WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today reiterated her support for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) to continue its licensing review of the Department of Energy’s application to construct a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

The release of the third volume of the NRC’s Safety Evaluation Report found that the proposed repository met regulatory requirements for individual protection, human intrusion, and separate standards for protection of groundwater after the repository is permanently closed.

“Knowing that the Yucca Mountain site is a safe, worthwhile investment as a permanent repository for the country’s spent nuclear material is welcome, if long-overdue, news, and I call on the NRC to resume its license review process and for Congress to provide the NRC with the funds needed to complete its review,” Murkowski said. “At the same time, the Senate should act on nuclear waste legislation that I have been working on with my colleagues to deal with the need for interim storage. Even in light of progress on Yucca Mountain, we still need a short-term solution to consolidate the used fuel that is currently sitting at various sites across the country.”

Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced The Nuclear Waste Administration Act (S. 1240) last year. The bill would establish an independent agency to address the nation’s stockpile of used nuclear fuel by advancing both interim and permanent repositories.

The NRC’s safety report on Yucca Mountain is available here.

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