LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) And Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) . -04) and Representative Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) reintroduced the Consent to Nuclear Waste Information Act in the Senate and House of Representatives.
This legislation would ensure that state, local, and tribal governments are central to a permanent storage and storage program, and give Nevadans a strong voice in any nuclear waste storage plan on Mount Yucca.
“From my first day in Congress, I was committed to protecting the health of Nevadans. Therefore, I continue to reject any attempt to breathe life into the failed Yucca Mountain project, ”said Senator Cortez Masto. “For too long, the voices of our state, local, and tribal governments in Nevada have been silenced by a broken process. This legislation ensures that states like Nevada have a seat at the table when permanent nuclear storage is proposed in their backyards. I was pleased to have Minister Granholm’s commitment earlier this year to work together to develop safe and workable alternative solutions to the unsuitable Yucca Mountain site, and I will continue to work with the administration and my colleagues in Congress to prevent misdirected efforts Make Nevada the nation’s nuclear waste landfill. “
“The Nevadans are strongly against the storage of nuclear waste on Yucca Mountain. No state or no municipality should allow its residents to impose a nuclear waste dump, ”said representative Titus. “After years of attempts by the federal government to revive this dangerous project, we finally have allies in the Oval Office and the Ministry of Energy. This legislation should serve as a guide for the Biden administration to find a new location for nuclear waste storage based on local consent. “
“The last 34 years of failure have shown that a forced nuclear waste disposal process cannot work in our system of government,” said Steve Sisolak, governor of Nevada. “The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act (NWICA) offers a practicable way forward. Congress should act immediately to pass NWICA and abandon the failed yucca mountain project. “
“The Nevadans have made it clear that we will not tolerate the storage of nuclear waste in our state,” said Senator Rosen. “The transportation and storage of nuclear waste pose a significant threat to the health and safety of Nevadans. This legislation will ensure that nuclear waste stays outside of our state by requiring Nevada approval before approving spending or construction. I will continue to stand by my colleagues to prevent Nevada from becoming the country’s nuclear waste dump. “
“For years, the Nevadans have loudly rejected dangerous plans to store nuclear waste on Yucca Mountain. I will not allow Nevada to become a dump for the nation’s nuclear waste, ”said Congressman Steven Horsford. “The Nuclear Waste Consent Act will ensure that Nevadans have a voice on any nuclear waste storage plan on Yucca Mountain. This legislation will protect the health and safety of Nevada families, protect our pristine wilderness, and help rebuild our $ 40 billion tourism industry. “
“Nevada has made it clear for decades that we are refusing to become the nation’s nuclear landfill,” said MP Susie Lee. “Year after year, bipartisan heads of state struggle against ongoing attempts to fund the opening of Yucca Mountain. Nuclear waste should not be imposed on any state. Instead, we need an open and honest process that involves our local government officials and the community. For this reason, together with my colleagues, I am reintroducing the law on informed consent about nuclear waste. This bill ensures that the federal government cannot make our state the country’s nuclear waste dump without its consent. I will continue to fight day in and day out to stop attempts to revive Yucca Mountain. “
BACKGROUND:
In order for the federal government to spend money from the Nuclear Waste Fund on building a nuclear waste repository, the Nuclear Waste Consent Act would require the approval of the governor, affected local governments, and affected local tribes.
In 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) released a strategy to implement the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) recommendations for America’s nuclear future of 2012. In December 2015, the DOE asked the public for input on plans to develop a new consent-based facility location process for the storage and disposal of nuclear waste based on the BRC recommendations. The law on consent to the disposal of nuclear waste is based on the recommendations of the BRC for 2012 and the previous consent-based location report of the DOE from 2017.
An open, consent-based process ensures that states have a significant voice in the process and that no jurisdiction is forced to accept nuclear waste against its own will.
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