Nuclear waste clean-up delayed and billions over budget
[link to www.cbsnews.com]

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The report was also critical of the Bechtel Corporation, the contractor in charge of the project. "The scheduled completion date has slipped by nearly a decade to 2019," it said. And the cost has more than tripled to "$13.4 billion ... and could grow substantially."


Bechtel spokeswoman Suzanne Heaston gave us a tour, but not an explanation.

Asked who is at fault for the plant's failure to be up and running, she replies, "You'll talk to the Department of Energy about that."

But in the time it takes to come up with a new solution, Busche says, "Waste will be leaking into the ground water. It will continue to leak. It's an urgent problem that must be solved."

But engineers have to get this right. It will take 40 years to treat the waste, and during that time, radiation will make parts of the plant inaccessible to humans.