THE PAST YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT - ADVANCING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE: WAS It WORTH THE COST?

What happens when a major program shuts down? Infrastructure may be mothballed, computers sold, and records shipped off to storage, but the knowledge gained and expertise developed by the individual scientists and engineers often finds application in diverse new areas. The scientists and engineers who participated in more than thirty years of scientific investigation at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are now applying their skills to other fields of study such as: oil and gas exploration, carbon sequestration, geothermal energy, used nuclear fuel studies, seismic and volcanic hazard analysis, and groundwater flow modeling. Did the knowledge and experience gained as part of the Yucca Mountain program inform or jump start new investigations? Are there other uses for the detailed data sets collected during characterization? Can the value of that knowledge, experience, and data be quantified? If so, what was the return on investment for the more than $1.5 billion spent directly on scientific studies? As the federal government reevaluates its priorities and investments in basic science programs, policy makers would be wise to consider the benefits derived from long-term studies and programs. The Yucca Mountain Program provides an excellent case study of those benefits.