In the hearing, Chris Wright refused to acknowledge Yucca Mountain is a failed project.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) questioned Chris Wright, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Energy, about Yucca Mountain, the Nevada National Security Site, and the importance of supporting clean-energy in the state.
First, Senator Cortez Masto asked Mr. Wright to acknowledge that the failed Yucca Mountain project is unworkable. Mr. Wright acknowledged the need for input on long-term nuclear waste disposal, but he refused to condemn nuclear storage at Yucca Mountain or acknowledge the project is dead.
“President Trump has said he doesn’t support waste [disposal] at Yucca Mountain, so let me ask you again because you didn’t really answer the question. Can Nevadans count on you to acknowledge that the failed Yucca Mountain project is unworkable,” Cortez Masto asked again. Even after acknowledging that Nevada opposes the dumping of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Mr. Wright would not specifically commit to opposing the project.
Senator Cortez Masto then asked Mr. Wright about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) role in protecting our national security. Despite calling the DOE’s role in protecting our national security his “single biggest concern”, Mr. Wright would not commit to pushing back on the incoming Trump Administration should they propose cuts to critical funding to the Nevada National Security Site.
The Senator also urged Wright and the incoming administration to continue to support DOE programs created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act that fund workforce development, cybersecurity improvements, and clean-energy innovation that is happening in Nevada.
Finally, Senator Cortez Masto and Mr. Wright discussed the importance of an all-of-the above strategy to grow the domestic energy supply that includes wind, solar, and other forms of clean energy. “The conversation we’re going to continue to have around energy is important, and it should be balanced. It is not just focused on fossil fuels, no matter what some of my colleagues say. There should be a balanced approach to our energy portfolio,” said Senator Cortez Masto.
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