June 20, 2017
Washington, D.C. – Today Rep. Dina Titus Of Nevada’s First Congressional District released the following statement after Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he wants to build nuclear waste interim facilities at the Nevada National Security Site and called constructing a long-term repository at Yucca Mountain a “moral obligation.”
“Rick Perry’s moral compass is pointing in the wrong direction. This is what I feared when President Trump nominated Secretary Perry to be our Energy Secretary. And that's why I urged our Nevada Senators to oppose his confirmation, unfortunately to no avail. The majority of Nevadans have never supported building a nuclear waste dump in our state yet Secretary Perry and the Trump Administration are determined to shove it down our throats. Perry said people with nuclear waste currently in their districts have the most to lose. What about the Nevadans who have never consumed a kilowatt of nuclear energy? To add insult to injury, Perry went into uncharted territory by suggesting that he wants to build interim storage facilities in our state – a proposal that would violate the current Waste Acceptance Criteria. Perry’s position is unprecedented, unethical, and immoral. Building nuclear storage facilities of any kind must require the consent of affected communities.”