WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced a bill to ensure Yucca Mountain will never be used as a repository for nuclear waste and require the U.S. government to consider other uses for Yucca Mountain that would create jobs and stimulate Nevada’s economy. The Jobs, Not Waste Act would repeal the law that established Yucca Mountain as the nation’s sole repository for nuclear waste, require the Department of Energy (DOE) to withdraw and terminate the licensing proceeding for Yucca Mountain at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, require DOE to reclaim and mitigate any adverse environmental impacts to the site, and require the Office of Management and Budget to conduct and submit a study to determine the viability and economic benefits of other uses for the site. This bill comes following the Trump Administration’s proposal to scrap Yucca Mountain as the nation’s sole nuclear waste repository and instead allow states to willingly host such facilities.
E&E News: Nevada senators re-up Yucca Mountain repeal
- Nevada’s Democratic senators will introduce legislation Tuesday to permanently block any future consideration of the Yucca Mountain site as the nation’s nuclear waste repository, aligning with the Trump administration’s push to abandon the decades-old project in favor of a new voluntary siting strategy.
- Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez-Masto will introduce the Jobs, Not Waste Act to prohibit any current or future designation of Yucca Mountain as a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel.
- The bill, first introduced during the last Congress, would also require the Office of Management and Budget to submit a study evaluating the economic and job-creation potential of alternative uses for the site.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada senators want to ensure Yucca Mountain nuclear repository ‘remains dead‘
- If passed, the bill would repeal a provision of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 that established Yucca Mountain as the nation’s sole nuclear repository and revoke its licensing proceeding.
- The bill also calls on the Department of Energy to reclaim and mitigate any adverse environmental impacts to the Yucca Mountain site as a result of its licensing review and asks the federal government to consider other uses for the site to help create jobs and stimulate the state’s economy, Rosen’s office said.
Las Vegas Sun: Nevada senators introduce bill to permanently kill Yucca Mountain nuclear waste plan
- Legislation introduced today in the U.S. Senate calls for permanently barring Yucca Mountain from being used as a nuclear waste repository and studying alternative uses for the site that could create jobs and boost Nevada’s economy.
- Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both Nevada Democrats, introduced the bill, called the Jobs, Not Waste Act.
- “Nevadans have always been clear that we will not allow nuclear waste to be stored at Yucca Mountain — and that any proposal to establish a nuclear waste repository needs to be centered on the consent of the surrounding community,” Rosen said in a statement.
KLAS Las Vegas: Rosen, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Overturn Yucca Mountain as Nuclear Site
Anchor: “Nevada Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen, along with Catherine Cortez Masto, are joining together on a push to prevent Yucca Mountain from becoming a nuclear waste site. This comes after the Department of Energy entered into early agreements with 5 other states to store nuclear waste. But first, they need to change the law because back in 1987, Congress said only the Yucca Mountain site, which is about 75 miles northwest of here, could be used to store the country’s nuclear waste.”
KSNV Las Vegas: Rosen, Cortez Masto Introduce The Jobs, Not Waste Act
Anchor: “U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada have introduced legislation to permanently block Yucca Mountain, which is located about 100 miles from Las Vegas, from becoming the nation’s nuclear waste repository. The bill would repeal the law designating the site for nuclear waste and the federal licensing process, and require environmental cleanup of Yucca Mountain.”
KOLO Reno: Jobs, Not Waste Act Requires New Role for Yucca Mountain
Senator Rosen: “We have an opportunity to consider the benefits of other uses for the Yucca Mountain site to create jobs for Nevadans and grow our economy.”
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