(Gary Martin, Review-Journal Washington Bureau) – Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, tapped by President Donald Trump to head the Energy Department, left open Thursday the possibility that Yucca Mountain could house nuclear waste in the future.
Perry told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that he understood the position of Nevada’s bipartisan congressional delegation and Gov. Brian Sandoval that the facility should be mothballed because of intense opposition.
But Perry would not rule out consideration of Yucca Mountain for future use.
Under questioning by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Perry said he was open to looking at storage sites outside “what we have historically looked at before.”
If confirmed, Perry said he would seek a permanent solution to the nuclear waste storage problem that has lingered for three decades.
