Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, in 2002, after extensive research by the Department of Energy (DOE), scientists concluded that Yucca Mountain met all the requirements to act as a repository for high level radioactive waste. After which, the DOE applied for the license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin construction of the Yucca Mountain facility. Unfortunately, due to political brinksmanship, those plans have stalled indefinitely, despite the fact that ratepayers have contributed nearly $30 Billion to the nuclear waste fund, which is specifically designated to be used for Yucca Mountain. The federal government and taxpayers have dedicated enormous resources to completing the nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain. However, the Obama Administration did everything in its power to stall the completion of the facility, holding up construction under political red tape--even though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's own safety evaluation found it would not be a threat to the local population of Nevada as it would benefit all of America. Thankfully, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 will finally remove unnecessary burdens to make much needed improvements to our national nuclear waste strategy. This legislation is especially important to the residents of South Carolina. South Carolina ratepayers have invested over $1.3 billion into Yucca over the last 30 years--that's in addition to the billions of dollars collected from ratepayers across the country.…”