Posted by Sen. Reid's Staff  on 2/1/2012 - 4:10 PM

Last week, the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) released its final report on recommendations for managing nuclear waste in the United States. Yucca is now a relic of the past, and this report validates what I have been saying for decades: the federal government should not be in the business of forcing nuclear waste on Nevadans or anybody who does not consent to have it.  I am pleased that BRC commissioners learned from this important lesson. 

Yucca Mountain is a dead venture because President Obama kept the promise he made to Nevadans in 2008 to end the project once and for all.  The BRC report makes it abundantly clear that no state, tribe or community should be forced to store spent nuclear fuel or high-level waste without its express consent.  Nevadans, with good reason, overwhelmingly opposed Yucca Mountain as a location to store hazardous nuclear waste.

The responsible course of action is not to resurrect a costly and failed nuclear waste policy. Rather, we need to chart a realistic path towards solving our nation’s nuclear waste issue. The Commission and its distinguished co-chairs, former Congressman Lee Hamilton and General Brent Scowcroft, have taken the critical step of developing credible recommendations for policy makers to consider for managing nuclear waste in the near and long-term.  I commend the Commission’s efforts and I look forward to working with my colleagues to finally develop a nuclear waste policy that protects Nevadans and all Americans.

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