President George W. Bush approves building the first and only national repository for high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles from Las Vegas, Nev. A few months later, Congress overrules Nevada’s opposition to the plan. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain facility are concerned that the transportation of 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel poses a danger to the public. Proponents argue that the environmental damage and risk of injury is limited because the waste is concealed in crash-tested containers.