DOE states its intention to build Yucca rail line
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy this morning issued its official decision to ship nuclear waste along a railroad line it proposes to build from Caliente to Yucca Mountain.
The publication of a formal record of decision is another step forward for the nuclear waste project. At the same time, it opens a door to potential legal challenges from opponents of the roughly 330-mile rail line now that DOE environmental studies underpinning the decision have been made official.
DOE in a 51-page document published in the Federal Register outlined specific paths it plans to run rail through Caliente, Garden Valley, Oasis Valley and Goldfield, after weighing a number of alternative routes through those areas.
The department also formally confirmed it will open the rail line for business to ranchers and farmers when it is not in being utilized for nuclear waste.
