Human Rights and the Environment

Case Study: Yucca Mountain Project, Nevada

Country: United States

Region: North America

Issues: Nuclear, Litigation

Since 1978, the U.S. government has been looking for a central site to store radioactive waste generated by nuclear weapon and atomic energy production. In July 2002, President George W. Bush approved the Department of Energy's proposal to construct a storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.[1] In response to the Administration's decision, public interest groups and the State of Nevada have voiced opposition due to safety concerns. Environmental and human rights organizations are particularly concerned about potential environmental catastrophes that could occur during the transportation of nuclear materials from existing sites to Yucca Mountain. The Department of Energy has estimated that the proposed consolidation of nuclear waste currently stored in 128 separate locations will require 1 to 6 shipments a day for the next 24 years.[2]

The State of Nevada has attempted to derail the proposed nuclear waste storage facility through a series of lawsuits challenging the Department of Energy's proposal. Most recently, in July 2004, Nevada won a court decision that "invalidated a requirement that the [facility] be able to contain radioactive materials safely for at least 10,000 years, suggesting the period should be longer by possibly hundreds of thousands of years."[3] Although the decision was a victory for opponents of the Yucca Mountain Project, representatives of the Department of Energy claim that the agency is exploring their options and plans to proceed with the construction of the facility.[4]

[1] See Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain Project, at http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ymp/index.shtml (last visited Mar. 9, 2005).

[2] See 60 Minutes, Yucca Mountain (July 25, 2004), at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/23/60minutes/main579696.shtml (last visited Mar. 9, 2005).

[3] See Steve Tetreault, Yucca Mountain Decision: State Claims Court Win, Las Vegas Review Journal (July 10, 2004) at http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-10-Sat-2004/news/24284768.html (last visited Mar. 9, 2005).

[4] Id.

Last Updated: 09/09/05