Appeals court considers site for nuclear disposal

By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal appeals court judges are considering whether the Obama administration had the authority to stop plans to bury the nation's nuclear waste in Nevada.

South Carolina and Washington state are among those suing the president and other federal officials to try to restart plans to ship their radioactive spent nuclear fuel to a repository 90 miles from Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain.

Congress had chosen Yucca Mountain as the leading candidate for waste disposal, but opponents are concerned about contamination and the Obama administration said it would not consider the site.

Arguments before a three-judge panel of the appeals court in Washington on Tuesday focused on whether the federal government has made a final decision yet that the states can appeal.