Nevada leaders press Bush on nuclear waste site
Date: 11-Feb-02
Country: USA
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has already endorsed plans to build a repository under Yucca Mountain, 90 miles (140 km) from Las Vegas, to store an estimated 70,000 tonnes of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants.
He is expected to submit his formal recommendations to Bush as early as Sunday, prompting a last-minute lobbying blitz by Nevada's Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn, Democratic Sen. Harry Reid and Republican Sen. John Ensign, who urged Bush to consider safety concerns such as the risk of long-term radiation leaks.
"The Department of Energy has literally been hellbent on building Yucca Mountain regardless of what the science is," Ensign said following the meeting with Bush.
"What our mission was today was to give him the other side, based on sound science, based on sound economics, that would say that Yucca Mountain should not go forward at this point. The safety considerations have not been addressed," he added.
During the meeting, which lasted about 25 minutes, Bush did not say what his decision would be, according to participants, though the president is widely expected to endorse the project.
Ensign said he believed Bush was genuinely undecided. "I think the president has doubts in his mind."
Reid and Guinn said Bush promised to consider the concerns they raised.
Used fuel from the nation's 103 nuclear power plants is piling up at a rate of about 2,000 tonnes a year, according to the U.S. utility industry, which has pressed the federal government to designate Yucca Mountain as a waste repository.
Although the Energy Department's endorsement is a key step in the process, the plan for a repository at Yucca Mountain still faces several obstacles before construction could begin.
If Nevada objects to the administration's plan, as Guinn made clear he would, Congress would have 90 days to decide the issue with a simple majority vote. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission must also approve a license for the site.
Some $8 billion has been spent over the last 20 years to determine if Yucca Mountain will offer safe storage, with critics contending the studies have shown it is unsuitable. Reid contends that the government would have to spend a total of $100 billion to develop the storage site.