Court orders feds to turn over Idaho nuclear waste documents
Tue., Aug. 9, 2016
BOISE – A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to make available to the court documents sought by former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus involving nuclear waste shipments to eastern Idaho.
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill on Monday ordered the agency to produce the documents within a week so Winmill can determine whether to make them public.
Andrus filed a lawsuit in September after Energy Department officials responded to Andrus’ Freedom of Information Act request with heavily redacted documents.
Andrus wants information on research shipments of spent nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory that require a waiver to a 1995 agreement.
Andrus says the waiver would make the state a nuclear waste repository.
Energy Department officials didn’t immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Local journalism is essential.
Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds.
Subscribe now to get breaking news alerts in your email inbox
Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens.
