In a move sure to endear Nevada’s Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository to fiercely opposed Nevadans, the Department of Energy has proposed doubling its size. Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) concisely sums up the reaction of the sane: “Doubling the size of Yucca Mountain will only double the danger. This is not a bad dream; it’s a nightmare.” In addition, the DOE’s Edward F. Sproat III told the House Budget Committee this week that the project will need up to three times its current funding, or the current estimated opening date of 2017 will have to be delayed. Berkley again: “Yucca Mountain is nothing more than radioactive pork that benefits the nuclear power industry, and now the price tag for this failed project is going to top the $80 billion mark.” In other news, we think “sproat” would make a really great expletive.
