U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., asked President-elect Donald Trump’s energy secretary nominee, Chris Wright, to acknowledge the “failed Yucca Mountain project is unworkable,” during his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

He didn’t directly oppose the statement, she indicated on social media.

“I asked Chris Wright to simply recognize that Yucca Mountain is an unworkable project,”

Cortez Masto wrote on X after twice asking him the question.

“He admitted that he knows Nevadans are opposed to it, but he still couldn’t bring himself to shut the door on using our state as a nuclear dump. Well, Nevada’s position isn’t going to change.”

Cortez Masto’s line of questioning comes as members of the state’s congressional delegation are reattempting to pass legislation banning the construction of a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Storing the nation’s radioactive waste at a seismically and volcanically active site in Southern Nevada has consistently faced widespread opposition in Nevada.

“I’ve said for years that Washington shouldn’t have the unilateral authority to make decisions that will impact communities and the environment in the Silver State for generations to come,”

Cortez Masto said in a statement.

“Nevadans have made it clear, Yucca Mountain is dead. This legislation will give local and tribal leaders the seat at the table they deserve in decision-making about nuclear repositories in their communities.”

The Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act, which was reintroduced Wednesday by all Nevada Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate, dates to similar legislation from 2015 that was sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., and the late U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.

Titus said Nevada shouldn’t be forced to accept nuclear waste for storage, given that the state doesn’t produce any.

“Over more than three decades and at every step in the process, the Yucca Mountain project has faltered because Nevadans do not want nuclear waste stored in our state,” Titus said in a statement. “We must codify this opposition into law to protect the health and safety of our communities and guarantee a process that requires the consent of state, local and tribal leaders.”

Yucca Mountain has long been a sore spot between Washington and Nevada, for decades falling into a pattern of dying and being revived. Trump, in his first term, had pitched over $100 million for restarting the project until announcing in February 2020 that he would look for alternative solutions.

“Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain and my Administration will RESPECT you! Congress and previous Administrations have long failed to find lasting solutions,”

Trump wrote on social media at the time. “My Administration is committed to exploring innovative approaches – I’m confident we can get it done!”

The future of Yucca Mountain still remains unclear.

Project 2025, the guide written for Trump’s second term, calls for a revival. Trump denied affiliation with the roadmap throughout his campaign last year; though he tapped several contributors to be part of his administration, such as Tom Homan to be “border czar” and Russell Vought as the next director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“I’m new to politics, as you can see and you’ll see all day long today,” Wright said Wednesday after Cortez Masto asked him to agree that the project was unworkable. “I think that has been a clear record that Nevadans oppose the project. I will work with you and with senators across the country to find solutions for long-term disposal of nuclear waste.” haajrah.gilani@gmgvegas. com / 702-990-8923 / @haajrahgilani