The future of the Yucca Mountain repository is uncertain. The site was first researched, along with eight other sites, in response to Congressional direction in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Three sites of the original nine were selected for further study in 1986. In 1987, Congress decided to narrow the field solely to Yucca Mountain, and since then, the Department of Energy has focused its studies on the Yucca Mountain site. In the years following, various actions have halted the development and licensing of the site; at the current time, there is no licensing activity underway.
As developments in the Yucca Mountain project are released, this information may change; the EPA will continue to update the Frequent Questions about Radiation Protection with new information.
For more information about the Yucca Mountain Project, visit the Department of Energy’s webpage.