Issue Position: Yucca Mountain

Issue Position

The very first speech Shelley made on the floor of the House of Representatives argued against storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. And, more than a decade later, the facts are still clear: waste could contaminate ground water, the area is susceptible to seismic and volcanic activity, it's only 90 miles from a major population center, it would carry a $100 billion price tag, and it would put 50 million Americans at risk as nuclear waste is shipped through their communities.

Nevadans have overwhelmingly rejected the Yucca Mountain repository, and Shelley has stood up time and again to ensure their voices are heard in Washington and to stop attempts to revive the misguided and dangerous project.

Shelley led the effort to halt funding of the Department of Energy's one-sided "Yucca Mountain Johnny" campaign promoting nuclear waste storage in Nevada's schools. And, in 2010, after years of hard work and advocacy, Shelley joined Nevadans in praising the decision to defund the project.

But, Shelley hasn't just worked to stop the project. She's worked to solve the problem. Experts and regulators have agreed that spent nuclear material can be secured onsite at nuclear plants for the next 100 years. Shelley has pushed legislation to extend that time period and secure nuclear waste through investments in onsite storage facilities. She's also fought proposals that would revive wasteful spending for the project, instead advocating for deficit reduction and investment in clean energy technology and jobs.

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