[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Yucca Mountain

  Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, I rise to speak on an issue that is 
vitally important to the well-being, safety, and security of Nevadans; 
namely, Yucca Mountain. I have said it before--and I will say it 
again--that Yucca Mountain is dead. Let me repeat myself. Yucca 
Mountain is dead, and I will continue to come to the floor until we, as 
a country, move past this ill-conceived project.
  Last week, I had the opportunity to testify before the House Energy 
and Commerce Committee's Environment Subcommittee regarding draft 
legislation to effectively restart the licensing process for Yucca 
Mountain. While I appreciate having had the opportunity to testify in 
order to ensure that Nevadans' voices on this issue are heard, I am 
concerned that we are using valuable time and taxpayer resources to 
hold a hearing on a closed issue.
  Let me say this one more time. Yucca Mountain is dead.
  Instead of focusing our efforts on reviving failed proposals of the 
past, I will continue to encourage my colleagues and the administration 
to focus on policies of the future. The failure to do so will have real 
economic, environmental, and national security implications for all 
Nevadans. This afternoon, I will focus on the economic impact that 
resuming licensing activities, with regard to Yucca Mountain as a 
nuclear waste repository, will have on my home State.
  As many of you know, Yucca Mountain is located just 90 miles from the 
world's premier tourist, convention, and entertainment destination--Las 
Vegas, NV. Last year, Las Vegas welcomed nearly 43 million visitors. 
Over the past decade, the Greater Las Vegas area has been one of the 
fastest growing in the United States, with a population that now 
exceeds 2.1 million people, according to an estimate from the U.S. 
Census Bureau. Any issues with the transportation of nuclear waste to 
the site or issues with storage there would bring devastating 
consequences to the local, State, and national economies.
  It begs the question, Would you want to go to Las Vegas knowing that 
high-level nuclear waste was being transported, very likely, through 
the heart of the strip?
  Let me outline the vitally important role tourism plays in the 
Greater Las Vegas area.
  This industry accounts for close to 44 percent of the local workforce 
and provides close to $17 billion in local wages. Moreover, tourism has 
an estimated $60 billion in local impact. Without tourism, every 
household in Southern Nevada would pay close to $3,000 more in taxes. 
That is a significant amount of money to individuals and families who 
are working to make ends meet. People visit not only as tourists but as 
business professionals who attend conferences, meetings, and trade 
shows, which generate another $12 billion in local economic impact. Las 
Vegas has 3 of the 10 largest convention centers in North America, and 
it has been the No. 1 trade show destination for 23 consecutive years.
  This economic driver within the State is a critical component of 
another related industry that is vitally important to the State of 
Nevada; namely, the gaming industry. In Nevada, this industry alone 
supports more than 430,000 jobs, pays more than $18 billion in wages, 
and generates close to $8 billion in Federal, State, and local tax 
revenues. The reason I draw the Presiding Officer's attention and our 
colleagues' attention to these numbers is due to the fact that Yucca 
Mountain will have very real negative economic consequences for 
Nevadans.
  I am proud to come to the floor to stand with the many concerned 
citizens, many small business operators, and casino operators in 
opposition to any attempt to restart the repository licensing process. 
I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that radioactive waste is 
never stored anywhere near the world's entertainment capital, also 
known as Las Vegas. Rather, I encourage my colleagues to partner with 
me on identifying viable alternatives for the long-term storage of 
nuclear waste in areas that are willing to house it.
  I come to the table with a solution to our Nation's nuclear waste 
program and am proud to have introduced bipartisan legislation on this 
issue. My legislation would allow for the 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 the 
local government, and affected Indian Tribes.
  This is consistent with the consent-based siting initiative to site 
waste storage and disposal facilities that was initiated by the 
Department of Energy in late 2015. This open process ensures that a 
State has a meaningful voice in the process and that no State will be 
forced to accept nuclear waste against its own will.
  Identifying communities that will be willing hosts for long-term 
repositories rather than forcing it upon the States that have outright 
opposed such a site for decades is the only viable solution to our 
Nation's nuclear waste problem. The failure to do so will just result 
in decades of more litigation and in the wasting of more taxpayer 
dollars without solving the problem at hand.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.