US energy secretary sees Senate OK of Yucca site
Date: 17-May-02
Country: USA
Author: Thomas Ferraro
"I think the majority of senators will conclude we have made a strong and compelling case," Abraham told reporters after testifying before the Senate Energy Committee.
The Senate will decide within the next few months whether to follow the lead of the Republican-led House of Representatives and vote to override Nevada's veto of Bush administration plans to construct the nation's first permanent nuclear waste storage facility in Yucca Mountain, 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Las Vegas.
On May 8, on a bipartisan vote of 306-117, the House rejected Nevada's safety concerns and endorsed President George W. Bush's decision to bury nuclear waste in the Nevada desert.
The Senate Energy Committee held its first hearing on the project yesterday and plans two more before voting on June 5 on whether to recommend approval by the full Senate.
Senate Republicans predict the chamber will approve the $58 billion project with the help of many Democrats from states with nuclear reactors and mounting radioactive waste.
Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid and Republican Sen. John Ensign, both of Nevada, admitted they had an uphill fight to stop the project.
"We have not given up," Ensign said after Thursday's hearing, during which he and Reid challenged Abraham on a number of fronts. "We're in the fight of our lives."
SITE 'SAFE AND SUITABLE'
Abraham, citing more than $4 billion in studies over the past two decades, told the Energy Committee, "We have concluded that the site is safe and suitable for storage."
He said that if the Senate gave its blessing, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would then make the final determination on suitability when it decides whether to grant a license.
Last month, Nevada Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn vetoed Bush's decision earlier in the year to accept Abraham's recommendation to build the depository in Nevada. Guinn has also challenged the project in federal court.
Under a 1982 federal law on nuclear waste disposal, a state governor may veto the president's plans to put a depository in his or her state. The veto can be overridden by Congress with a majority vote of each chamber.
Nuclear power plants produce more than 20 percent of the country's energy, and many waste storage tanks are nearly full. The government has faced lawsuits for failing to meet a 1998 deadline to open a permanent nuclear waste storage site.
The proposed site would permanently hold 70,000 tonnes of radioactive material and open in 2010.
