About us:

In 1982, the U.S. Congress enacted a law called the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA-as amended). The Act established a comprehensive national program for the safe, permanent disposal of highly radioactive wastes.

This law is based on the principle that our society is responsible for safely disposing of the nuclear wastes we create.

The Act directed the U.S. Department of Energy to study suitable sites for a geologic repository. The geologic repository envisioned by the Act is an engineered disposal facility located deep underground. After more than two decades of scientific study, in 2002, Congress and the President approved the development of a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Churchill County is considered a "Affected Unit of Government" by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The term "affected unit of local government" means the unit of local government with jurisdiction over the site of a repository or a monitored retrievable storage facility. Such term may, at the discretion of the Secretary, include units of local government that are contiguous with such unit. ([31]NWPA)

The Commissioners of Churchill County established the Yucca Mountain Oversight Program's who's primary goal is to focus the limited resources funded to the affected units of government on:

On-going Socioeconomic Monitoring and Impact Assessment

Churchill County has investigated potential social and economic impacts associated with the repository program. Potential fiscal impacts including impacts to local government revenue sources, and property values have been identified and analyzed for each year. The current update can be accessed here (2008). The County will continue to monitor risk related behavior, its affects on tourism, and the associated economic and fiscal impacts.

Aerial photo of the Yucca Mountain ridge line 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Contentions: Churchill County, along with Esmeralda, Lander and Mineral filed joint contentions on December 19, 2008. As " Affected Units of Local Government" (AULG) and pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended. (42 U.S.c. §10247 et seq.) and pursuant to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Federal Register Notice Vol. 73, No. 205, dated October 22,2008, "any AULG seeking party status shall be considered a party to this proceeding, provided that it files at least one admissible contention in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309. An AULG need not address the standing requirements under that section."

Update 5/11/09

ATOMIC SAFETY & LICENSING BOARD ADMITS EIGHT PARTIES 299 CONTENTIONS IN YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROCEEDING

Update - 5/21/09

May 21st was the final day for anyone wishing to appeal the rulings of the hearing boards concerning the admission of contentions.  The following is what occurred:

• DOE did not appeal any contentions.Which means the four counties (Churchill, Esmeralda, Mineral and Lander) are set as a full party-participant, and the admitted contentions will have full hearings, after discovery is completed. 

• The NRC staff appealed ten contentions filed by California, NEI and the State of Nevada, but none of the four counties.  

• Clark County filed an appeal of the denial of one of their contentions.

Summary of four county contentions accepted for hearing

Our Trackhearings link has all the updates related to the ongoing Yucca Mountain High-Level Waste hearings.