Issuance of Final Supplement to the Department of Energy Environmental Impact Statements for a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

On May 5, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sent the following to the U.S. Department of Energy:

Dear Dr. Boyle:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has issued its final “Supplement to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 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,” NUREG-2184. This document is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML16125A032 and at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr2184/.  On May 13, 2016, the NRC will announce in the Federal Register the availability of the final document.

This supplement evaluates the potential environmental impacts on groundwater, and impacts associated with the discharge of potentially contaminated groundwater to the ground surface due to potential releases from a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. This supplements the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2002 “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” and 2008 “Final Supplemental 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,” in accordance with the findings and scope outlined in the NRC staff’s 2008 “Adoption Determination Report for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Impact Statements for the Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain.”

A decision on whether to authorize construction of the proposed repository can be made only after a hearing has been conducted on contested issues and the Commission has completed its review of contested and uncontested issues under 10 CFR 2.1023(c).

Sincerely,

James Rubenstone, Ph.D., Acting Director

Yucca Mountain Directorate

Office of Nuclear Material Safety
   and Safeguards

[NRC]

The actual letter was attached.

Thus the NRC completed the "doing of a useless act," in the words of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. NRC has largely to entirely expended all funding remaining in its possession related to Yucca Mountain licensing. U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and President Barack Obama, will not allow any more funding to be wasted at the "unworkable," cancelled, and long-dismantled Yucca Mountain Project.