Nuke official to take Nevadans’ concerns to D.C.

Monday, May 3, 1999 | 10:57 a.m.

Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Greta Dicus heard the concerns of state and local officials and environmental representatives behind closed doors Friday and then promised to take their nuclear waste objections to her fellow commissioners.

Dicus apologized to state and Clark County officials for ignoring their concerns about future shipments of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

State and county officials are fighting nuclear industry plans to store highly radioactive waste temporarily at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and permanently at Yucca Mountain, 90 northwest of Las Vegas.

If either storage plan is approved, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would be responsible for setting safety regulations and licensing the site.

The commission's actions have made it appear to favor the nuclear industry instead of remaining independent and listening to the concerns of affected communities, county Nuclear Waste Division Director Dennis Bechtel said.

The NRC incurred the wrath of state and local officials after it published a study on renewing nuclear power plant licenses that included a plan to transport radioactive waste through Clark County to Yucca Mountain or the Test Site.

State and local officials discovered the plan by accident and asked the NRC to extend the comment period on the study to allow public hearings in Southern Nevada. The commission refused, but after local officials scheduled a public hearing in Las Vegas anyway, the NRC sent invitations to select officials inviting them to express their concerns to Dicus privately on Friday.

The lack of public comment was a major concern for Bechtel, who said he was pleased that the NRC extended the comment period for the radiation rules. Dicus did not commit to another public hearing.

"But Commissioner Dicus did say she will inform the commissioners of Nevada's concerns," Bechtel said after his meeting with her.

For Moapa Valley Paiute representative Calvin Meyers, what bothered him about the NRC was "Everything."

"There's no communication between the NRC and the tribe," he said. The Paiutes live about 45 miles northeast of Las Vegas and consider the Test Site and Yucca Mountain sacred places.

After his meeting with Dicus, Meyers said she offered to meet with the tribal council. "We'll see what happens," he said.

For Rick Nielsen of Citizen Alert, an environmental watchdog group, the commission has to pay attention to Nevada residents who fear harm from radioactive waste shipments passing their families and homes.

"It was great to lay it on the line," Nielsen said after his meeting. "The NRC has to realize that the Yucca Mountain project has major implications for Clark County and the public. The NRC has to listen."

Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., threatened on Thursday to hold up the appointment of a replacement for Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Shirley Ann Jackson, citing the study discovered by accident and other NRC actions in the past year that:

* Offered radiation standards for a repository at Yucca Mountain when the federal Environmental Protection Agency has that responsibility. The NRC held a meeting last month in Las Vegas on the proposed standards and on Friday extended the written comment period from May 10 to June 30.

* Attempted to streamline its hearing process for renewing reactor licenses to allow less public participation.

The NRC's study including nuclear waste transportation plans based on 10-year-old information that doesn't reflect the tremendous increase in Southern Nevada's population. In addition, while the national traffic fatality rate dropped 11 percent in the past decade, Southern Nevada's rate jumped 25 percent.