Congressional committee hearing Tuesday on Yucca Mountain status

The U.S. House Budget Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on the current status of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. According to Committee Chairman John Spratt of South Carolina’s Fifth District,the hearing seeks to determine how much money has been directed towards the project so far, how much will be needed for the future, and what happens if the project is stopped.

South Carolina’s Attorney General Henry McMaster has filed a suit against the Obama Administration’s attempt to halt development of the site. In 2002, Congress approved the plan for the Nevada site to become a national nuclear waste repository. South Carolina’s Savannah River Site is one of the plants depending on Yucca Mountain for safe, longterm storage.

David A. Wright, Vice Chairman of the Public Service Commission of South Carolina has been added as a witness in Tuesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill.