More than four decades after the U.S. government began searching for a permanent home for the nation’s growing stockpile of nuclear waste, filmmaker Casey Carter revisits one of America’s most consequential environmental and political debates in the powerful documentary To Use a Mountain.
Premiering to critical acclaim and earning the Special Jury Award at Switzerland’s prestigious Visions du Réel, the feature documentary examines the communities that found themselves at the center of a controversial federal plan to store high-level radioactive waste for thousands of years. Combining archival research with deeply personal stories, the film explores the lasting human impact of decisions that continue to shape the American landscape today.
Following a successful international festival run, To Use a Mountain will open theatrically at DCTV in New York on August 21, with additional regional screenings to follow. A nationwide VOD release through Grasshopper Film is planned for 2027.
Revisiting America’s Search for a Nuclear Repository
The story begins in 1982, when six rural communities across the United States were unexpectedly informed that their land had been identified as a possible permanent burial site for the country’s nuclear waste.
Tasked with isolating radioactive material for 10,000 years, the U.S. Department of Energy launched one of the nation’s most ambitious environmental planning efforts. While government agencies relied on geological surveys, technical reports, and scientific analysis, the people living in those communities faced an uncertain future.
For many residents, the proposal threatened not only their homes but also their health, livelihoods, cultural heritage, and relationship with the land.
Eventually, the federal government selected Yucca Mountain in Nevada, located on the unceded lands of the Western Shoshone Nation, as the preferred repository.
Although construction was ultimately halted after decades of political controversy and legal challenges, the United States still has approximately 90,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste without a permanent storage solution.
A People’s History of Resistance
Rather than focusing solely on policy debates or technical details, To Use a Mountain tells the story through the voices of those directly affected.
The documentary brings together farmers, miners, Native American leaders, citizen scientists, environmental advocates, and community organizers, each sharing their experiences of resisting projects that threatened their communities.
Through these personal accounts, the film contrasts local knowledge and lived experience with the detached language of government bureaucracy.
The result is a moving exploration of environmental justice, community resilience, and the enduring struggle between public policy and the people who must live with its consequences.
A Timely Conversation
Although the events explored in the documentary began more than forty years ago, its themes remain remarkably relevant.
Today, debates surrounding nuclear waste management have gained renewed urgency as the United States explores expanding nuclear energy to meet rising electricity demand, including the enormous energy requirements of artificial intelligence data centers.
Recognizing these ongoing challenges, To Use a Mountain is screening with frontline communities across the country currently confronting issues related to nuclear waste storage, nuclear weapons production, and proposed next-generation nuclear projects.
The documentary invites audiences to consider not only the scientific and political questions surrounding nuclear energy, but also the ethical responsibility of deciding where long-lasting environmental risks should be placed.
Casey Carter’s Vision
To Use a Mountain marks the feature documentary debut of filmmaker Casey Carter, whose work combines documentary filmmaking with photography, cartography, architecture, and data visualization.
Holding degrees in Physics, Photography, and Architecture, Carter brings an interdisciplinary perspective to complex environmental issues.
His previous short films, including The Rights of Nature, Two Prisons, and Two Boys and a Dream, have screened internationally while exploring themes of geography, government policy, and environmental stewardship.
Supported by organizations including the Sundance Documentary Film Program, IDA, UnionDocs, The Redford Center, SFFILM, and the New York Foundation for the Arts, Carter serves as the film’s director, cinematographer, and editor, crafting an immersive visual experience that blends landscapes, archives, and personal testimony.
Festival Recognition
Since its World Premiere at Visions du Réel, To Use a Mountain has continued building momentum across the international festival circuit.
The documentary received the Special Jury Award in Switzerland before screening in competition at Dallas International Film Festival.
It also earned a Best Feature Honorable Mention at DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver and was selected for IDFA’s Best of Fest program in Amsterdam.
Additional screenings at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and numerous international festivals have further established the film as one of the year’s most significant environmental documentaries.
A Documentary About Place, Memory, and Responsibility
Beyond its examination of nuclear waste policy, To Use a Mountain becomes a meditation on memory, stewardship, and humanity’s relationship with the landscapes it inhabits.
By placing personal histories alongside government archives, Casey Carter asks viewers to consider who bears the burden of decisions designed to last longer than recorded human history.
As debates surrounding energy, climate, and environmental responsibility continue evolving, To Use a Mountain offers a thoughtful reminder that every policy decision ultimately affects real communities, real families, and the places they call home.
For audiences interested in environmental justice, public policy, Indigenous rights, and documentary filmmaking, To Use a Mountain promises one of the year’s most compelling cinematic experiences.
Watch the official trailer:
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