Environmental security

Thought the Debate Over Nuclear Waste Was Buried? Not Anymore

One of the biggest impediments to generating more nuclear power is where to store the spent fuel, or the radioactive waste. But a private company wants to operate such a storage facility in West Texas and thinks it will get approval to do so and begin operations as early as 2021.

Waste Control Specialists has submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to build and operate an interim storage unit, along with Areva and NAC International. What makes this request so unusual is that the primary efforts have centered on a transition from onsite storage where the power is actually generated to just one central location in Nevada at Yucca Mountain. A central storage site now seems out-of-reach given the political opposition and the geological concerns.