Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s $120 million proposal to restart the licensing process for creating a nuclear repository in Yucca Mountain:
“Trump’s attempt to revive Yucca Mountain is naïve and would be a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Recent reports estimate that licensing hearings alone would cost more than $1.6 billion dollars,” said Cortez Masto. “Yucca Mountain is nothing more than a hole in the ground and will never be a viable solution for dealing with nuclear waste. Nevadans know this and they have been clear that they do not want a nuclear dumping site in their back yard. That is why earlier this year, I worked with Senator Dean Heller and the Nevada Congressional delegation to introduce legislation to keep Yucca Mountain from being resurrected and require that any discussions of sites for nuclear repositories include the states and key stakeholders. I will continue to work with Governor Sandoval and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fight against this and any other attempt to revive this reckless project.”
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