Brief background information on nuclear waste disposal

The safe and efficient disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste has posed a critical challenge to the United States for many years. As of May 2006, this material was stored or used at more than 120 sites across the country. But, this is neither a permanent nor the safest long-term solution to protect people and the environment. That's why Congress tasked the Department of Energy to site, construct, operate, monitor, and close a central repository to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

Although the Department originally looked at several potential storage sites, in 1987 Congress directed DOE to study Yucca Mountain exclusively. This site is located in remote desert terrain in Nye County, Nevada, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It also possesses features that experts worldwide agree would be optimum for disposing of nuclear waste:

• An arid climate
• An unusually deep water table
• A closed groundwater basin
• The ability to store waste deep underground, which experts believe offers the most protection to people and the environment
• A location on remote federal land within the secure boundaries of the Nevada Test Site, which has hosted numerous nuclear-related projects for decades