Issa threatens subpoena over nuke waste docs

A top congressional watchdog is warning the U.S. nuclear safety regulator to hand over documents by Thursday about its role in shutting down work on Nevada’s Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump site, or face subpoenas for the information.

With the sternly worded threat, Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stepped up the pressure on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which some Republicans have accused of acting politically in helping to stop work on the controversial Yucca dump.

“We have substantial issues with the Commission’s response to our request for documents,” Issa said in a letter dated Friday.

“If the NRC continues to demonstrate an unwillingness to cooperate fully with the Committee’s investigation, we will be required to consider the use of compulsory process,” Issa said.