S. 5233 — Jobs, Not Waste Act of 2026

This section defines terms used throughout the Act, including the appropriate committees of Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Secretary of Energy, and the Yucca Mountain site as established under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982.

This section terminates the licensing proceeding for a nuclear waste repository at the Yucca Mountain site and withdraws the Secretary of Energy's application for construction authorization. It prohibits the Secretary from considering the Yucca Mountain site for a repository. The section requires the Secretary to reclaim the site and mitigate significant adverse environmental impacts from prior activities. It ends the prior requirement to phase out site-specific activities at all other candidate sites and the eligibility of Nevada to enter into benefits agreements.

This section directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the appropriate congressional committees and release publicly, within 180 days of enactment, a study on the economic viability and job-creating benefits of alternative uses of the Yucca Mountain site. The study must address defense activities such as a command facility for unmanned aircraft systems, renewable energy development, and scientific research, as described in GAO report GAO–11–847 (September 2011).