Contact:

Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-9797

David Lungren David_Lungren@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-5642

Inhofe: Good First Step in Yucca Mountain License Application Process

NRC Should be Open and Release All Information from NRC Staff Review

Washington, D.C. - Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today commented on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) positive staff review of the first in five volumes of the Yucca Mountain license application process. In this first volume, the NRC staff found that the “General Information” section of the Department of Energy (DOE) license application adequately describes the proposed repository, proposed schedules for construction, receipt and emplacement of waste, physical security measures, DOE’s Material Control and Accounting program for the repository, and work done to characterize the site.

“This is a good step forward in a long process, a process that should not be halted prematurely for political reasons,” Sen. Inhofe said.  “Consumers have paid over $10 billion to develop a nuclear waste repository and they deserve an answer from the NRC as to whether Yucca Mountain would safely meet that purpose.  Furthermore, my hope is that the NRC will fulfill its commitment to transparency and release all information related to the staff’s review as soon as it becomes available, without any undue delay.”

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