Ruling green lights temporary nuclear waste storage

With no central underground depository, above-ground casks will have to do.

For decades, the U.S. nuclear energy industry has struggled to answer the biggest question posed by regulators and anti-nuke activists: How much confidence can we have in its ability to safely store radioactive waste long-term?

The most recent answer, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is quite a lot. Last month, the agency in charge of regulating the commercial nuclear industry approved a rule that would allow for nuclear power plants to store radioactive waste above ground, indefinitely. The policy streamlines the environmental review process on projects related to nuclear energy, and supporters say it takes the pressure off attempts to establish a long-term underground repository.

http://www.hcn.org/articles/new-ruling-green-lights-temporary-nuclear-waste-storage