Documentary 'To Use a Mountain' Exposes Decades-Long Fight Over US Nuclear Waste Sites
Casey Carter’s debut feature documentary, 'To Use a Mountain,' chronicles the US government’s 1982 search for a permanent nuclear waste repository, highlighting the environmental and social impact on six rural communities. The film contrasts clinical Department of Energy assessments with the lived experiences of residents, including Western Shoshone tribal members, to argue that nuclear waste disposal is a form of environmental violence. Released theatrically in August 2026, the 99-minute film uses experimental editing and archival documents to critique the ongoing lack of a permanent disposal solution, noting that the US still stores over 77,000 tons of high-level waste without a permanent site.
