Reid, Heller Introduce Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act
For Immediate Release
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
CONTACT: Kristen Orthman
Reid, Heller Introduce Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act
Heck & Titus Introduce Companion Bill in House
Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller introduced today the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act. Representatives Joe Heck and Dina Titus will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act permits the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to authorize construction of a nuclear waste repository only if the Secretary of Energy has secured written consent from the governor of the host state, affected units of local government, and affected Indian tribes. The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act ensures that Nevada and every other state has a meaningful voice in the process if they are considered for a nuclear waste repository. The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act is consistent with recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, stating that: “We believe a good gauge of consent would be the willingness of affected units of government—the host states, tribes, and local communities – to enter into legally binding agreements with the facility operator, where these agreements enable states, tribes, and communities to have confidence that they can protect the interests of their citizens.” Additionally, this act is consistent with the approach taken in bipartisan draft legislation circulated last Congress by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which provided for a consent-based process for siting a future nuclear waste repository and interim storage facilities.
“For decades the federal government wasted billions of dollars attempting to recklessly move America’s deadly high-level nuclear waste to a dump at Yucca Mountain, despite the overwhelming objections of Nevadans,” said Senator Reid. “The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act would ensure that no state’s voice may be silenced in the process of being considered for a nuclear waste repository. The game was rigged against Nevada when Congress gutted the original science-based siting process for a nuclear waste repository nearly three decades ago. The Government made things worse by spending decades trying to force Yucca Mountain on the people of Nevada over their objections. The Act introduced today will give a voice to state and local governments and save our country from making another costly mistake like Yucca Mountain.”
“Our nation must find solutions to address spent nuclear fuel, but any potential waste repository should have the consent and support of the affected state and local communities. No state, including Nevada, should be forced to accept waste against its will. With no conceivable path to building Yucca Mountain, it’s time for Washington to admit the obvious: the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository is a figment of the federal government’s imagination. Congress must move on and focus its efforts on a consent-based approach for siting project, as required by our bill and recommended by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, ” said Senator Heller.
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