July 30, 2009

Washington, D.C. -- Following conversations with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and the White House, Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced that the administration and the Energy Department have agreed to cut off all funding to pursue a license application for the Yucca Mountain Project in the 2011 budget.  The only funding allocated for Yucca will be used to conclude the work being done at the site, bringing the ill-conceived project to its rightful end.

“This is a major victory for Nevada,” Reid said.  “I am pleased that President Obama has lived up to his promise to me and all Nevadans by working with me to kill the Yucca Mountain Project.  I look forward to continuing my work with the President and his administration to find responsible, alternative solutions for dealing with nuclear waste.”

This agreement comes on the heels of the $27 million Reid cut from Yucca’s 2010 license application funding in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill that passed yesterday.