...the Nuclear Waste Fund was created and is funded by a 1 mil per kilowatt-hour fee on all nuclear generation in this country.
...the Department cannot receive appropriations from the Nuclear Waste Fund equal to its annual receipts, interest, or corpus for their intended purpose without a significant recorded negative impact on the Federal budget deficit.
...and the current funding levels are insufficient to build the repository and the transportation system. If the Program is funded at its current levels without fixing the current funding mechanism, the shortfall in the funding needed would be between $1.0 billion and $1.5 billion per year.
...
Based on our recently completed Program schedule and cost estimate, annual funding will be needed at levels 2 to 3 times the current appropriations starting in FY 2009. If the requested fixes to the funding process are not put into place, DOE will not be able to set a credible opening date for the repository and Government liability will continue to grow.
Therefore, I respectfully urge the Congress to consider that it is in the taxpayers’ best interest to provide funding reform to expedite the procurement activities, engineering and construction of the repository and the associated transportation systems.
from:
Statement of Edward F. Sproat III
Director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
U.S. Department of Energy
Before the Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
October 4, 2007
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/info_library/program_docs/testimonies/Oct_4_Final_RW-1Testimony.pdf
Costs for Yucca Mountain are being driven up by delays from intervenors and Nevada politicians. IMO they should pay for the overruns.