What's up with Yucca Mountain?

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

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With scientific concerns about the site and believing that "states should not be unfairly burdened with waste from other states," President Barack Obama announced earlier this year that the proposed long-term nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain was no longer an option.

Steven Chu, the new Energy secretary, has announced plans to convene a blue ribbon commission to study what to do with spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste and make recommendations.

This is difficult news for states that have nuclear waste piling up. The transport of the waste is on hold while the administration tries to identify other permanent storage options. And ratepayers in these states are without the billions of dollars they already have paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund that was designed to help pay for the development of Yucca Mountain and transportation costs to the site.

U.S. Senator Lindsey...