July 15, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today made the following statement regarding the Department of Energy’s planned request to increase the budget for the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain to $90 billion – an increase of $32 billion from its original estimate:

“Today’s startling revelation that the Department of Energy now wants $90 billion for its fatally flawed Yucca Mountain mistake is both brazen and ridiculous. We already know the science of Yucca Mountain doesn’t work, and now we have even more proof that the finances don’t either. I worked to cut another $100 million from the Yucca budget this year, and I won’t allow this $32 billion budget hike to hit our wallets.

“It’s always more, more, more from the DOE – more money, and now it wants to dump more waste too. But when the public needs more information and input, the DOE says no. We won’t allow our state to become the nation’s nuclear dump, nor will we put people across our country at risk by shipping even more radioactive waste along our highways and railroads.

“The evidence that Yucca Mountain will never happen is growing by the day, and I will continue to do all I can to kill the proposed dump.”