New Mexico's governor has signed legislation that calls for banning the storage of spent nuclear fuel in New Mexico, unless the state provides its consent first.

The New Mexico Senate approved a proposed ban on the local disposal of spent nuclear fuel, unless the state provides its consent first.

The U.S. government is offering more money to find a solution for storing or disposing of spent nuclear fuel from the nation's commercial nuclear power plants.

State officials have released a draft permit that includes tougher provisions for the U.S. government to meet if it wants to continue dumping radioactive waste from decades of nuclear research and bomb-making in the New Mexico desert.