sun Washington Bureau

November 09, 2005 — Unlikely ally aids foes of N-dump — WASHINGTON - In a significant reversal, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid dropped his opposition Tuesday to a plan to create a new Utah wilderness area that could block high-level nuclear waste from being stored in the state. — Salt Lake Tribune

November 07, 2005 — Lawmakers cut funding for Yucca Mountain to $450 million in 2006 — Lawmakers cut funding for Yucca Mountain to $450 million in 2006 — WASHINGTON - Lawmakers agreed Monday to cut 2006 spending for Yucca Mountain well below past-year levels and President Bush's budget request, reflecting the faltering prospects for locating the nation's nuclear waste dump in the Nevada desert. — AP

November 03, 2005 — Looking for a waste land — Ottawa urged to bury spent nuclear fuel bundles 1 kilometre deep at central site — Taranto Star

November 02, 2005 — N-waste plan hits a new obstacle — WASHINGTON - Bureau of Land Management officials in Utah are blocking a company that wants to store high-level nuclear waste from building a rail spur to a Utah Indian reservation until the Air Force studies the plan, creating an indefinite delay for the nuclear waste site — The Salt Lake Tribune

December



December 29, 2005 — BLM paves way for proposed Yucca rail — WASHINGTON -- The Bureau of Land Management has agreed to place restrictions on public land in a 300-mile corridor that is being studied for a railroad line to carry nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. The BLM's land withdrawal cements the Energy Department's access to the property as it studies rail alignments to the site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. — Stephens Washington Bureau

View Maps:   

December 29, 2005 — U.S. nears OK of Yucca rail — Move shows why Utah lawmakers badly want wilds area approval — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

December 21, 2005 — Nuclear waste shift may aid PFS — Opposition to Yucca renews the focus on proposed Utah site — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

December 21, 2005 — Nuclear waste storage: Four companies hold a 68% interest in the project — Salt Lake Tribune

December 19, 2005 — Damages in store for nuke utilities — Industry sues over the government's failure to open Yucca — Las Vegas Sun - Washington Bureau

December 16, 2005 — Reid, Ensign turn tables on Yucca Mountain — After taking a beating from the federal government for nearly a quarter-century, Nevada is on the offensive for the first time in its epic battle against Yucca Mountain. The bill Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign introduced to provide an alternative to Yucca Mountain has energized the Nevada forces. — Las Vegas Sun

December 18, 2005 — Utah gains ally in nuclear waste fight — Salt Lake Tribune

December 14, 2005 —Third Utility Abandons Proposed Nuclear Waste Dump — SALT LAKE CITY A third utility in the Private Fuel Storage consortium has announced it will withhold future support of the nuclear waste storage site proposed for western Utah. —KUTV.COM - Salt Lake City UT

December 13, 2005 — Yucca work raising eyebrows — Regent's potential aid to Lincoln County may affect his future — The chairman of the Nevada Board of Regents -- a Las Vegas attorney who was on Gov. Kenny Guinn's short list to replace former Attorney General Brian Sandoval -- may soon assist Lincoln County in efforts related to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. — Las Vegas Sun

December 08, 2005 — Yucca managers relay 'path forward' plan to regulatory staff — Managers of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project outlined their new "path forward" plan for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff Wednesday. But one critic at the meeting, Steve Frishman, a full-time consultant for Nevada's Nuclear Projects Agency, said the plan amounts to a path backward that puts the beleaguered project "back to square one after 20 years." — Las Vegas Review Journal

December 08, 2005 — California wants Yucca refund —Frustration boils over regarding glacial progress of nuclear waste management project — WASHINGTON -- California may ask the federal government to refund money that it has paid for Yucca Mountain, a request based on "uncertainty" surrounding the proposed nuclear waste repository. — Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

December 07, 2005 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: DOE doubles rural rail cost estimate —Projected price tag of line now $2 billion — WASHINGTON -- The Depart-ment of Energy has doubled its estimate of what it would cost to build a railroad across rural Nevada to transfer nuclear waste to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The projected price tag of a 319-mile line now stands at $2 billion. A DOE spokesman said the updated estimate also includes construction of rail yards and other maintenance features along the route. By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

December 06, 2005 — Utah loses nuclear waste round — Justices won't hear case aimed at blocking PFS — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied Utah's request to hear its case involving state laws designed to regulate and tax the proposed Private Fuel Storage nuclear waste storage site. — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

December 05, 2005 — Yucca Mountain application appears unlikely to go to NRC in FY-06 — Platts

December 04, 2005 — Critics tackle a mountain of comments on Yucca — WASHINGTON -- Yucca Mountain has been the focus of controversies big and small . Call the latest Commentgate. At issue: Just how many public comments were submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency about its draft radiation standard for the proposednuclear waste repository? The EPA is reviewing the comments before making the proposed standard final . The agency had posted 186 comments as of Friday (the comment d is over). But several Yucca activists say there are far more than that.—By Benjamin Grove Las Vegas Sun

December 02, 2005 — Yucca workers face possible layoffs in 2006 — Federal budget cuts have impact — WASHINGTON -- A portion of the Yucca Mountain workforce was told Thursday to brace for new layoffs early next year as the government nuclear waste project reshapes from a major spending cut and a redesign of key segments — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU .