Welcome:
Mineral County Yucca Mountain Oversight Program was created when the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended (NWPA), designated the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada as the only site to be considered for a geologic repository for disposal of spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste. The NWPA also provided for the Affected Units of Local Government (AULG) within the vicinity of Yucca Mountain to oversee and participate in the Yucca Mountain Project. By affording AULG participation rights, Congress sought to increase public confidence in the scientific integrity of the repository program, provide citizens the means to interact with the federal government, and demonstrate a commitment to external oversight.
Our programs on-going task and goals:
We review activities of:
- The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Civilian Radiation Waste Management (OCRWM), Yucca Mountain Project (YMP),
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),
- Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB),
- Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW), and;
- other related agencies to analyze any potential economic, social, public
health and safety impacts the proposed repository might have on Mineral
County residents under the Nuclear Waste
Policy Act.
We continue to review and analyze project activities which include tracking national transportation routes and modes of transportation and any other transportation activities that have potential impacts to Mineral County residents and/or visitors regarding the possible shipment of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel through Mineral County along the U.S. 95 highway corridor.
We are conducting analysis with respect to property value impacts and other potential land use impacts that have probable economic and health and safety issues related to the DOE EIS supplemental for, and environmental impacts regarding high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel that may be shipped through Mineral County en route to Yucca Mountain. (Please see our publications page)
We are preparing optimal land use analyses utilizing the Mineral County’s GIS data that will incorporate findings of the risk perception and property value impacts regarding high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel that may be shipped by truck through Mineral County and provide this information to the Mineral County elected officials and the public.
Funding provided to Mineral County is paid by users of electricity generated by nuclear power plants. Under a general contract with nuclear generating utilities, the federal government collects a fee of one-mill (one-tenth a cent) per kilowatt-hour from utility companies for nuclear generated electricity. The money goes into the nuclear waste fund which is used to fund all program related activities.
