In 2002, the US Secretary of Energy recommended to the President that the Yucca Mountain site (located in Nye County, Nevada, approximately 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas) be developed as the nation's first long-term geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste (image courtesy Google Earth and Airbus). In June 2008, the DOE submitted a formal license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The Yucca Mountain Project, led by Sandia National Laboratories, used GoldSim to simulate the long-term performance of the proposed radioactive waste repository. The model computed the predicted environmental impact of the facility over the next 10,000 years. This analysis was an integral part of the license application.

 (In March 2010 the DOE filed a motion with the NRC to withdraw its license application. Multiple lawsuits to stop this action have been filed by states, counties, and individuals across the country.)

Learn More

Case Study: Nuclear Energy - Safe Source or Radioactive Risk?

Wired Magazine Article: Do or Die at Yucca Mountain