Yucca Mountain: Ending Nuclear Waste Storage Plans
A senate committee must act next: committee consideration.
The bill is a priority for Nevada, but Congress has struggled for decades to find any other place to put nuclear waste, making a final shutdown difficult.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
The bill directs a study on converting the site to alternative uses, including a possible command facility for unmanned aircraft systems. This is only a feasibility study requirement, so any real military benefit or change is speculative and years away, if it happens at all.
“defense activities, such as a command facility for unmanned aircraft systems;”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto introduced the Jobs, Not Waste Act to permanently block Yucca Mountain as a nuclear repository. The bill mandates the DOE to withdraw its license application and requires a study on alternative uses like defense facilities and renewable energy.
The legislation seeks to codify federal shifts away from the Nye County site and pivot the property toward economic development. It requires the DOE to begin environmental remediation and directs the OMB to analyze commercial and industrial alternatives for the land to generate high-wage jobs.
Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto introduced the Jobs, Not Waste Act to prohibit any current or future designation of Yucca Mountain as a permanent repository. The bill aligns with a new voluntary siting strategy and requires a study on the site's job-creation potential.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Jobs, Not Waste Act of 2026
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.