Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement in reaction to the announcement that the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration shipped a half metric ton of plutonium for storage in the State of Nevada for an undetermined amount of time without the consent of the Governor and local communities:
“It’s unconscionable that the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) went into federal court in Nevada and failed to disclose that they shipped weapons grade plutonium into our backyards. Not only did Secretary Perry and the agencies under his direction act in bad faith by totally ignoring the will of our Governor, their decision also completely disregards the health and safety of Nevadans. Tomorrow, I’ll have representatives of the DOE and NNSA in my office to brief me. I’ll be demanding they explain why these agencies ignored a federal court and how this reckless decision was made. The Trump Administration will find that I’ll be shining a bright light on this, as well as any high level effort to bring nuclear waste into our state by reviving Yucca Mountain. The voices of Nevadans must be heard and I’ll be fighting for legislation that makes certain their voices are heard on this issue and this never happens behind the backs of Nevadans again.”