STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Steven Chu is moving forward on a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the wake of a study that recommended changes in how a disposal site might be developed.
Chu announced in Georgia on Wednesday that he has formed an internal DOE group to assess the recommendations of the nuclear waste blue ribbon commission "and develop a strategy that builds on its excellent work."
The Energy Department was directed to provide Congress with a nuclear waste plan within six months, following the termination of the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and the release of the commission's report in January.
"I am committed to working with Congress to consider the commission's proposals and develop a long-term strategy for the disposal of nuclear waste," Chu's prepared remarks said.
Chu made the announcement in a speech at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Ga., where the government last week awarded the first permit in 35 years to build a new commercial reactor.
Among its findings, the blue ribbon commission recommended giving states and communities a larger voice in hosting a nuclear waste repository.
The group said a "consent-based" approach might work better than a more heavy-handed strategy that inflamed officials in Nevada and led eventually to the suspension of the Yucca project.
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