NTI Organizes “Nevadans Against Nuclear Testing” Coalition

Nevada business leaders, environmental and community groups, and elected officials are joining forces to voice their strong opposition to growing calls to resume explosive nuclear testing in Nevada. The new coalition, Nevadans Against Nuclear Testing, commissioned a poll that finds 73% of Nevada voters oppose any resumption of explosive nuclear testing in their state. Such testing, if reinstated after a 32-year moratorium, would occur underground at a site just 65 miles from Las Vegas. The new coalition is organized by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

“As someone who was charged with certifying the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, I can tell Nevadans that there is no scientific or technical need to resume nuclear testing,” said former U.S. Secretary of Energy and NTI Co-Chair and CEO Ernest J. Moniz. He added that if the United States resumes nuclear testing, Russia and China – and probably others – very likely would follow suit, escalating the nuclear arms race. “Resuming explosive nuclear testing in Nevada will set off a diplomatic chain reaction that will damage our national security and international standing.”

Learn more about the coalition here.

Read coverage of the coalition’s announcement in the Las Vegas Journal-Review.