Lawmakers spar over Nuclear Projects funding

Kiley Russell

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999 | 9:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Lawmakers sparred Monday over continued funding for a state agency leading Nevada's fight against a federal nuclear dump, with some saying the state should give up because the dump is inevitable.

The federal Department of Energy wants to build a high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas, and has already spent $2.2 billion in 15 years of research in hopes of entombing 80,000 tons of used reactor fuel there.

Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, told a joint Assembly-Senate budget committee that despite almost universal opposition from Nevadans, the state has only a "snowball's chance" at stopping the agency's plans.

"We are going to wake up here one morning and have nuclear waste rolling through the towns and cities of Nevada and no one is working with the federal government to see how we can make our state safe," O'Donnell warned.

Instead of fighting the feds, the state should be working with the agency and funding projects that will prepare Nevada, he added.

But others are wary of working too closely with the federal government, which has slashed funding to the state for its Yucca Mountain studies.

"I do not think we need to be working hand-in-glove with the Department of Energy to make sure the people of Nevada are safe," said Bob Loux, executive director of the state Nuclear Projects Office which oversees the Yucca Mountain project.

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, agreed, saying, "Working with the DOE is like the fox watching the hen house. They have an agenda - to dump nuclear waste here."

Loux also said a cut in state funding for his office would mean he couldn't develop strong scientific evidence that shows the dump is unsafe.

Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen said the state office may be too biased against the dump and its proposed $1.9 million-a-year budget might not be spent properly.

"To this date I don't think we've gotten our money's worth. We only get one side of the story," said Jacobsen, R-Minden, adding that Nevada has a responsibility to help the military dispose of its spent nuclear fuel.

Senate Finance Chairman Bill Raggio, R-Reno, also worried that the agency continues to stray from its mandate.

"Have you been given a directive with this administration to stay within your mission statement... to protect the health, safety and well being of this state?" Raggio asked. "Can we have the assurance that you, the executive branch, will stay within your purpose?"

The budget panel met a day before Gov. Kenny Guinn's scheduled summit on nuclear waste - aimed at developing a state strategy to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada.

Guinn scheduled the summit after testifying before a House subcommittee in Washington last week against the latest effort by Congress to temporarily store highly radioactive waste in Nevada.

Congress has tried to establish a temporary nuclear waste storage site at the Nevada Test Site twice before, but legislation passed the House and failed in the Senate after the Clinton administration threatened to veto any interim storage.

The proposed Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1999 would ship commercial nuclear wastes to the Nevada Test Site by 2003 to be stored until a permanent nuclear repository is ready to accept waste. The proposal also weakens environmental and health standards that protect people from radiation.