Dive Summary:
- Ernest Moniz, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will meet today with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to settle a dispute between the state and federal government regarding nuclear waste and where it should be disposed.
- The meeting comes after heightened tensions between the two parties, stemming from a push by the DOE for 403 containers of uranium to be relocated to Nevada for disposal.
- Monitz testified under oath that the Energy Department granted the approval necessary to transport and store the radioactive materials while Governor Sandoval denies that the memos exist or that he ever signed them.
From the article:
The canisters in question carry about 2.6 kilograms of uranium-233 and uranium-235- two products that require safety escorts and can only be handled with remote-controlled cranes.
Sandoval, a former federal judge and state attorney general, has also accused the DOE of trying to set a dangerous precedent by exploiting a regulatory loophole to classify the waste as a low-level hazard so that it can be buried at a nuclear test location about an hour northwest of Las Vegas.
"The state of Nevada is not aware of any signed memos between the state and DOE regarding the approval of the material in question," said Mac Bybee, the governor's communication director.
