U.S. nuclear regulator split on Yucca report release

* Chairman Jaczko condemned Issa request for report
* Staff report on Yucca is not final
* Congress investigating NRC, Jaczko's role ending project
By Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe
WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The five commissioners at the helm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission were sharply divided last month over whether to release an incomplete, internal safety review of the controversial proposed Yucca nuclear waste dump site to a congressional watchdog, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
The Obama administration began to stop work on the proposed Yucca Mountain site, designed to permanently hold toxic nuclear waste, shortly after taking office.
But the project has been tied up in legal and procedural wrangling ever since. It is favored by many lawmakers who want to boost U.S. use of nuclear power, but opposed by Nevada residents including Senate majority leader Harry Reid.
The nuclear disaster in Japan has revived concerns in the United States about how nuclear waste is stored -- and Republican hopes to revive the Yucca dump. More at link.