Transport Secretary nominee Buttigieg expresses concern about high-level radioactive waste transport risks

On Jan. 21, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a confirmation hearing for President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as Transportation Secretary, former South Bend, IN mayor, and Democratic presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg.

On Jan. 27, the Committee approved Buttigieg's nomination, by a vote of 21 to 3. The nomination next moves to the full Senate floor, for a final confirmation vote.

If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay Cabinet member in U.S. history, and also the youngest Transportation Secretary, at age 39.

During the confirmation hearing, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (Democrat-Nevada) questioned Mayor Buttigieg re: the risks of the Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste dump proposal, including shipping irradiated nuclear fuel to Nevada.

The transcript is below and video of the Senator’s exchange on Yucca Mountain can be found here.

ROSEN: Well thank you, I appreciate that. I think I have time for one more question so I want to talk about something that we discussed a little bit, which is Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste disposal. Nevadans refuse to let our state become the nation’s dumping ground for nuclear waste. For over 30 years, we have opposed the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal project, in part because it would require transporting nearly 9,500 rail casks in 2,800 trains and 2,650 trucks from across the country to Nevada.

This is a major transportation crisis waiting to happen, putting major metropolitan areas in 44 states, their freeways and their railways at risk along with millions of Americans. It would require at least 300 miles of new railroad, and take over 50 years – at three loads per week by truck or by train -- to move all this nuclear waste. It’s a huge expense, it’s a huge risk, and we have an aging rail system, and consistent shipments of these heavy casks are going to cause wear and tear. Let alone the safety [issues] and some of the bottlenecks. If you go by train, you have to go by the same four major metropolitan areas three times a week for 50 years with that nuclear waste. I just think that would be unacceptable to those poor cities and our states as well.

As Secretary of Transportation, you will have jurisdiction over the rail lines, and jurisdiction on the transportation of hazardous materials by rail via your Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and its Office of Hazardous Materials Safety.

So, with that in mind, given the safety concerns, the economic concerns, and the fact that the state of Nevada has never consented to the project, will you commit to opposing the dangerous shipments [of nuclear waste] to Yucca Mountain?

BUTTIGIEG: I’m committed to making sure that there are solutions that everybody believes in. I share the concerns that you’ve raised, not just from the Nevada perspective but all across the route.

ROSEN: I look forward to having more discussions with you on that. I appreciate your time here today and your willingness to serve our country. I thank you for your service in our military and look forward to working with you when you come out of committee.

[In fact, the South Bend, IN area would be hard-hit by many thousands of high-level radioactive waste shipments bound for Yucca Mountain, Nevada -- even though there are no atomic reactors in IN. The routes to be taken through IN, and the shipment numbers, are documented in 2017 reports prepared by the State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. Citizens Action Coalition of IN has been the lead group for decades, educating officials in IN, and beyond, about the risks of high-level radioactive waste transportation.]