BERKLEY STATEMENT ON YUCCA MOUNTAIN AND NUCLEAR WASTE LIABILITY COSTS

(July 16, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today released the following statement in response to a House Budget Committee hearing on the liability to taxpayers from America’s high-level nuclear waste program, including the failed Yucca Mountain dump.

“By refusing to end its quest for Yucca Mountain, the nuclear industry is forcing Americans to pay twice for managing its radioactive garbage.  Ratepayers are funding work on this failed $100 billion dinosaur in the Nevada desert and taxpayers are footing the bill to keep current waste in on-site storage.  

“Waste from reactors can be safely stored in dry-cask storage at current locations for the next 100 years.  Meanwhile the nuclear industry continues to press lawsuits seeking to collect billions in damages from taxpayers via the U.S. Treasury.

“Ending Yucca Mountain now will allow us to begin addressing this liability merry-go-round, including the settlement of existing breach of contract suits. 

“President Obama has pledged to form a blue ribbon panel that will examine real solutions to the issue of safely managing nuclear waste.  The nuclear industry and its supporters should embrace this new path forward and stop blocking an end to more wasteful spending on efforts to turn Nevada into a radioactive garbage dump.”

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