Yucca Mountain Controversy Costing Taxpayers Billions

Lawsuits brought against the Department of Energy (DOE) by nuclear power companies seeking financial compensation for storage costs caused by government delays in accepting their highly radioactive spent fuel for disposal has already cost taxpayers $1.3 billion—and that’s only for the federal government’s current liability for settlements, final judgments and judgments under appeal.  The DOE estimates that potential liabilities for these delays will cost $11 billion through the year 2056.