Rubio: I support opening Yucca Mountain

Presidential hopeful Marco Rubio said Saturday he backs opening a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

The Florida senator made the comments in a videotaped interview with Greenville, South Carolina, reporters after he spoke at the South Carolina Freedom Summit. Here's the full exchange:

 Reporter Rudolph Bell: "Do you favor opening it or not?

Rubio: "Yeah...we've already invested money into that facility....there has to be such a facility in the United States. That's the one that was chosen long ago, and money was invested. If someone has a better idea...then we'd be open to that. We should follow the science on that. But the bottom line is we, today, including here in South Carolina, are holding onto nuclear material in areas that were supposed to be temporary areas. that have become permanent holding areas for used, radioactive material, and long-term, that is not a safe way to store these things. So you do need a permanent, central depository for it. Yucca Mountain is the place that's gotten the money, and it was chosen years ago. So unless someone can identify a better project, that's the one we should move forward on."

Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison was announced this week as Rubio's Nevada chairman. Nicely briefed, Hutch.

What happens in South Carolina can hurt you in Nevada.

The video is here. The Yucca question begins at 2:30.

Comments: