As Trump Administration Weighs Resuming Explosive Nuclear Testing, Rosen Visits the Nevada National Security Site to Observe Nuclear Stockpile Certification

Senator Rosen Has Been An Outspoken Leader Against Resuming Explosive Nuclear Testing In Nevada

LAS VEGAS, NV - Last week, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen visited the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) to see firsthand the work being done to certify the nation's nuclear stockpile without conducting explosive testing. The NNSS and its related facilities play a crucial role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear stockpile as the only place in the country where subcritical experiments are conducted so that we never again have to detonate a nuclear weapon. Senator Rosen toured the Site's underground laboratory, which is undergoing a major mining and construction project that will host two of the most advanced radiographic machines in the world, which will provide greater certainty and data about the performance of the stockpile. This is far better data, experts say, than the information that could be obtained if the U.S. were to break the current testing moratorium and conduct an explosive nuclear test. In Senate Armed Services Committee hearings, Senator Rosen has received commitments from every nominee to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration and the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, that there is not a need to resume explosive nuclear testing and that they would not recommend a resumption.

"Nevada knows firsthand the terrible effects from explosive nuclear testing. When it comes to the radiation unleashed by these tests, what happens in Nevada won't just stay in Nevada - the entire country will feel the harm from these explosives tests," said Senator Rosen. "That's why the Nevada National Security Site is a facility of national importance as the only place in the country where state-of-the-art, science-based subcritical experiments verify the military effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile without needing to perform explosive tests. I've had the pleasure of visiting NNSS again and seeing firsthand how they perform their work to keep our nation safe, without resuming explosive nuclear testing. I will continue fighting in the Senate against any proposed measures that would expose our state to harmful radiation and hurt our economy."

Senator Rosen has been outspoken against a resumption of explosive nuclear testing in Nevada. She has helped introduce legislation to stop President Trump's reckless plans to resume explosive nuclear testing and led the Nevada delegation in sending a letter to the Trump Administration expressing outrage over the President's directive to resume explosive nuclear testing. In a recent committee hearing, Senator Rosen pushed back against a Trump Administration official who left the door open for restarting explosive nuclear testing. Senator Rosen also helped pass a bipartisan bill to support Nevadans harmed by radiation from Cold War nuclear testing.

The NNSS was the primary location for U.S. nuclear testing from 1951 to 1992, where 100 atmospheric and 828 underground tests were conducted. After President George H.W. Bush signed the testing moratorium in 1992, the U.S. developed the Stockpile Stewardship Program and science-based subcritical experiments to certify the reliability, safety, and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile without the need for explosive testing. For decades, the directors of the national laboratories, commanders of U.S. Strategic Command, and the Secretaries of Defense and Energy - including during both terms of the Trump Administration - have annually certified the military effectiveness of our stockpile, and confirmed that it does not require a resumption of explosive testing.

###