A Million-year Health Standard

Responding to a 2004 federal court ruling that the previous standard of 10 millennia was insufficient, the U.S. EPA has revised its plan for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste dump in Nevada to account for earthquakes, climate change, and other potential upsets for an additional 990,000 years. The new standard has provoked outrage from Nevada politicians, including Sen. John Ensign (R), who said he was "appalled at the complete arrogance of the EPA in announcing these standards."

"The court ruling last year sent scientists at the environmental agency back to their laboratories to redevelop models and produce one that they were confident would reflect safe limits for the additional 990,000 years by withstanding potential threats like earthquakes, climate changes and volcanic activity."