Washington, D.C. – American Gaming Association (AGA) Vice President of Government Relations Chris Cylke released the following statement in response to the Administration’s inclusion in its budget proposal of $120 million to restore the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository:

“AGA opposes any effort to revive Yucca Mountain as a repository and will work with the many concerned citizens, small-business operators and members of Congress to ensure that radioactive waste is never stored anywhere near the world’s premier tourist, convention and entertainment destination.

Yucca Mountain is located just 90 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada, which welcomed 42 million visitors last year. Over the past decade, the Greater Las Vegas area is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. with a population that now exceeds 2.1 million people according to an estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau. Any problems with the transport of nuclear waste to the site, or issues with its storage there, would bring potentially devastating consequences to the local, state and national economies.”

Background
In April 2017, AGA President and CEO Geoff Freeman sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment and the Economy, opposing the plan to reopen the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40 states. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to be the single most effective champion of the industry, relentlessly protecting against harmful and often misinformed public policies, and paving a path for growth, innovation and reinvestment.