January 11, 2017

Today Reps. Dina Titus (NV-1), Ruben Kihuen (NV-4), and Jacky Rosen (NV-3) introduced the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act in the U.S. House. Sens. Dean Heller and Catherine Cortez-Masto introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. The legislation allows the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to authorize construction of a nuclear waste repository only if the Secretary of Energy has secured written consent from the governor of the host state, affected units of local government, and affected Indian tribes.  A copy of the bill is attached.

“Today we send a clear message to the next administration and those in Congress who have long-championed the Yucca Mountain project that the State of Nevada remains opposed to nuclear waste storage within our borders,” Rep. Titus said. “No state or community should have a nuclear waste dump forced upon them. This bipartisan, bicameral, commonsense legislation gives voice to those most affected while creating a process to address the nation’s nuclear waste concerns.”

The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act, also introduced by Rep. Titus and Sen. Heller in the 114^th Congress, is consistent with recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, stating that:  “We believe a good gauge of consent would be the willingness of affected units of government—the host states, tribes, and local communities – to enter into legally binding agreements with the facility operator, where these agreements enable states, tribes, and communities to have confidence that they can protect the interests of their citizens.” Additionally, it is consistent with the approach taken in bipartisan draft legislation circulated in the 113^th Congress by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which provided for a consent-based process for siting a future nuclear waste repository and interim storage facilities.