Nuclear Waste Policy Act

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 is a United States federal law which established a comprehensive national program for the safe, permanent disposal of highly radioactive wastes.

• The US Congress amended the act in 1987 to designate Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the sole repository.
• The act allowed Nevada to override this designation, which it did in April 2002.
• Congress overrode Nevada's veto in July 2002.
• Nevada appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with Nevada in 2004.
• At least one other jurisdiction (Aiken County, South Carolina in 2011) filed suit to force Yucca Mountain to accept the nuclear waste from the rest of the US.