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- 83rd Session (2025)
Senate Joint Resolution No. 7–Senator Ohrenschall
FILE NUMBER..........
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION—Urging the Federal Government
to recognize the unsuitability of Yucca Mountain as the site
for a repository to store and dispose of spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste.
WHEREAS, Since 1954, when the Atomic Energy Act was
passed by Congress, the Federal Government has been responsible
for the disposal of radioactive waste, yet few environmental
challenges have proven more daunting than the problems posed by
the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high -level radioactive waste;
and
WHEREAS, In July 2002, despite seemingly inadequate standards
set by the Environmental Protection Agency and on the
recommendation of the Secretary of Energy, President Bush signed
legislation designating Yucca Mountain as a suitable site for the
nation’s only repository for spent nuclear fuel and high -level
radioactive waste without regard to the constant and vigorous
objections of the political leaders and residents of the State of
Nevada, and ignoring the underlying geologic isolation
requirements set by Congress; and
WHEREAS, The recommendation of Yucca Mountain was not
only premature but also flawed, especially given the D epartment of
Energy’s failure to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the
socioeconomic, environmental and public health and safety impacts,
both within Nevada and within communities along national shipping
routes; and
WHEREAS, Not only is the proposed r epository in one of the
most geologically active areas in the nation, but according to the
Agency for Nuclear Projects, it is “the only repository under
consideration in the world that is located above the water table, not
below it”; and
WHEREAS, Even if the risks related to geologic disposal are
ignored, the designation of Yucca Mountain is of particular concern
because of its location within an area rife with seismic and
hydrothermal activity and because of its proximity to numerous
fractures and earthqu ake faults, which could lead to underground
contamination; and
WHEREAS, As more problems are revealed, the Department of
Energy has gravitated from the concept of geologic isolation and
now is relying almost exclusively on “engineered barriers” to keep
radiological materials from migrating out of a repository and into
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- 83rd Session (2025)
the environment, essentially ignoring the foundational
recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences that
manmade materials not be used to compensate for faulty geology or
hydrology; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Energy contends it is better to
have all nuclear waste at a single location rather than scattered
around the country, yet this contention is flawed because Yucca
Mountain will have limited capacity, contradicting the “one safe
site” idea; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Energy has stated that most of
the nation’s spent nuclear fuel is safely and securely stored at more
than 70 reactor sites across the country and that, for the foreseeable
future, the spent fuel can safely stay a t the reactor sites until a
permanent disposal solution is determined by the federal
government; and
WHEREAS, The waste that would be shipped to Yucca Mountain
is located at more than 70 sites across 35 states and, if transported,
will impact at least 44 states and 703 counties; and
WHEREAS, A 2002 report from the Agency for Nuclear Projects
found that Nevada’s economy stands to lose upwards of $5.5 billion
annually as a result of the stigmatizing effects of the repository and
the transportation of nuclear waste through the State; and
WHEREAS, As early as 1986, the Department of Energy
acknowledged the potential for impacts to a tourism -dependent
economy, an issue of great concern in Nevada, stating “the potential
for adverse public perception of a reposi tory and its associated
waste transportation could adversely affect the tourism industry”;
and
WHEREAS, Nevada’s tourism industry generated nearly $91
billion in statewide economic activity and supported more than
386,000 jobs in 2022, which means any impacts that reduce the
number of visitors, especially to Las Vegas, would have major
economic consequences for this State; and
WHEREAS, The Las Vegas Valley is one of the fastest growing
areas in the nation, which further raises concerns because Yucca
Mountain is located just 90 miles northwest of the Valley; and
WHEREAS, In April 2011, Congress ended federal funding for
the Yucca Mountain site, pausing licensing activities for the
proposed repository indefinitely into the future; and
WHEREAS, As recently as April 2024, leaders at a hearing of the
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate
and Grid Security pitched restarting the conversation on resuming
work towards opening the Yucca Mountain repository; and
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- 83rd Session (2025)
WHEREAS, The Federal Governme nt is not prepared to deal
with, or even fully aware of, the effects of the Yucca Mountain
project on society and this country; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF
NEVADA, JOINTLY, That the numerous hurdles, potential health and
safety issues, widespread economic impacts and logistical and
transportation challenges are cause for reconsidering Yucca
Mountain as the proposed site for a nuclear waste repository; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That Nevada has already borne m ore than its fair
share of this nation’s radioactive waste burdens, including, hosting
hundreds of nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War and hosting
the world’s largest low -level and mixed radioactive waste disposal
facility at the Nevada Test Site, wh ich is also controlled by the
Department of Energy; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the issue of how to dispose of nuclear waste,
the deadliest substance known to mankind, is of great importance,
requiring decisions to be based on “sound science,” as was promised
Nevada and the nation in 2000, before it is put on the roads,
railways and waterways of this country; and be it further
RESOLVED, That with the abundance of safe, economical dry
storage facilities at existing reactor sites, there is no current spent
fuel emergency and nuclear power plants face no risk of shutdown,
the members of the 83rd Session of the Nevada Legislature hereby
urge Presi dent Trump and Congress and all involved agencies to
recognize the unsuitability of Yucca Mountain as the site for a
repository to store and dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high -level
radioactive waste; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and
transmit a copy of this resolution to the President of the United
States, the Vice President of the United States as the presiding
officer of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
the Secretary of Energy and each member of the Nevada
Congressional Delegation; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon
passage.
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