Trump does a one-eighty on Yucca dump 
October 25, 2018
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This Las Vegas Review Journal political cartoon celebrated the Obama adminstration's decision to cancel the Yucca Mountain Project as "unworkable" in 2010. 1987 was the year of the "Screw Nevada" bill -- the amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 -- that singled out Yucca Mountain as the only location in the U.S. to be further considered for a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste dumping. Since taking office, the Trump administration has worked to resurrect the Yucca dump zombie. (Be sure to count the toes!)President Donald J. Trump has been requesting from Congress hundreds of millions of dollars per year in taxpayer (and ratepayer, via the Nuclear Waste Fund) funding, to restart the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing proceeding for the Yucca Mountain, Nevada high-level radioactive waste dump scheme. The Obama administration declared the Yucca Mountain Project "unworkable" in the face of adamant opposition by the State of Nevada (not to mention the Western Shoshone Indian Nation, whose land Yucca is, by treaty rights), and its U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) moved to withdraw the license application entirely.

But since taking the White House, Trump et al. have been attempting to resurrect the Yucca dump zombie. (See image, left -- and be sure to count the toes! They have been seen to twitch from time to time, since Trump took office!)

Energy Secretary Rick Perry made a surprise, unannounced visit to Yucca Mountain itself early in his tenure, an alarming sign showing the level of the Trump administration's desire to dump 70,000 metric tons of highly radioactive waste in Nevada ASAP.

To top that, later in 2017, Perry blurted out at a U.S. House budget hearing that Yucca could serve as a centralized interim storage facilty for commercial irradiated nuclear fuel, even prior to the permanent burial site being approved by NRC. The withering response by the State of Nevada and its U.S. congressional delegation was so immediate, and intentse, that Perry had to backpedal his shoot-from-the-hip remarks right away.

Now Trump himself has traveled to Elko, Nevada last weekend, on very short notice, to campaign for Dean Heller, U.S. Senator from Nevada -- the most vulnerable Republican in the chamber running for re-election this Nov. 6th. Heller has long opposed the Yucca dump -- the position nearly a prerequisite for running for elected office in Nevada, from U.S. Senator to dog catcher.

So Trump's sudden announcement at the campaign rally, that he's now opposed to the Yucca dump, begs the question -- does he mean it? Is he lying? Is this but a short-lived bait and switch? Will Trump return to his pro-Yucca dump advocacy on Nov. 7th?!

Responses to Trump's 180-degree reversal of policy (thanks to the State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Project's What's News page for this compilation of media coverage) have been immediate, and pointed:

Nevada Independent - After Trump comments opposing Yucca, Cortez Masto asks administration to remove project from budget - Daniel Rothberg

Las Vegas Review-Journal - Nevada Democrats urge Trump to keep Yucca Mountain mothballed - Gary Martin

KUER NPR Utah - Utah Legislator Wants Colleagues' Support Opposing Yucca Mountain Repository - Judy Fahys

Heritage Foundation Daily Signal - What to Make of Trump's Remarks on the Proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear-Waste Repository - Katie Tubb [Please note that the Heritage Foundation is pro-Yucca dump, just as it is pro-nuclear power, despite the hypocrisy by the Heritage Foundation of supporting such industries that depend so much on massive public subsidization. So much for free market capitalistic principles!]

KSNV News3LV - President Trump does an about-face on Yucca Mountain stance - Gerard Ramalho

Article originally appeared on Beyond Nuclear (https://archive.beyondnuclear.org/).
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