Behind The Lens: 'To Use A Mountain' Examines America's Unfinished Nuclear Legacy

---

Some documentaries ask audiences to revisit history. Others reveal that history never truly ended. To Use A Mountain, the award-winning feature documentary from filmmaker Casey Carter, explores one of America's longest-running environmental and political debates: what to do with the nation's growing stockpile of high-level nuclear waste. Opening theatrically on August 21 at DCTV in New York before expanding regionally, the film arrives at a moment when renewed interest in nuclear energy is colliding with questions about long-term stewardship, environmental justice, and public accountability.

Rather than framing the issue through policy alone, 'To Use A Mountain' shifts its focus toward the communities that have lived with the consequences of decisions made far from home.

Revisiting A National Crossroads

The documentary traces its origins to 1982, when six rural communities across the United States learned they were being considered as permanent storage sites for the country's nuclear waste. While federal agencies evaluated geological data and technical reports, residents found themselves confronting questions that extended far beyond science—questions about health, land, history, and the future of their communities.

The film follows the decades-long journey that ultimately centered on Yucca Mountain in Nevada, located on the unceded lands of the Western Shoshone. Although construction of the proposed repository was eventually halted after years of legal, political, and public opposition, the central challenge remains unresolved. More than 90,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste continue to await a permanent disposal solution in the United States.

Centering The Voices Behind The Headlines

Rather than relying primarily on government reports and institutional perspectives, 'To Use A Mountain' builds its narrative through the people whose lives have been directly shaped by the debate. Farmers, miners, Native American leaders, citizen scientists, and community activists offer personal accounts that reveal the human dimensions often overlooked in discussions about infrastructure and national energy policy. By pairing these stories with striking landscapes and archival material, the documentary explores how memory, identity, and stewardship become inseparable from the places people call home.

Documentary Filmmaking With An Interdisciplinary Lens

'To Use A Mountain' marks the first feature-length documentary from filmmaker Casey Carter, whose background spans physics, photography, architecture, cartography, and documentary storytelling. Carter serves as the film's director, cinematographer, and editor, bringing together visual design and investigative nonfiction to examine the intersection of geography, government, and environmental responsibility.

The film has already earned significant recognition on the international festival circuit, including the Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel, along with selections at IDFA, DOXA, Dallas International Film Festival, and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, reflecting its resonance with audiences interested in environmental issues, public policy, and community resilience.

A Conversation That Continues

The release of 'To Use A Mountain' comes as discussions surrounding nuclear infrastructure have returned to the national conversation, driven in part by growing energy demands and renewed investment in next-generation nuclear technologies. While the documentary remains rooted in historical events, its questions feel increasingly contemporary, asking audiences to consider not only where waste is stored, but who bears the responsibility of living alongside it.

More than an examination of government policy, 'To Use A Mountain' is a meditation on the relationship between people and place, highlighting the enduring tension between technological progress and the communities asked to carry its lasting consequences.