As the Senate takes up the Climate Change bill this fall, we urge support funding for creating new programs for research and development for advanced nuclear technology and nuclear waste management.
Nevada has played a key role in understanding the power of the nucleus through decades of research at the Test Site. Few states are better prepared than us – since we already host some of the best nuclear scientists in the world - to take nuclear research to the next level and help our nation address nuclear “waste” management.
As a Nevada voter, I support creating a facility at Yucca Mt. that will serve as an interim storage facility, research center, and a future reprocessing plant to recycle nuclear spent fuel.
I agree with you that burying spent fuel for 10,000 is an outdated idea. That is why I urge you to consider how Nevada can benefit from the emerging technology that will safely reuse this fuel.
Over $10 billion has been invested at Yucca Mt., and Nevada is poised to safely and economically benefit from this research. It is an ideal location to temporarily store spent fuel while research is done on how to recycle it. And when that technology is ready, we’ll have the fuel here to either sell to re-processors, or build a facility that will generate power from the spent fuel.
We have a great opportunity to create an economic boom for Nevada, and help our nation address a critical energy need. Please support funding in the Climate Change bill to create a research center at Yucca.
Recycling nuclear waste could produce around 5 trillion kilowatt hours of emissions-free energy over 40 years and, at the same time, greatly reduce both the volume and long-term radioactivity of our waste.
I urge you to do what is right for Nevada and work with the Administration to secure changes at Yucca to make it an R&D complex that will expand renewable energy sources and advance nuclear engineering technologies.
Yucca can provide a solution to a national problem and also secure good jobs and funding for Nevada.