A bipartisan congressional delegation, led by Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL), on Thursday traveled to the desert of Nevada to visit the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage site. Members came to view the repository firsthand and learn about the history and geology of the project. Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Bob Latta (R-OH), Cresent Hardy (R-NV), Mark Amodei (R-NV), and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) joined Shimkus on the tour.

Congress designated Yucca Mountain 30 years ago as the site for our nation’s long-term storage of nuclear waste, but the Obama administration pulled the plug on the project in 2010. As of 2011, the Government Accountability Office estimated that nearly $15 billion has been spent toward development of the nuclear waste repository and nearly a billion more is spent each year as the Yucca project remains stalled. Shimkus is leading an effort to help restart Yucca Mountain, hoping to work with the state of Nevada and other affected parties to identify the incentives and considerations necessary to move the project forward and ensure the nation’s nuclear safety and leadership.

"We look forward to moving this process forward and we look forward to working with the state of Nevada as we try and thank them for their hosting of a national asset," said Shimkus.

Click HERE to watch Shimkus on next steps for Yucca Mountain

To view more photos of the trip, click HERE.

To learn more about the committee’s work on Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste, click HERE.

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