For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 15, 2002
Yucca Mountain Statement
Statement by the Press Secretary
The President today notified the Congress that he considers Yucca
Mountain qualified for a construction permit application, taking the
next in a series of steps required for approving the site as a nuclear
materials repository.
The President's decision to recommend Yucca Mountain is based on
sound science. It follows decades of scientific study and a
determination by the Secretary of Energy that the site can be safely
used to store these materials.
In the course of making his
decision, the President listened to the Governor, the State's Senators,
and representatives of the people of Nevada and gave careful
consideration to their views.
He also consulted extensively
with his science and environmental advisers to ensure that they
concurred with the science, safety, and environmental conclusions of
the Secretary's recommendation.
Finding a safe and central repository is not only mandated by law,
but it is in America's national security and homeland security
interests. Forty percent of our Navy's fleet depends on nuclear
power.
Currently, nuclear materials are stored in 131
above-ground facilities in 39 states, and 161 million Americans live
within 75 miles of these sites. One central site provides
more protection for this material than do the existing 131
sites.
One out of every five times someone turns on a light
switch, it's thanks to the fact that nuclear power produces 20 percent
of our Nation's electricity. Given the environmental
benefits of nuclear power, a safe repository for nuclear materials will
help us pursue our energy and environmental security goals.
Since the Congress passed a law requiring a repository in 1982,
this has been a serious issue for the American people. The
President recognizes that the law now gives Nevada the opportunity to
disapprove the recommendation and, if they do, then the Congress will
have an opportunity to act. After two decades, the time has
come to resolve this issue once and for all.
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