Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has signed a contract to store radioactive materials at the Nevada National Security Site.
• Approximately 403 canisters of nuclear waste will be discreetly transported by truck from Tennessee beginning in January, which will take up to three years for the 50 to 100 shipments to arrive at the site.
• The chief of staff to the Energy Secretary said that Nevada cannot veto the disposal plan at the government-regulated site.

Dive Insight:

The site is located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Concerns have been raised as to whether the containers fit the criteria to be placed at the site next to contaminated materials from government cleanups. The shipments were initially scheduled to arrive last spring, but the process was halted due to a backlash. The state is vehemently against the transfer of nuclear materials to the site.