Washington, DC

U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, made the following statement regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must resume its consideration of the Yucca Mountain license application, which had been on hold since 2010.

"Even after years of dragging their feet in a pathetic attempt to kill the Yucca Mountain project, former NRC leadership and the Administration are forced to follow the correct licensing process," said Vitter. "The American people are getting tired of this Administration overstepping their authority to benefit their far-left environmentalist agenda, and I commend the D.C. Circuit for their ruling and not succumbing to political leanings."

Earlier this year during NRC Chairman Allison MacFarlane's re-nomination hearing before the EPW Committee, Senator Vitter asked if the NRC would honor the court decision when the Yucca Mountain case is concluded. Chairman Macfarlane promised, "We will follow the law."

In 2008 the Department of Energy submitted the license application for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project in Nevada, in conjunction with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. In 2010, under then-NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko's leadership, the licensing process was illegally halted, missing numerous statutory deadlines.

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