Reliance on casks initially cheaper than Yucca

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal auditors say it would be cheaper to store nuclear waste in concrete casks at the nation's nuclear plants than at Nevada's Yucca Mountain, at least in the short-term.

But in the long run, relying on the casks could turn out to be more expensive.

The Government Accountability Office estimates the cost of maintaining radioactive waste at the nation's nuclear plants for 100 years at between $13 billion and $34 billion.

Meanwhile, the projected costs of storing a similar amount of nuclear waste at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear dump northwest of Las Vegas would range from $41 billion to $67 billion.

Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign say the analysis reinforces their contention that taxpayers are better off finding an alternative to the Yucca Mountain repository.