Court Rules US Must Decide on Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage

Yucca Mountain facility has been long-stalled

A federal appeals court said on Tuesday that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission can no longer delay a decision on whether to issue a permit for the long-stalled nuclear waste project at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

On a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the commission to promptly decide to license the project or reject the application.

The Obama administration, which picks the Senate-confirmed commissioners, wants to abandon the project.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh said the commission "has continued to violate the law governing the Yucca Mountain licensing process."