Bush opposes Yucca Mountain; at odds with Rubio

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tells reporters he will make up his mind “in relatively short order” on whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2016, after attending a bill signing ceremony with Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, April 16, 2015.

Associated Press

Wednesday, May 13, 2015 | 4:43 p.m.

RENO — Jeb Bush isn't officially in the race yet, but he's already parting ways with one declared Republican presidential candidate regarding Yucca Mountain.

The ex-Florida governor told reporters after a Reno town hall meeting Wednesday he believes a high-level nuclear waste repository should be built only where the state and local communities have reached a consensus that they want it there.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told reporters in South Carolina last weekend the Nevada site was chosen long ago. He says the money already has been invested there, so it should go forward unless someone has a better idea.

Bush said the waste dump shouldn't be "forced down the throat" of anyone. He says the Yucca Mountain plan has "stalled out" and won't be adopted, at least in the immediate future.