-
1983
the United States Department of Energy chose nine locations in six states as possible sites for the repository. One of the sites was Yucca Mountain. -
1987
the Energy Department was authorized by law to study only one site for the nuclear repository -
1993
the U.S. signed an international agreement, called the London Convention, that bans the disposal of radioactive materials at sea until 2018. -
1997
thermal testing begins at Yucca Mountain. It is scheduled to take eight years. -
2002
President George W. Bush recommended to Congress that Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, be the designated repository for the nation's 77,000 tons of nuclear waste. -
2002
the project was approved by the United States Congress.` -
2002
after almost 10 years of study, the DOE announced that Yucca Mountain was the most appropriate place to dispose of these dangerous wastes permanently. As might be expected, the governor of Nevada did not agree and appealed to Congress to void the DOE's decision. Neither Congress nor President George W. Bush would do so. -
2005
an investigation by both the DOE and the Department of the Interior found that several U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists had exchanged emails discussing possible falsification of quality assurance documents on water infiltration research. A subsequent study confirmed the technical soundness of the USGS's infiltration modeling work, but the controversy exemplified the high degree of suspicion and mistrust with which the DOE and its contractors are viewed, especially by Nevadans. -
2011
the funding for Yucca Mountain gets cut by former president Barack Obama. -
2014
the NRC released a volume of the Safety Evaluation Report, which concluded that the DOE’s license application meets the long-term nuclear waste repository regulatory and safety requirements, including that Yucca Mountain would remain safe for one million years.