Nevada outlines united strategy against nuke dump

Brendan Riley

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999 | 4:42 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- The state's congressional delegation, key legislators, the governor and other top elected officials outlined strategies Tuesday for blocking plans for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada.

The "nuke waste summit" was organized by Gov. Kenny Guinn, who said all Nevada's top politicians, whether Republican or Democrat, "must show strength and unity, show that we're absolutely united" against the dump.

The immediate effort will be to convince Congress to reject a proposal for interim storage of high-level nuclear waste at the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada - a task that should be easier for Democrats than Republicans.

The Democrats already have President Clinton in the anti-dump camp. Only last week, he renewed a promise to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said at the summit.

Votes to override a presidential veto would "come from our Republican friends in the House and Senate," added U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.

With Guinn's recent election as Nevada's first GOP governor in 16 years, Reid said the state has a new way to work on fence-sitting or pro-dump Republicans in Congress.

"Doors are open that weren't open before," he said, adding that the interim storage measure could be up for a House vote next month and it's important to keep the bill from getting a two-thirds majority.

If the Nevada strategy produces at least 147 "no" votes in the House - a third of the members plus one - that would show a two-thirds vote needed to override a veto isn't there.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said there may be about 120 "no" votes now, "so we're within a stone's throw of reaching that goal." He and Rep. Shelley Berkley, R-Nev., pledged to work together in lining up the rest of the votes needed.

Bryan and Reid, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said they're pretty sure any veto override attempt in the Senate would fail.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said she's ready for a "worst-case" legal battle, but said the best strategy for now is to lobby Congress. She also praised Guinn for pulling the opposition together.

Guinn said private-sector support also is needed from chambers of commerce and development authorities. He added some unions will back the anti-dump effort. But others see the dump project as a good source of jobs.

While there's not a unanimous voice against the dump in the Nevada Legislature, Guinn said only a few lawmakers don't adamantly oppose the proposal - and that's a big improvement compared with 1997 when several legislators indicated support for the project being pushed by the nuclear power industry.