US can label nuke waste as less dangerous to quicken cleanup

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. government will reclassify some of the nation’s most dangerous radioactive waste to lower its threat level.
The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday that the decision is intended to make it cheaper and easier to clean up nuclear weapons production sites in Washington state, Idaho and South Carolina.
The material has languished for decades in the three states.
Critics say the change is a way for federal officials to walk away from their obligation to