Issue Position: Yucca Mountain

Issue Position

When President Obama campaigned in Nevada, he made it clear he would never support the Yucca dump. After months of working with the President, and years of fighting, Senator Reid has effectively killed the Yucca Mountain dump.

The plan to store more than 70,000 tons of toxic nuclear waste 90 miles from Las Vegas was a threat to Nevadans and the millions of tourists who visit the state every year. Yucca Mountain is a mere 90 miles from Las Vegas, adjacent to an important water source, and situated on a fault line. It is simply not a safe place for storage of nuclear waste. Reid places the safety of Nevada families above all else and has ensured that the most toxic substance known to man will not be transported into our state and on our roads.

Because of Senator Reid's tireless effort and leadership on this issue, the misguided plan to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain will never happen. President Obama's budget for fiscal year 2010 cuts funding for Yucca to the bare minimum -- gone is funding for the design, the construction and the development of transportation infrastructure. The only money being spent on Yucca Mountain now is to wind down the project and research alternatives to the misguided plan. In addiiton, the Obama Administration has promised to end Yucca Mountain altogether in next year's budget.

"[The] budget announcement by the Obama Administration reaffirms its strong commitment to the death of the failed Yucca Mountain idea. The termination language in its plan could not be any clearer -- Yucca is history. The record-low budget for Yucca is only enough to maintain the site until it's closed, and the people of Nevada can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that we will never be this country's toxic dumping ground." - Senator Harry Reid

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