At least 500 Department of Energy (DOE) employees at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository could lose their jobs in response to a funding cut contained in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill passed last month. Most of the job losses will be in Nevada, but some jobs will also be lost at the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. The amount of money appropriated this year is $108 million less than what President Bush had submitted in his request. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) praised the budget cut as a step towards closing the site, which is viewed negatively by the Nevada Congressional delegation and Nevada residents.
The nuclear waste director at Yucca Mountain said that, given the severe layoffs, it is now questionable whether DOE will be able to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the facility by its self-imposed June 30 deadline. However, DOE added that it will continue working towards the application's completion and still hopes to complete it on time.