Carson City, NV – The following is a press release from the office of Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak.
Ahead of a hearing tomorrow in the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on a bill that would advance Yucca Mountain as the nation’s primary nuclear waste repository, Governor Steve Sisolak wrote a letter to Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) and Ranking Member Thomas R. Carper (D-DE) reiterating the State of Nevada’s strong opposition to the Yucca Mountain project.
“I am totally opposed to any legislative effort to restart the Yucca Mountain project,” Gov. Sisolak said. “My position, and that of the State of Nevada, remains identical to the position of Nevada’s past five governors: The State of Nevada opposes the project based on scientific, technical, and legal merits. My staff and I, as well as Nevada’s congressional delegation, would be happy to meet with committee members to explore constructive alternatives to Yucca Mountain for our nation’s broken nuclear waste storage system.”
The bill, Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019, is sponsored by Sen. Barrasso and would continue the failed Yucca Mountain policy. It would also seriously weaken Nevada’s current due process rights to challenge documented safety concerns and adverse environmental impacts in the legally-mandated licensing proceeding. The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 AM ET on Wednesday, May 1st.
Nevada’s U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen have introduced alternative legislation. The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act would require the U.S. Department of Energy to obtain written consent from the governor of Nevada and from affected county and tribal governments before constructing a repository at Yucca Mountain. U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (NV-01), Susie Lee (NV-03), and Steven Horsford (NV-04) have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
