Congress finalizes its session

Benjamin Grove

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Retiring Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., was poised to take home one final legislative victory today with his effort to protect parts of Nevada's Black Rock desert.

After one of the most protracted endings in congressional history, colored by a bizarre presidential election, the nation's lawmakers were finally close to wrapping up this year's session of Congress today.

Lawmakers hoped to pass the final budget agreement this afternoon and turn out the lights on Capitol Hill.

"All in all, this was an extremely good session for Nevada," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said.

Bryan's legislation would protect 797,000 acres of desert laced with pioneer trails north of Reno. Bryan wants to turn over the stark desert playa to the Bureau of Land Management as a national conservation area, allowing only existing grazing and mines to continue operating. Ranchers have voiced opposition.

The Senate passed the bill in early October, but it got little attention in the House. Now it may be included in the sweeping budget agreement worked out by Congress and President Clinton this week, now near its final form. Bryan cautioned, "anything can happen in the final minutes."

This year's Congress, often plagued by partisan rancor, tackled a number of Nevada-related issues, leaving some unfinished business for the next Congress, which convenes Jan. 3.

"It was the least productive year in Congress in the 12 that I have served in the Senate," Bryan said. "But it was good for Nevada in terms of what did not happen."

Bryan was referring in part to nuclear waste legislation. The Department of Energy continues to move forward with the plan to bury the nation's high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a plan most Nevadans oppose.

Congress this year passed a bill that would have sped shipments of the highly radioactive waste to Nevada as early as 2007, but President Clinton vetoed it in April.

Congress early on could attempt to pass another bill aimed at setting health and safety rules, as well as a timeline, for waste placement at Yucca. Or lawmakers could decide to delay further action, at least until the results of scientific studies at Yucca are released later next year.

"I think we're going to have an opportunity to fight that battle down the road again," Rep. Jim Gibbons said. "But between the Yucca Mountain legislation and the NCAA bill, I think we were very successful."

Another Nevada delegation fight centered on the NCAA-supported bill that would outlaw wagering on college sports in Nevada casinos. House and Senate committees passed the bill, but the full House and Senate did not vote on the bill, even though it has widespread support in Congress. Nevada's lawmakers fiercely oppose the bill and Sens. Richard Bryan and Harry Reid, both D-Nev., have blocked it. Leading legislation proponents -- Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Reps. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. -- have said they plan to push for another vote early in the session.

"Both senators (Reid and Ensign) will be working hard with the leaders in the industry, with all of us doing our best to oppose it," top gaming lobbyist Frank Fahrenkopf said. "But let me tell you, it's a tough fight."

Other Nevada issues tackled by Congress this year:

The Senate this year confirmed three other Nevada judges to federal posts: Johnnie Rawlinson for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and Kent Dawson and Roger Hunt for the U.S. District Court for Nevada.