Take page from Alaska playbook

Yucca Mountain is once again being considered as a potential nuclear waste repository. While the idea of using Nevada as a dumping ground for the nation’s nuclear waste has long been unpopular with residents, perhaps it’s time to consider charging the nuclear industry rent for using our state as a permanent disposal site. That rent could be distributed among Nevadans each year?

There is a precedent for this. When Big Oil sought the approval of Alaskans for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the residents established the Alaska Permanent Fund. This fund was designed to ensure that the state’s nonrenewable resources would benefit both current and future generations. The Alaska Legislature created the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation to manage the fund, and Alaska residents who have lived there for at least 12 months have been receiving annual checks ever since.

Implementing a similar model in Nevada could be a game changer, encouraging more nuclear power generation while also providing tangible benefits to the people of our state.