Perry pushes Nevada nuclear waste site in
first official visit
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[March 28, 2017]
By Timothy Gardner
(Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick
Perry pushed for opening Nevada's Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in a
meeting with the state's governor on Monday, but the local leader said
he remains staunchly opposed to the project.
The visit with Governor Brian Sandoval was Perry's first official travel
since becoming energy secretary. The multi-billion-dollar nuclear
storage project, which was rejected by former President Barack Obama,
has been championed by the Trump administration.
Most of Nevada's politicians question the long-term safety of the site
and the transportation of radioactive waste through the state.
"I stressed the need for Nevada to maintain its key role as we seek
sensible, stable, and long-term solutions to fulfilling our
responsibility to safely manage spent nuclear fuel," Perry said in a
release about his conversation with Sandoval.
But Sandoval was not swayed.
"The storage of high-level waste at Yucca Mountain is not something I am
willing to consider," Sandoval said. The meeting with Perry "was not the
beginning of a negotiation with regard to Yucca," he said.
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The White House's proposed 2018 budget, released on March 16, included
$120 million for the restart of licensing at Yucca and for interim
storage of the waste before the project opens. Yucca could take years to
start as the federal government first must address local concerns and as
billions of dollars worth of construction must be completed.
The U.S. government has studied Yucca since the 1970s as a potential
dump for the nuclear waste from power plants and the military. Currently
the waste is stored at nuclear power plants and other sites in pools and
in casks.
Nuclear power opponents say waste at power plants is vulnerable to
attacks and natural disasters, though many nuclear power backers say it
can be held there safely for decades or more. Some lawmakers refuse to
support legislation for innovation in nuclear power until waste
solutions are found.
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![](../images/032817pics/news_I15.jpg)
New Secretary of Energy
Rick Perry speaks during his swearing in ceremony accompanied by
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (L) at the Executive Office in
Washington, U.S., March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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Yucca has never opened because of legal challenges and opposition
from politicians, environmentalists and Native American groups.
The proposed funding for Yucca in the budget signals that the Trump
administration sees opening the site as essential to extend the
lives of nuclear plants. More details of the budget are expected in
May. Congress will debate the plan and it is uncertain whether the
funds will remain.
Other Nevada politicians were also critical of Yucca.
"Nevadans do not want a project with dangerous implications for the
environment, economy, and security of the state," Representative
Dina Titus said in a tweet.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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