Titus Statement on New Report on Yucca Mountain Project
Washington, DC,
May 26, 2017
May 31, 2017
The GAO report confirms that Yucca is a colossal waste of money. May 26, 2017 Las Vegas, NV – Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District released the following statement in response to a report from the Government Accountability Office regarding the process to restart the failed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository project. “The GAO report confirms the colossal waste of taxpayer resources and time it would take to revive this dead and doomed project,“ said Congresswoman Titus. “Like everything else from the Trump Administration, they overpromise and underestimate. I will continue to oppose any and all efforts to throw away resources to restart this boondoggle of a project. Nevada is not the nation’s dumping ground for nuclear waste. We did not create this waste and should not have it shoved down our throats.” Background The GAO report states that the licensing process alone will require an additional $330 million. Furthermore there are over 300 points of contention which could take up to five years to adjudicate under the best of circumstances. Both the NRC and DOE would need to hire dozens of additional staff, build out physical office space, and update decades of research and technology to support the process.
Congresswoman Titus sponsored the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act; legislation that would require the Department of Energy to secure the consent of the state, local, and tribal governments affected before siting a nuclear waste repository. This legislation was developed in response to the 2012 Blue Ribbon Commission of America’s Nuclear Future, which stressed that a consent-based siting approach was necessary for addressing the disposal of the nation’s nuclear waste. |