The cost of the proposed nuclear waste repository beneath Nevada’s Yucca Mountain has risen sharply. The Dept. of Energy reported on Aug. 5 the project’s estimated 150-year life-cycle cost is $96.2 billion, up 67% from 2001’s $57.5-billion. DOE says the hike includes $16 billion for inflation and a 26% rise in the amount of spent fuel to be disposed. Construction, operation and decommissioning comprise $54.8 billion of the new figure.