Environment
EPA issues Yucca Mountain nuclear waste standard



MAP: Tribes located near Yucca Mountain site.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a new radiation exposure standard for nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada.

The EPA set an exposure standard of 15 millirems of radiation a year for the next 10,000 years. After that, the EPA will allow exposure of up to 350 millirems per year for the following 950,000 years. The new limit is 3.5 times higher than the standard for other nuclear facilities, according to The Washington Post.

The EPA issued the standard in response to a court decision that said the 10,000-year limit wasn't adequate.

Get the Story:
Radiation Limits for Waste Site Proposed (The Washington Post 8/10)
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Million Years of Safety Are Sought for A-Waste (The New York Times 8/10)
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Yucca radiation limits unveiled (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 8/10)
EPA releases Yucca radiation standards (Gannett News Service 8/10)

Relevant Links:
Western Shoshone Defense Project - http://www.wsdp.org
The Yucca Mountain Project, Department of Energy - http://www.ymp.gov
Nuclear Waste Project Office - http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste

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