Full Breakdown
“To Use a Mountain”: A Documentary Exposes America’s Unresolved Nuclear Waste Crisis
8/25/2026, 10:15:58 PM
The Film’s Focus
Casey Carter’s documentary *To Use a Mountain* examines the United States’ decades-long effort to locate a permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste. It follows the Department of Energy’s (DoE) selection of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, the ensuing legal battles, activist opposition, and the continued reliance on temporary storage that costs utilities “tens of billions of dollars.”
Historical Background
The 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act required a permanent disposal site for the nation’s growing inventory of spent fuel—more than 90,000 tons of high-level waste. Yucca Mountain, about a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, was eventually designated as the nation’s nuclear burial site.
Key Figures & Groups
- Casey Carter – Director of *To Use a Mountain*.
- Ian Zabarte – Western Shoshone leader who argues Yucca Mountain violates treaty obligations to his tribe.
- Harry Reid – Former Senate majority leader who opposed the Yucca Mountain project.
- Department of Energy (DoE) – Federal agency responsible for nuclear waste policy.
Timeline
- 1982 – Nuclear Waste Policy Act enacted.
- Early 2000s – Yucca Mountain selected as the permanent repository.
- Summer 2018 – Carter begins filming.
- Last month – Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah named as finalists for new “nuclear lifecycle innovation campuses.”
- By year-end – DoE plans to pick three host states for those campuses.
Data & Statistics
- The original plan called for isolating more than 90,000 tons of high-level waste for 10,000 years.
- The federal government currently pays utilities tens of billions of dollars to keep spent fuel on site pending a permanent solution.
Why It Matters
The film links the unresolved waste issue to environmental justice concerns. Potential leaching threatens groundwater, air quality and the food chain, while the lack of a permanent repository forces continued reliance on costly temporary storage.
Official Statements & Responses
Senate majority leader Harry Reid is cited as having “obstructed” the Yucca Mountain project, contributing to its cancellation. Federal payments to utilities are described as a stopgap while a permanent site remains unfound.
On-the-Ground Reports
The documentary features a Washington-state farmer involved in a class-action lawsuit over radioactive releases from the Hanford reservation, illustrating the anxiety of residents near legacy nuclear sites.
Verbatim Quotes
- “He joked that nuclear power is the only faith-based energy because everyone always asks, ‘Do you believe in it?’” — Casey Carter
- “It’s heavy, it’s tragic and unfortunately it’s an all-too-familiar state of affairs,” — Casey Carter
What’s Next
The DoE’s upcoming selection of three host states for “nuclear lifecycle innovation campuses” will shape the next phase of America’s waste-management strategy, potentially adding new sites to the list of communities confronting long-term radioactive storage.
