Clinton: Reid needed to fight dump

Friday, Oct. 30, 1998 | 11:36 a.m.

The high-level nuclear waste dump will be on its way to Nevada in 1999 if the voters of Nevada fail to re-elect Sen. Harry Reid. That is the opinion of President Clinton, who spoke candidly with this reporter Thursday after being ask to comment on a "Where I Stand" column in last Sunday's newspaper.

That column expressed a belief that without Reid in the U.S. Senate -- another term would solidify his position and leadership among Senate Democrats and make him a significant player in the Senate's seniority system -- the GOP's effort to the send the nation's radioactive waste to Nevada would, finally, be successful.

"Your column was right on target," he told me. "But I would add a couple of things." Among those additions is the president's belief that Republican John Ensign, who is running against Reid in Tuesday's election, is sincere in his opposition to the dump.

"I feel certain that Congressman Ensign would vote in good faith against the dump. But he will not be able to stop what is a huge national effort by the nuclear-power industry to win this vote," Clinton said. "The GOP is locked into voting for the industry's position, and the nuclear industry wants and needs to put the waste somewhere," he explained.

"Why Nevada?" he was asked.

"Because Nevada is a small state, population-wise, with very few electoral votes," Clinton said. "So it cannot withstand a concerted effort by the Republicans to force this dump upon it, and Nevada is as good a place as any, as far as the nuclear industry is concerned."

The president shared his political calculation that the Republican votes that supported an earlier effort to place a temporary waste dump in Nevada were not going to change.

"Only those who voted against that bill can be expected to vote to sustain my veto," the president said.

"Make no mistake, I will not change my position," Clinton said, referring to his steadfast belief that any decision on siting the dump should be based on merit and not politics.

"I don't want politics driving this decision, and that's why I will veto this bill when it comes up again."

In April 1997 the Senate voted 65-34 in favor of a bill to establish a temporary repository for high-level nuclear waste at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

That tally was two votes shy of the 67 needed to override the president's threatened veto.

Those in favor included 53 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Thirty-two Democrats and two Republicans opposed the legislation. The final vote on the bill was preceded by five procedural votes, none of which had margins that could have overridden a veto.

Six months later the House voted 307-120 on a different bill to establish a temporary dump at the Test Site. That margin was enough to override a veto by the president. But no bill has become law because the Senate has never passed one by a margin sufficient to withstand a veto.

"Let's be clear," Clinton said. "There were several votes cast in the last two years in Nevada's favor. They were difficult votes by senators from nuclear power-producing states that were made out of affection and respect for Harry Reid. They just wanted to help Harry."

Asked to make a prediction on how another vote will turn out if Reid is no longer in the Senate, the president lamented, "If Harry Reid is defeated on Nov. 3, the utilities will get enough Democratic senators who would have voted out of respect and admiration for Harry to override my veto. I don't think there is any way we can save Nevada from the dump without Harry Reid."