Repository Planned For Weapons Waste

Creation of a storage site just for defense nuclear waste—as opposed to used fuel from commercial power plants—got a nod of approval last week in a memorandum from President Barack Obama. The move to separate civilian and defense nuclear waste streams could hasten the disposal of weapons-related waste after work on what was intended to be a single national repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada stalled. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says the Energy Department is seeking a site for the second repository to hold defense waste. DOE will give communities near the proposed site a measure of authority over it, Moniz adds. The embattled Yucca Mountain site has met regulatory and safety requirements, but construction is at a standstill because of opposition from many Nevada officials.