Trump Advisers Eye Reviving Nevada Yucca Nuclear Waste Dump
- Trump and Congress could restore funds to halted project
- Consideration comes amid war of words with outgoing senator
A sign warns people to stay away from the proposed nuclear waste dump site of Yucca Mountain on Feb. 7, 2002, at Nellis Air Force Base, approximately 90 miles north of Las Vegas.
The long-stalled plan to stash radioactive waste at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain is set to be revived with the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump in Washington and the departure of the project’s most ardent Senate opponent, Harry Reid.
Two people familiar with Trump’s transition planning say the issue is actively being discussed by advisers as a wave of nuclear power plant retirements intensifies pressure to find a permanent home for more than 70,000 metric tons of radioactive waste now stored at those facilities. They spoke anonymously because they weren’t authorized to discuss Trump’s plans.