YUCCA MOUNTAIN, Nevada, — A war is being fought, and the frontline is here in the rugged desert 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It is a high-stakes fight about nuclear energy, state’s rights and the future of a mountain. It is a debate that has pitted well-heeled nuclear industry lobbyists and the power of the federal government against environmentalists and an increasingly powerful Nevada congressional delegation.

The project plan is massive: at least 60 miles of tunnel and 77,000 cubic tons of nuclear waste weaved through a 1,400 acre labyrinth. But the Department of Energy (DOE) has spent almost $8 billion dollars over more than two decades, yet has nothing to show but a five-mile starter tunnel and tens of millions of pages in paperwork.

A mix of Energy Department mistakes, high-profile scandals, sketchy science and a determined opposition has mired government plans to establish Yucca Mountain as the permanent underground repository for America’s nuclear waste — the spent fuel that can no longer be turned into energy but remains radioactive.

The federal government has respected scientists on its payroll. These civil servants and private contractors publish studies that conclude the site would be safe. On the other hand, Nevada has its own credible experts to throw water on every federal claim. They call the site untenable, the science unrealistic and the safety risks significant.