A rule that allows on-site waste storage for up to sixty years after a reactor shutdown was thrown out by a federal appeals court. It was the result of a lawsuit filed by four Northeastern states led by New York.

The court says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission failed to fully look at all of the risks associated with long-term waste storage.

The court also ordered that the commission must complete an environmental review or explain why one is not needed.

Meantime the Obama administration has cut off funding for a proposed storage site in Nevada and has yet to identify an alternative.