Coming Ahead of Nevada’s Republican presidential caucus on Feb. 4, most of the remaining Republican presidential candidates expressed conditional support for the Yucca Mountain repository to local media last weekend. While Mitt Romney had been highly critical of Yucca Mountain in debates last fall, in statements published Sunday the candidate lambasted the Obama Administration’s handling of the shutdown. “President Obama has allowed politics to trump science. His Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman has come under heavy criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike for incompetent management, and his administration has disregarded the scientific and technical analysis conducted for the site,” Romney told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He added, “No state should be forced to accept the nation’s nuclear waste against its will. Instead, the federal government should offer Nevada terms that would make acceptance of the site attractive.”
Newt Gingrich, who has consistently supported Yucca Mountain, told the paper that “Yucca Mountain was picked by the scientific community as one of the safest places in the United States.” He added, “Any deal that is reached must be agreed on by local, state, and federal officials and follow sound science. While working to meet Nevada’s concerns, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs to look for an interim depository in a locale agreeable to scientists and residents.” Rick Santorum said he backs the repository, as long as it is “done in a safe and responsible manner,” while Ron Paul noted that he has always voted against the site.
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