MAP: Tribes located near Yucca Mountain site. PDF: Sites where waste is currently stored.

President Barack Obama won't pursue storing nuclear waste at the controversial Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Thursday.

In testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Chu said the said was no longer a viable option. He said the Obama administration will convene a team to look at the issue and report back in a year, a position that drew heavy fire from Republicans on the committee.

Yucca Mountain is located on Western Shoshone land that is identified under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. Several tribes are close to the site and their reservations are located along highways that would be used to transport radioactive waste to the facility.

Most Western Shoshone tribes have voiced opposition to the site. But the Prairie Island Indian Community of Minnesota supports a storage facility because a nuclear plant is located next to its reservation.

Get the Story:
Official: Nuclear dump is out (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/6)
Future Dim for Nuclear Waste Repository (The New York Times 3/6)
Chu: Yucca no longer option for nuclear waste (AP 3/5)
Controversy Over Yucca Mountain May Be Ending (The Washington Post 3/4)

Committee Hearing:
Full Committee Hearing: to receive testimony regarding draft legislative proposals on energy research and development (March 5, 2009)

Related Stories:
Energy Secretary promises to hold tribal summit (3/4)