January

January 28, 2006 — The Waste Problem, Where will we all be in 100,000 years? — Arjun Makhijani is president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Takoma Park, Maryland.

January 27, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Nevadans fear new push — Legislators brace for more nuclear waste initiatives — ’WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers are bracing for new Bush administration efforts to speed work at Yucca Mountain, this time against a backdrop of renewed government interest in nuclear fuel reprocessing — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 26, 2006 — Dust-up over Yucca document — DOE decision to withdraw item on whistle-blower from database draws protest — Las Vegas Review Journal

January 25, 2006 — Legislator pursues agency — Committee chief asks Energy Department to turn over documents — Las Vegas Review Journal

January 19, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Laboratory gets expanded duties — Nuclear waste repository duties revamped — WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy on Wednesday expanded the role of government science laboratories at Yucca Mountain, continuing its reorganization of the nuclear waste repository project — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 15, 2005 — The Program Is In Utter Chaos," Bob Loux, Nevada Nuclear Projects — Work Stoppages, Realignments, More Questionable E-mail And Memos — The Nevada Observer

January. 13, 2006 — Yucca Mountain planners reorganizing — Changes planned for nuclear waste offices — Federal offices in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., that run the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project are undergoing a major reorganization aimed at streamlining the government's goal of entombing deadly spent fuel in the ridge — Las Vegas Review Journal

January 12, 2006 — Radioactive waste recycling criticized — Yucca Mountain needed, industry officials say — WASHINGTON -- Reprocessing and other alternatives to the storage of nuclear waste may be a diversion, and the Department of Energy should remain focused on developing a repository at Yucca Mountain, nuclear industry executives were told Wednesday. By TONY BATT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 11, 2006 — NRC seeks to allay fear of transport — maryland news

January 08, 2006 — EDITORIAL: Yucca Mountain woes — Las Vegas Review Journal

January 06, 2006 — Energy officials halt some work at Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy has suspended work on key segments of Yucca Mountain after whistle-blowers reported more problems with nuclear waste repository design and engineering, officials confirmed. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

January 01, 2006 — Challenges Continue To Plague Yucca Mountain Planners — The Nevada Observer

February

February 26, 2006 — Nuclear sleight of hand — President's recent revival of discredited reprocessing solution seen as political ploy to push failing Yucca Mountain plan — Las Vegas Sun

February 24, 2006 — Nuclear industry envisions expansion of Yucca project —77,000-ton capacity seen as 'artificial limit' — WASHINGTON -- The nuclear power industry plans to lobby Congress this year to remove the cap on how much nuclear waste could be stored at Yucca Mountain, a trade association official said Thursday.   With all available space likely to be claimed by the time the proposed Nevada waste repository opens, a 77,000-ton capacity set by Congress in a 1982 law "eventually is going to stand in the way" of industry growth, said Steve Kraft, a senior director at the Nuclear Energy Institute — Stephens Washington Bureau

February 23, 2006 — Yucca feeling heat on humidity — Stop-work order prompted by failure to calibrate gauges — Another problem has surfaced in the scientific work that is supposed to ensure the safety of entombing the nation's most lethal nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain.    A spokesman for the project confirmed Wednesday that concerns by nuclear regulators about flawed humidity measurements in corrosion-rate studies of the metal waste disposal packages have prompted them to order a halt to that work. — Las Vegas Review Journal

February 23, 2006 — Is used nuclear reactor fuel headed for the reservation? — The radioactive waste, eventually slated for permanent storage at a still unfinished site in Nevada, has been piling up, mostly at the nation's 65 commercial nuclear power plants. Late Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) gave its blessing to a solution: a storage site on a barren patch of a reservation in Utah that's home to some 25 native Americans, next to a proving ground for chemical and biological weapons, and near an Air Force bombing range. — By Faye Bowers Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

February 22, 2006 — NRC grants license for private nuclear waste site — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a construction and operating license to Private Fuel Storage LLC for a nuclear waste storage site in Utah, the NRC said on Wednesday — Reuters

February 20, 2006 — Bush's nuclear energy plans don't sway Yucca foes — Opponents of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository are encouraged by President Bush's call Saturday for a new approach to reprocessing nuclear waste, but some doubts remain. — Reno Gazette Journal

February 19, 2006 — Nuclear Energy Initiative Holds Uncertainties — Bush Plan Could Cut Dependence on Oil but Relies on Unproven Technologies — President Bush's new nuclear energy initiative is supposed to help cure America's "addiction to oil" by redesigning a taboo technology, originally used to obtain plutonium for bombs, to reuse spent nuclear fuel. — By Guy Gugliotta, Washington Post Staff Writer

February 18, 2006 — Yucca science data endorsed — New Bush administration report describes project work as 'strong,' 'valid' —WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration issued a report Friday backing the scientific data behind Yucca Mountain, almost a year after the Energy Department disclosed that government scientists might have fabricated their work on the project. — By SAMANTHA YOUNG STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 16, 2006 — DOE clueless on Yucca — WASHINGTON - The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it may never have an accurate prediction of the cost, the energy secretary said Monday — By Matthew L. Wald , New York Times News Service

February 12, 2006 — Energy Department seeks control of land near Yucca — The Pentagon wants to take a close look at an Energy Department proposal to take contro of land near Yucca Mountain that is currently managed by the Air Force and other federal agencies. — Las Vegas Sun, Washington Bureau

February 12, 2006 — Yucca in need of repair after nine years — Critics question facility's viability WASHINGTON - Yucca Mountain research facilities - from ground supports to railroad tracks - need repairs after just nine years of use, leaving critics wondering how the Energy Department could store nuclear waste there for thousands of years — By Benjamin Grove - Sun Washington Bureau

February 12, 2006 — Terror threat not weighed in assessing nuke waste shipments — WASHINGTON - The National Academy of Sciences did not thoroughly consider the threat of terrorism as it studied the risks involved in shipping nuclear waste from around the U.S. to Yucca Mountain.    The study, partially funded by an affiliate of the nuclear power industry, concluded that the shipments would be safe. But the 292-page report noted that terrorism risks had not been fully considered because some researchers on the 16-member study panel did not have the security clearances required for access to classified government briefings. — By Benjamin Grove - Sun Washington Bureau

Febryary 10, 2006 — TRANSPORT OF NUCLEAR WASTE: Panel says shipments safe — Scientists did not evaluate security risks to cargo — WASHINGTON -- Thousands of shipments of highly radioactive nuclear waste can be conducted safely, a panel of scientists concluded Thursday, although it said the Department of Energy has challenges to meet in shipping the waste to Yucca Mountain.    The report by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences is expected to carry considerable weight as the government moves toward developing a central repository in Nevada for used commercial reactor fuel and defense waste now kept in 39 states. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 09, 2006 — Porter sets Yucca hearing — Congressman aims to break stalemate over access to documents — WASHINGTON -- A House chairman plans to summon Energy Department officials to a hearing in a new bid to break a stalemate between DOE and Congress over access to Yucca Mountain documents.   Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., will schedule a hearing in about three weeks after DOE once again this week resisted a demand to turn over a 5,800-page draft license application for the proposed nuclear waste repository, a spokesman said Wednesday. BY STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 07, 2006 — FEDERAL BUDGET: New front for Yucca argument — President requests money for reprocessing nuclear waste — WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy on Monday proposed new spending to get Yucca Mountain on track, with a top official saying it could be possible eventually to reprocess nuclear waste at the Nevada site . . . . In its proposed 2007 budget, DOE proposed $544.5 million in new spending at Yucca in the fiscal year 2007, an increase from the $450 million that Congress appropriated for the current year. Within its budget plan, DOE proposed a 240 percent increase, from $19.9 million to $67.8 million, for engineers designing railroad cars and a rail route to ship waste across rural Nevada from Caliente to the Yucca site. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 2006 — (Editorial) A Plan for Nuclear Waste — By John Deutch and Ernest J. Moniz

February 02, 2006 — Nuclear waste focus of talks — Scientists discuss Yucca Mountain corrosion rates — Las Vegas Review Journal

March

March 31, 2006 — Yucca Mountain chief predicts application in 2008, dump by 2020 — WASHINGTON - The official who oversees Yucca Mountain said Friday that he expects the Energy Department to submit a license application for the nuclear waste dump during the 2008 fiscal year and open the facility in Nevada by 2020. — AP

March 31, 2006 — Reid sees more cuts for Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Review Journal

March 30, 2006 — Key senator pushes Bush administration on Yucca Mountain bill — WASHINGTON - A key senator said Thursday that he'll likely introduce his own bill if the Bush administration doesn't soon unveil much-anticipated legislation to smooth development of a national nuclear waste dump in Nevada. — AP

March 29, 2006 — Group urges action on waste — Yucca Mountain backers want deliveries started during construction — WASHINGTON -- A coalition that supports Yucca Mountain called Tuesday for Congress to allow the Energy Department to start placing high-level nuclear waste at the Nevada site while a repository for the material is being built. — Stephens Washington Bureau

March 28, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Scientists tout technology, research — Las Vegas Review Journal

March 27, 2006 — Yucca Mountain battle will be fought in digital court — Deep bookshelves curve behind the lawyers’ tables in a courtroom at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Md. Crammed onto the shelves are thousands of paper documents generated over the course of complex hearings before the commission. They contain the details of proposals such as licensing a new reactor and building a waste repository. — Washington Technology

March 27, 2006 — When pigs fly: Skull Valley nuke dump still safety folly — Salt Lake Tribune

March 25, 2006 — Yucca probe forwarded — Federal prosecutors reviewing evidence — WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors are reviewing evidence gathered by investigators into whether scientists falsified quality assurance documents at Yucca Mountain, officials confirmed Friday. — Stephens Washington Bureau

March 24, 2006 — New report shows Yucca stuck in old errors, Porter says — Some of the same issues today raised in 2004 — new report by government auditors released Thursday by Nevada Rep. Jon Porter says Energy Department managers failed to bolster the quality of scientific work at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project and have resorted to a "costly and time-consuming rework" to fix problems. — Las Vegas Review Journal
>> Read GAO Report (60 Pages, 800KB)

March 23, 2006 — Nevada chases Yucca Mountain documents, sues — Agency keeps drafts of application secret — WASHINGTON -- A dispute between Nevada and the Department of Energy over Yucca Mountain documents escalated Wednesday into a federal lawsuit. Attorney General George Chanos filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Reno that seeks to force the government to make public draft versions of an application for a nuclear waste repository at the Nevada site — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

March 20, 2006 — Utilities Offer Energy Dept. Site for Waste — WASHINGTON, March 19 — A group of nuclear utilities that is planning to build a private nuclear waste dump on an Indian reservation in Utah has offered to sell space there to the federal government. The move could help the government avoid billions of dollars in potential legal damages over its failure to build its own repository — New York Times

March 20, 2006 — Nuclear power an expensive red herring - Science Matters — By David Suzuki

March 17, 2006 — Editorial: Billions wasted on Yucca — Nothing to show for huge expense but missed deadlines, lawsuits and a scientific dead-end — Las Vegas Sun

March 16, 2006 — Project Head Details Delays, Costs for Nuclear Waste Dump — WASHINGTON - A long-delayed nuclear waste dump in Nevada that has cost $9 billion so far is years away from opening, the project's director told frustrated lawmakers Wednesday, and will be at capacity from radioactive waste now accumulating — By Erica Werner, Associated Press

March 16, 2006 — Agency takes look at second waste site — DOE official: Spent nuclear fuel piling up — WASHINGTON -- Although Yucca Mountain is nowhere close to being completed, the Energy Department is starting to consider developing a second nuclear waste repository, DOE officials told Congress on Wednesday — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

March 13, 2006 — Bodman in a bind over 'broken' Yucca project — WASHINGTON - Watching Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, just 13 months into his job, observers might get the feeling he is already sick of dealing with Yucca Mountain, one of his department's toughest and longest-running challenges — Las Vegas Sun

March 10, 2006 — NUCLEAR WASTE: Lawmakers snub reprocessing plans — Legislators say they'd rather see repository at Yucca — WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's ambitious plans for nuclear waste reprocessing got a cold reception Thursday from pro-nuclear lawmakers who said they were more interested in seeing a waste repository built at Yucca Mountain — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

March 09, 2006 — Yucca Mountain construction won't start for 5 years, Bodman says — LAS VEGAS - It will be at least five years before construction can begin at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal facility, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said this week, as lawmakers grilled him about delays possibly affecting the creation of new power plants. — AP

March 09, 2006 — 'Fix' vowed for Yucca — Energy chief admits past process 'broken' — WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Yucca Mountain Project was "broken," and he appealed for patience as he vowed to get it fixed. Bodman said blame could be shared by the nuclear waste repository contractor, other federal agencies and the Department of Energy itself, "who did not manage it very well." — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

March. 08, 2006 — Congress won't act on Yucca legislation this year, senator says — WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Energy Committee said Tuesday he did not think Congress would act on legislation this year to help establish a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. — By STEVE TETREAULT - Stephens Washington Bureau    (More Coverage)

March 06, 2006 — Getting to the bottom of Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Review Journal

March 04, 2006 — Bodman says DOE has no plans to move waste — LAS VEGAS (AP) - Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says his department will not begin moving nuclear waste away from power plants around the country until the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain is licensed.  At a meeting with reporters in Washington, D.C Friday, Bodman sought to dispel speculation that the Bush administration was considering establishing temporary nuclear waste storage sites while the Nevada disposal site remains on the drawing board. — AP   (More Coverage)

March 03, 2006 — Yucca Mountain repository costs may drop after new review — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is revising costs to build a Yucca Mountain repository after a redesign that was initiated last fall and a new campaign that links the waste site to other ambitious nuclear initiatives — Stephens Washington Bureau

March 02, 2006 — Statement of Robert Loux, — Executive Director, Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, Office of the Governor before the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works — State of Nevada

March 01, 2006 — EPA: Yucca radiation standards to be completed by year's end — WASHINGTON (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency will issue a final rule by the end of the year on how much radiation can be released from the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, an agency official told senators at a hearing Wednesday. — AP

March 01, 2006 — Government must pay damages to utility — DOE failed to meet nuclear waste disposal deadline — WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has ordered the government to pay $34.9 million to the operator of two nuclear power plants in Alabama and Tennessee after the Energy Department failed to meet a 1998 deadline to dispose of their nuclear waste — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April

April 29, 2006 — Reprocessing plan pushed in D.C. — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy is pushing its plan to get into the nuclear-waste reprocessing business, but Congress will eventually determine how much money it will put toward the effort and how far the department will be able to go with it — By Suzanne Struglinski, Deseret Morning News

April 28, 2006 — NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION: Nominee backs repository — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 27, 2006 — Survey shows more residents fear Yucca Mountain impact — Las Vegas Sun

April 26, 2006 — Yucca e-mails bring no charges — U.S. attorney's office says criminal intent cannot be proved — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 25, 2006 — GAO Report — Testimony Before the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives — YUCCA MOUNTAIN DOE’s Planned Nuclear Waste Repository Faces Quality Assurance and Management Challenges - GAO, Statement of Jim Wells, Director Natural Resources and Environment.
Related Information -  Read GAO Report - 03/26/06 (60 Pages, 800KB)

April 24, 2006 — DNC: Bush Flip-Flopped on Yucca Mountain, Owes Nevadans Answers — President Bush attended a fundraiser for Jon Porter's campaign for Congress in Las Vegas. During the luncheon President Bush failed to explain why he flip-flopped on Yucca Mountain after taking millions from the nuclear industry. Once again, President Bush resorted to his strategy of brushing aside the concerns and safety of Nevadans — US Newswire

April 20, 2006 — PORTER SUBCOMMITTEE TO HOLD YUCCA MOUNTAIN HEARING — Updated GAO report will be scrutinized

April 20, 2006 — Bigger repository backed in study preview — Yucca Mountain could be redesigned to hold up to 628,000 tons — WASHINGTON -- The planned Yucca Mountain repository could hold between four to nine times more nuclear waste if it were expanded and redesigned, according to an industry report previewed Wednesday. — Stephens Washington Bureau   

April 20, 2006 — Repairs, upgrades planned at nuclear waste dump site — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is planning about $100 million in repairs, new buildings and roads, a fire station, and other improvements at the site of the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, a department official said Wednesday — AP

April 15, 2006 — Letter from Nevada Attorney General George Chanos to other states' AGs concerning the Administration's proposed "fix" Yucca Mountain legislation (pdf-70K)

April 15, 2006 — Nuclear project draws interest — Several scientists associated with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas have positioned Nevada researchers to compete for contracts from the Energy Department's new nuclear waste reprocessing program — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 15, 2006 — Western governors assail nuclear waste bill — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

April 14, 2006 — Bodman emerges impressed — YUCCA MOUNTAIN -- Wearing a hard hat and goggles, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman emerged from the dark tunnel inside this remote, barren ridge Thursday to say he was impressed with the exploratory effort and research being performed at the site of the nation's planned nuclear waste repository. — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 13, 2006 — Reprocessing plans tied to Yucca delays, scientist tells panel — Official counters that technology for spent fuel recycling still needs to be addressed — STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 13, 2006 — Yucca Mountain a must for nation, energy chief says — On his first trip to Las Vegas as energy secretary, Samuel Bodman admitted Wednesday that there have been flaws with the quality of the science in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project. But he vowed to hold the course for opening a repository — Las Vegas Review Journal

April 12, 2006 — Critique of DOE’s Proposed Yucca Mountain Legislation — State of Nevada

April 12, 2006 — Yucca Mountain Legislation —“Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act”

April 11, 2006 — Gibbons fuels nuclear debate — Las Vegas Sun

April 07, 2006 — Repository proposal discussed — A proposal to expand the capacity of Yucca Mountain drew support from some lawmakers on Thursday as a way for the government to "buy time" while researching long-range recycling methods for nuclear waste. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 07, 2006 — High-level nuclear waste may pass through Ely by 2010 — High-level nuclear waste could be trucked through Ely on its way to Yucca Mountain as early as 2010. —By PETE FOWLER Ely Times Reporter

April 05, 2006 — Administration bill aims to expedite nuclear waste repository — WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration set out in a plan unveiled Tuesday to clear away potential obstacles in Nevada while speeding licensing and other groundwork for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 04, 2006 — REID, ENSIGN SLAM YUCCA MOUNTAIN BILL — Congressional News Release

April 04, 2006 — Energy secretary denies looking at Skull Valley — Company's nuclear storage pitch won't happen, Hatch says — WASHINGTON — The Energy Department is not interested in becoming a client of Private Fuel Storage, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman told Sen. Orrin Hatch. By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

May

May 31, 2006 —Yucca said 'bogged down' — Pahrump Valley Times

May 27, 2006 — Energy, NRC nominees confirmed — WASHINGTON -- Four officials expected to influence the future of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site were installed in key posts Friday by the Senate . . . Edward "Ward" Sproat, a nuclear industry executive from Pennsylvania, was approved as director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management at the Energy Department. The post makes him head of the Yucca Mountain Project— By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 25, 2006 —House OKs funds for temporary nuclear storage — WASHINGTON — The House approved $30 million for the temporary storage of nuclear waste in the energy spending bill passed late Wednesday. The bill's report says the Energy Department could consider private sites, which might make Private Fuel Storage's proposed site in Tooele County a possible contender to store waste before it went to Nevada's Yucca Mountain — if it ever opens. — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

May 25, 2006 — Yucca cartoon figure withstands Berkley attack in Congress — Stephens Washington Bureau

May 18, 2006 — House panel OKs option of private nuclear waste facility — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

May 17, 2006 — Senators snap over mixed messages on Yucca project — Las Vegas Review Journal

May 16, 2006 — Temporary nuclear waste storage may be sought due to Yucca delays — WASHINGTON - The Bush administration says it is willing to store temporarily nuclear power plant waste somewhere other than the delayed Yucca Mountain project in Nevada but needs congressional approval to do so. — AP

May 12, 2006 — Yucca funding advances — House panel OKs request but slashes nuclear waste reprocessing plan — WASHINGTON -- A House panel taking the first step in setting 2007 spending for the Energy Department granted President Bush's budget request for Yucca Mountain on Thursday but cut back on the president's plan for nuclear waste reprocessing — Stephens Washington Bureau

May 09, 2006 — Utah attacks PFS nuclear waste plan — State joins thousands in sending comments to BLM — Deseret Morning News

May 05, 2006 — Criminal charges won't be filed in Yucca e-mail scandal — WASHINGTON -- Investigators failed to turn up conclusive evidence of criminal actions in Yucca Mountain e-mails that implied quality assurance documents might have been falsified, according to a report released Thursday — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 04, 2006 — Survey suggests opposition [to Yucca Mountain] — Las Vegas Review Journal

May 02, 2006 — EPA vows to set mark — Radiation standard for Yucca expected by end of this year — The Environmental Protection Agency expects to finalize a radiation safety standard by the end of this year for the planned Yucca Mountain repository, one that protects Nevadans from decaying nuclear waste for 1 million years, a public health officer said Monday. — Las Vegas Review Journal

May 01, 2006 — Two Independent Federal Investigations Blast DOE — State of Nevada

June
June 30, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Senate panel cuts requested funding — Stephens Washington Bureau

June 29, 2006 — Nuclear Gamesmanship — Under a plan backed by U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and Pete Domenici, states with nuclear power plants could be responsible for storage of their own nuclear waste for 25 years — Las Vegas Sun

June 29, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Waste plan produces skepticism — WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Wednesday it would be a tall order for the Department of Energy to set up as many as 31 temporary nuclear waste sites as proposed in Congress this week — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 28, 2006 — Reid slashes yucca mountain funding — Senator Reid

June 28, 2006 — Senator offers plan to store nuclear waste — Proposal rests on temporary sites — WASHINGTON -- The government would store nuclear waste at temporary sites for as long as 25 years while it worked to overcome delays in the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada under a plan offered by the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee — BY STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 27, 2006 — What will be Yucca's need? — Senate to study new recycling technology — The Senate is quietly working on a plan for recycling nuclear waste that would lead to a new generation of nuclear power plants and affect the future of Yucca Mountain. The question of how it would affect Yucca is subject to debate —Las Vegas Sun

June 23, 2006 — Yucca bill stalls, at least for this session - Nuclear waste debate lacked recycling plan — WASHINGTON - Despite strong pressure from the nuclear energy industry and the Bush administration, Congress almost certainly will not put Yucca Mountain on a fast track this year. Legislation to "fix Yucca" once and for all hit a wall shortly after it was introduced in Congress two months ago. — By Lisa Mascaro Las Vegas Sun

June 23, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Rail line option studied – DOE reviewing land ownership, mining claims related to western route – WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is updating 20-year-old data on railroad alignments in western Nevada and should decide by the end of the summer whether it wants to further explore an alternative route to ship nuclear waste by rail through the state to Yucca Mountain, a DOE manager said Thursday By STEVE TETREAULT - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 22, 2004 — Official: States should withhold money for Yucca — Adviser to Maine governor says DOE has already broken nuclear waste contracts By STEVE TETREAULT - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 17, 2006 — New look at nuke waste issue urged — WASHINGTON -- The departing chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday that leaders should re-examine policies for nuclear waste and radioactive material can remain stored safely at power plants for years in the meantime — By STEVE TETREAULT - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

June 14, 2006 — [UTAH] Comments pour in on hot-waste plan — Deseret Morning News

June 11, 2006 — Waste storage dilemma crimps nuclear future — Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County -- In a quiet, air-conditioned room deep inside the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant sits a small pool filled with water colored an unnatural blue. It's packed with radioactive waste — SF Gate

June 09, 2006 — Appeals court rules in favor of nuclear reactor foes — The Salt Lake Tribune

June 08, 2006 — Guest comment:  At least they're consistent – By Bob Loux

June 08, 2006 — Consultant estimates Yucca Mountain costs — The Yucca Mountain repository would cost local agencies $385 million before the proposed nuclear waste site opens, and another $3.7 billion over 24 years after it opens, according to a consultant helping Nevada and local governments fight the proposal — Las Vegas Review Journal

June 06, 2006 — Congress Should Abandon Plans to Reprocess Nuclear Waste — Pulic Citizen

June. 03, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN RAIL LINE : Paiutes have terms — Most important, tribe wants assurance that plan is safe — WASHINGTON -- While the Walker River Paiutes will allow the Energy Department to study shipping nuclear waste through their reservation, tribal leaders said Friday they will not sign off on the route unless they are convinced it is safe — Las Vegas Review Journal ( EDITORIAL: Yucca Mountain change of plan, LVRJ)

June 02, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: DOE eyes old rail plan — WASHINGTON -- Facing a $2 billion price tag to build a railroad from eastern Nevada to Yucca Mountain, the Energy Department wants to take a new look at shipping nuclear waste by rail through the western part of the state to the proposed repository site, local, federal and industry officials said. — Stephens Washington Bureau

July

July 29, 2006 — Bush administration says Yucca study not required — WASHINGTON -- The latest clash between Nevada and the Bush administration over Yucca Mountain took a turn on Friday when the White House said it was not required to produce an environmental study of its latest bill for the nuclear waste site — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 28, 2006 — New Yucca analysis sought — Reid, Ensign press Bush administration for access to impact study — WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators say White House environmental advisers were supposed to have completed a new Yucca Mountain analysis by now, and they are demanding to know where the document is — STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU (Related Coverage)

July 26, 2006 — Spent nuclear fuel edges closer to Yucca —The Department of Energy has announced a timeline for the nuclear-waste site, as opposition intensifies in Nevada. What weighs a total of about 50,000 tons, is scattered among 31 states, and scares the daylights out of almost everybody? — By Matt Bradley | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

July 24, 2006 — Deadly nuke rods piling up in state Burial site project in Nevada in limbo — thousands of tons of deadly radioactive rods of spent nuclear fuel and waste have accumulated at three California nuclear power plants because the federal government has failed to open a permanent nuclear burial site in Nevada that was supposed to be ready eight years ago. — San Francisco Chronicle


July 22, 2006 — Critics question Yucca Mountain upgrade plan — DOE plans to spend $100 million at site — Although they are at least two years away from seeking a license to build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Department of Energy officials intend to spend $100 million over the next several years to build roads, power lines and a central operations area at the site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. — Las Vegas Review Journal

July 20, 2006 — Lawmakers question new cost for Yucca — Revised schedule leads some to wonder about other estimates to complete project — By STEVE TETREAULTSTEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 19, 2006 — Doubts Raised Over Nuclear Waste Plan — WASHINGTON - The new head of the government's Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump has doubts about a Senate plan for temporary storage of highly radioactive nuclear waste pending completion of Yucca — AP

July. 19, 2006 — New target set for receiving waste at Yucca — DOE estimates proposed repository won't be ready for shipments until 2017 — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department has set a new schedule for the long-delayed Yucca Mountain repository, projecting a March 2017 date to begin accepting high level nuclear waste at the Nevada site. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
More Information
Statement of Edward Sproat - OCRWM Director — before Congressional Committee on Energy & Commerce

Press Release - DOE Anounces Yucca Mountain Application Shcedule

July 15, 2006 — Layoff notices set for Yucca staff — Workers to be warned about reorganization of planned nuclear waste repository — WASHINGTON -- As many as 500 Yucca Mountain workers will receive warnings next week that they might be laid off at the end of September as part of an ongoing reorganization of the nuclear waste repository program, officials said Friday. Notices are being prepared for about a fourth of the work force of managing contractor Bechtel SAIC and for its commercial and federal laboratory subcontractors, Bechtel spokesman Jason Bohne said — Las Vegas Review Journal

July 11, 2006 — Audit questions Yucca spending — County report challenges DOE priorities —WASHINGTON -- With the Yucca Mountain site still far from being designed or licensed, the Energy Department may be jumping the gun on some of the work it is preparing on the nuclear waste project next year, Clark County officials say. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 07, 2006 — Geologist: Yucca Mountain assessment lacks geological input — AP   (More Coverage)

July 03, 2006 — Book says geology wrong at Yucca - Study's scientist calls part of mountain a 'volcano' — A new book by three dozen scientists from across the country is questioning the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a dump site for the nation's high-level radioactive waste — By Launce Rake Las Vegas Sun (More about the book)

August

August 26, 2006 — 6 uranium mines scheduled to open in Colorado, Utah — GJSencintel.com

August 23, 2006 — Nuclear-Fuel Lawsuits Spawn Damage Award Fallout — LAW.COM


August 23, 2006 — Meetings to address Yucca issues — The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will host a workshop Sept. 25-26 in Las Vegas and will then meet Sept. 27 in Amargosa Valley to address various issues concerning Yucca Mountain. The workshop will focus on the potential for localized corrosion of Alloy-22, a proposed material for waste packages in which radioactive waste will be disposed, under aqueous conditions that might exist in the proposed repository.

August 23, 2006 — Porter calls repository 'broken' — Lawmaker asks about workers' fears of reprisal . . . "There are so many problems with the mountain. There are so many questions about safety, that it's broken," Porter said — Las Vegas Review Journal   

August 19, 2006 — Report faults DOE on nuclear waste — Investigators say mistakes on Yucca repeated — Since DOE put a new corrections program in place in October 2003, workers have reported more than 5,600 potential problems with data, software and computer models for repository designs. By STEVE TETREAULT Stephens Washington Bureau
  Read/Download the IG's Report

August 15, 2006 — New light on Yucca — Slowly and quietly, a 20-year logjam on Yucca Mountain and nuclear energy is breaking.   There have been no announcements or sudden movements, but the signs are clear. The nuclear energy industry is revving up with plans to build the first nuclear power plants in this country in three decades. The issue of nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain is closely tied to that progress — Las Vegas Sun

August 15, 2006 — LETTER: DOE has no legal authority to spend funds — Las Vegas Review Journal

Read the State's Letter

August 11, 2006 — AIRSPACE: Air Force negotiating Yucca rights — DOE has proposed controlling 229 square miles around site — WASHINGTON -- The Air Force confirmed Thursday it is negotiating airspace rights over Yucca Mountain to balance pilot access to the Nellis Air Force Range and security at the nuclear waste site that has been proposed nearby — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

August 10, 2006 — Yucca plan may soon be put to rest — Editorial, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn

August 09, 2006 — Governors group attacks plan to keep nuclear waste in place — WASHINGTON - A group of Northeastern governors are urging Congress to reject a nuclear waste storage plan that would keep the materials out of Utah by consolidating them in the states where they were produced. — Salt Lake Tribune

August 08, 2006 — Court Rejects Nev. Yucca Mountain Appeal — WASHINGTON - Nevada was dealt a blow in its effort to avoid a radioactive waste dump Tuesday as a federal appeals court turned aside arguments against transportation plans — AP

August 04, 2006 — Northeast U.S. governors object to nuclear waste storage —AP

August 04, 2006 — Project director says 'fix Yucca' bill must pass to make 2017 deadline — WASHINGTON -- An Energy Department official said Thursday there is "zero" chance to meet new deadlines to open a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain unless Congress broadens DOE powers to keep the project moving forward — Stephens Washington Bureau   (Related Story)

August 04, 2006 — Nuclear-waste decisions put on hold — Yucca official urges speedy passage of Senate energy bill — By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News

August 04, 2006 — INSIGHTS: Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump is a Dying Beast — {Editor's Note: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada gave this statement Thursday, August 3, 2006 before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hearing on S. 2589, The Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act of 2006.} — ENN News Service

August 03, 2006 — Statement of Robert R. Loux Executive Director, Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects — before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

August 03, 2006 — NUCLEAR REPOSITORY BILL IS FATALLY FLAWED — WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2006) -- A Bush Administration bill designed to weaken public health and environmental standards at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is fatally flawed and should not be enacted, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said today — NRDC

August 01, 2006 — Reid notes connection between Yucca, 'Big Dig' — Bechtel Corp. involved in both projects, senator points out — WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., opened a new line of criticism against the Yucca Mountain program on Monday, noting the nuclear waste project has been managed by the same company with a role in the disastrous "Big Dig" tunnels in Boston — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

September
September 28, 2006 — Measure hastens waste to Yucca — Surface storage part of senator's proposal — Stephens Washington Bureau   

September 28, 2006 — Judges dismiss Yucca suit, but state is happy — Stephens Washington Bureau

September 25, 2006 — EDITORIAL: Buying support for Yucca Mountain, But even if Nevadans were interested, current offer is insulting — Las Vegas Review Journal

September 22, 2006 — Editorial: 'Nevada is not for sale' — Las Vegas Sun

Sepenber 21, 2006 —Yucca Mountain: Nuclear industry makes offer — State would get millions for temporary storage — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU   (More Coverage -- Las Vegas Sun)

September 18, 2006 — Yucca project auditor ignored — 2002 complaints went nowhere — Three years before e-mails revealed that federal geologists discussed falsifying documents at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project, a worker alerted the Department of Energy inspector general's office to what she described as similar quality assurance problems stemming from corruption in management — Las Vegas Review Journal

September 18, 2006 — Not enough done about nuclear waste — Editorial - Chicago Sun-Times

September 14, 2006 — Chief notes concerns with Yucca project — Sproat sees 'quality problem' — WASHINGTON -- After three months on the job, the new Yucca Mountain director says the project suffers from a "quality problem" that must be fixed before the government tries to license a nuclear waste repository at the Nevada site — By STEVE TETREAULTSTEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

September 14, 2006 — Industry executive says nuclear waste safe at plants — Las Vegas Sun

September 13, 2006 — NEI's New Yucca Mountain Legislation Ad — NEI

September 13, 2006 — Public Citizen Testifies Before Congress on Nuclear Waste Safe Storage — Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors Introduced — Public Citizen

• Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors



• Testimony of Michele Boyd, Legislative Director - Public Citizen’s Energy Program, Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality Committee on Energy and Commerce U.S. House of Representatives - September 13, 2006

September 10, 2006 — IN DEPTH: THE LONG SHADOW OF 9/11: Transporting nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain could offer a moving target — If America's waste from nuclear power plants ever starts rolling regularly toward Nevada's Yucca Mountain, highways and rail systems will become vulnerable to a new kind of attack. — Las Vegas Review Journal

September 09, 2006 — Ads urge lawmakers: 'Fix Yucca Mountain' — Las Vegas Review Journal —

September 07, 2006 — Nuclear waste site looks doomed — 2 rulings likely to keep N-waste out of Utah — WASHINGTON — Private Fuel Storage no longer has a lease to use tribal lands to store nuclear waste in Tooele County in the wake of decisions made by two Interior Department agencies Thursday — By Suzanne Struglinsk - Deseret Morning News (More Coverage)

September 01, 2006 — State officials won't appeal ruling on Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials have decided not to appeal a Yucca Mountain court ruling that the state lost this summer, an official said Thursday — STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

October
October 31, 2006 — The 2006 State Of Nevada Yucca Mountain Survey Summary Report

October 31, 2006— Statement by the Agency For Nuclear Projects — U.S. DOE Notices Of Intent To Amend The Scope Of The Yucca Mountain Rail Alignment Draft EIS And Prepare A Supplement To The Final Yucca Mountain EIS

October 31, 2006 — Yucca Mountain session prompts dissatisfaction — The Department of Energy on Monday began explaining proposed changes to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site. But activists and representatives for Nevada grumbled that few details were available at a public meeting. — STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

October 25, 2006 — Groups pressure DOE — Activists say changes for waste site rushed — WASHINGTON -- Environmental groups and citizen activists Tuesday added to calls for the Department of Energy to broaden chances for the public to comment on potential changes to the Yucca Mountain program — STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

October 22, 2006 — Mired in Yucca Muck — Nuclear power is trendy again, but what about the waste? — By Bret Schulte U. S News (Print Version)

October 21, 2006 — GETTING NUCLEAR WASTE TO YUCCA: More time urged to examine route — Loux asks DOE to extend comment period — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department was urged Friday to grant more time and more public meetings for Nevadans to examine plans for a new nuclear waste railroad corridor to Yucca Mountain. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

State of Nevada - Nevada calls for DOE to withdraw notice for new railroad to Yucca Mountain, allow more time for review

State of Nevada - Letter to Edward Sproat, Director, OCRWM, Re;:Amended Notice of Intent to Expand the Scope of the Environmental Impact

October 14, 2006 — Yucca public meetings slated — 'Mina corridor' rail plan to be discussed —WASHINGTON -- Public meetings in Nevada were announced Friday as the Energy Department prepares to conduct new environmental studies for the Yucca Mountain Project.  The department issued a formal notice that it will prepare a wide-ranging environmental impact statement on a 280-mile corridor in western Nevada being considered for a nuclear waste railroad — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

October 13, 2006:   Scoping — Supplemental Yucca Mountain Repository Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0250F-S1). The U.S. Department of Energy has published a Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplement to the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada” (DOE/EIS-0250F, February 2002). (DOE SEIS Website)

October 13, 2006 — Amended Notice of Intent — To Expand the Scope of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Alignment, Construction, and Operation of a Rail Line to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV — DOE/OCRWM

October 12, 2006 — Railroad route to nuclear dump in Nevada getting another look — LAS VEGAS - The Energy Department is reconsidering building a rail line through western Nevada to the site of a proposed national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, officials said.   (More Coverage) — AP

October 10, 2006 — No Confidence in Yucca Mountain — Governor Kenny Guinn, Nevada

October 04, 2006 — Court awards $142.8 million in damages for spent fuel management — Platts  (More Coverage)

October 02, 2006 — Scientists ponder future of Yucca Mountain dust — Las Vegas Review Journal

November

November 30, 2006 — Yucca director downplays project timeline — He says nuclear waste repository unlikely to open before 2020 — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

November 28, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN RAIL LINE: DOE seeks more land to examine — Agency asks BLM for additional withdrawal — WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy is seeking to broaden its access to public land in rural Nevada for studies of nuclear waste railroad corridors to Yucca Mountain, asking permission to reserve use of another 208,000 acres along possible shipping routes. —By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

November 28, 2006 — Dozens get to question officials on Yucca plans . . . An environmental impact statement -- looking at land use and ownership, noise, vibration, cultural resources, aesthetic resources, ground water and biological resources and more -- is expected on the Mina Corridor in 2007, likely after the summer — Reno Gazette Journal   

November 27, 2006 — Yucca plan revisits region — Nuclear waste on its way to Yucca Mountain could pass through Northern Nevada under a proposed railroad shipping route being studied by the Department of Energy that is the topic of a public meeting today in Reno — Reno Gazette Journal

November 24, 2006 — EPA expected to issue a regulation that will extend 1 million years into the future. — NPR   (Webpage Link)

November 24, 2006 — A Canticle for Yucca Mountain — by Melody Joy Kramer, NPR,

November 24, 2006 — Nuclear Waste Dump Faces New Roadblocks — AP

November 22, 2006 — Guinn urges DOE to release key documents related to licensing of Yucca Mountain — State of Nevada

November 18, 2006 — Panel on Hill OKs Goshute, PFS legal-fees settlement — DesertNews.com

November 17, 2006 — Residents comment on proposed Yucca Mountain rail route — Lahontan Valley News

November 15, 2006 — Yucca Mountain plan gets warm welcome at hearing — Las Vegas Review Journal

November 09, 2006 — Reid envisions ways to slow Yucca advance . . . As far as stopping the Yucca project, "I can't do that single-handedly," Reid, D-Nev., said. But Reid said bills by the Bush administration and repository supporters that would allow nuclear waste to be sent to Nevada on an early schedule, or that would speed land withdrawals, permits and licenses, never would see the Senate floor. — Stephens Washington Bureau

November 06, 2006 — DOE adds Yucca meeting in Reno — Ely News.com

November 03, 2006 — NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP: 46 attend meeting on Yucca Mountain — Las Vegas Review Journal

Novembr 02, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Questions abound on nuclear waste — Las Vegas Review Journal

November 01, 2006 — DOE adds Yucca meeting in Reno — WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department added a public meeting in Reno later this month to discuss new designs for a Yucca Mountain repository and a possible Northern Nevada railroad corridor for nuclear waste — Stephens Washington Bureau

December

December 2006 — Report and Recommendations of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects — State of Nevada

December 27, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN — State seeks ruling barring storage above the ground — Pahrump Valley Times

December 22, 2006 — YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Nuclear waste aging facility challenged — State says DOE plans end-run around federal law — WASHINGTON -- The state of Nevada is challenging the Department of Energy's newest blueprints for Yucca Mountain that would allow large amounts of nuclear waste to be "aged" onsite before being buried inside the mountain — Stephens Washington Bureau

December 19, 2006 — Nevada lawmakers promise new fight against Yucca Mountain — WASHINGTON - Nevada lawmakers who will represent the state come January met Tuesday for a strategy session to combat Yucca Mountain, emerging to promise more setbacks for the nuclear waste dump — AP

( More Coverage — Las Vegas Review Journal)

December 14, 2006 — Podcast: Interview with Agency for Nuclear Projects Executive Director Bob Loux — Clark County Nevada

October 16, 2006 — Podcast: Ward Sproat, Director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management — Clark County Nevada

December 13, 2006 — Letter from Bob Loux to NRC Chairman Dale Klein, Re: Improper NRC licensing procedures in the Yucca Mountain — State of Nevada

December 13, 2006 — County votes to send complaint letter to DOE — Reno Gazette Journal

December 12, 2006 — State of Nevada - State of Nevada Comments: — DOE's Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV (71FR198, October 13, 2006, 60490-60494) ( -106K)

December 12, 2006 — State of Nevada - State of Nevada's Comments — DOE's Amended Notice of Intent To Expand the Scope of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Alignment, Construction,and Operation of a Rail Line to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV (Federal Register Notice of 10-13-06) ( -326K)

December 12, 2006 — New energy chair endorses Yucca Mountain — Reno Gazette Journal

December 08, 2006 — Yucca quality assurance targeted — WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy on Thursday announced a new push to fix how Yucca Mountain design mistakes are identified and corrected, a long-standing problem on the nuclear waste project — By STEVE TETREAULTSTEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

December 08, 2006 — Aide says Reid won't yield in opposing Yucca project — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

December 07, 2006 — Senator vows to pursue Yucca — Republican says Reid can't make repository proposal 'go away' — STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

December 01, 2006 — Yucca coalition presses Reid on 'abusing' powers — WASHINGTON -- Leaders of a coalition that supports the Yucca Mountain repository applied pressure on Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday, saying that he is "abusing" his new powers as Senate majority leader by pledging to block votes on the project planned in Southern Nevada. — By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU