January 24, 2008

Washington, DC — Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign released the following statements about a bill being introduced in the Senate to speed up the licensing process to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. This irresponsible bill calls for nuclear waste to be shipped to Nevada and stored in Yucca Mountain for 300 years before any radiation standard whatsoever is applied to the dump.

“The Energy Department closed the doors to the tunnel at Yucca Mountain, sending a clear signal that the proposed dump is history.  This is the most desperate attempt we’ve seen so far to try to bring Yucca back to life,” said Reid.  “The Inhofe-DeMint pro-Yucca bill is not just dangerous, it’s ridiculous.  The cosponsors practically go out of their way to make sure that Nevadans will be harmed by storing 77,000 tons of nuclear waste 90 miles outside of Las Vegas.”

"They're trying to fast forward a project that should be stopped," said Ensign. "Yucca Mountain is the wrong policy for America supported by flawed science and poor management.  As a nation, we need to move in a different direction. Senator Reid and I have introduced a bill that provides a solution.  It would require waste to be stored on-site and require the federal government to take responsibility for it, including maintenance.  Yucca Mountain will never be built. Now is the time to start moving in a new direction."