Other LanguagesOlympia-- Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna's Office today took the first steps toward formally intervening to oppose the federal Department of Energy’s (DOE) pending motion to withdraw “with prejudice” its license application for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository. As required by law, the state today alerted other parties to the license proceeding of its intent to seek intervention.
If the Department of Energy succeeds in withdrawing its license application with prejudice, Yucca Mountain could be permanently removed from consideration as the nation’s geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste, such as tank waste stored at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the Tri-Cities. Washington plans to file its formal petition to intervene later this week.
McKenna remains “deeply disturbed by the federal government’s departure from a repository plan that dates back to the early 1980s-- and particularly, the apparent aim to take one of the nation’s options off the table.”
The office continues to develop a legal strategy that it believes will provide the greatest benefit to the people of Washington—especially those in the Tri-Cities who remain concerned about the permanent disposal of the nuclear waste currently stored and awaiting processing there.
-- 30 --
Contacts: Janelle Guthrie, Communications Director, (360) 586-0725