Move to strip Yucca Mountain funds from Energy spending bill fails
WASHINGTON — An amendment backed by Nevada Democrats that would have stripped money for the proposed Yucca Mountain project from a spending bill for the Department of Energy died in the House on Thursday.
The spending bill, which includes appropriations for military construction and other federal departments, contains $267 million to restart the licensing process to open the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository in Nye County, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
An amendment to strip that spending from the bill died on a voice vote.
The amendment was filed by Rep. Ruben Kihuen and supported by Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Jacky Rosen, all Nevada Democrats.
A Senate spending bill approved last month does not include funding for Yucca Mountain.
Differences in the two bills must be reconciled by a House-Senate conference committee.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.
