Mayor has plan to fight nuke waste

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman admits he didn't know where Yucca Mountain was until after he was elected.

Now Goodman can tell you where it is, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and more importantly, why it's important.

And if Goodman has his way, a measure he will introduce Wednesday could offer at least symbolic opposition to the Department of Energy-proposed storage of 77,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain.

If adopted, the ordinance will make it a misdemeanor -- punishable by a fine of $1,000 -- to transport high-level nuclear waste within the city limits.

"I think we have a long row to hoe, but I think it begins the dialogue and gets the public aware of the danger," Goodman said.

Goodman said his proposal could create stronger opposition to the federal government's plans, even though technically it could face legal challenges.

"We might not have any jurisdiction over a federal highway, but we have jurisdiction over the safety of the citizens of Las Vegas," Goodman said.

Judy Treichel, director of the Nuclear Waste Task Force, said she supports any effort that clearly states Nevada's opposition to the possible storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

"I certainly think it sends a wonderful message to other cities and to other jurisdictions across the state that Nevada is thoroughly opposed to this plan," Treichel said. "It would be nice to have them see what Mayor Goodman is doing here and have them follow suit."

The ordinance would amend the city's municipal code, making it a misdemeanor to transport high-level radioactive material within the city's limits.

Low-level radioactive material is currently transported each day within the city's limits through the Spaghetti Bowl.

Goodman's proposal defines high-level nuclear waste as fuel that has been withdrawn from a nuclear reactor following irradiation.

If Yucca Mountain is approved as a nuclear waste repository, a trucking route would likely go over Hoover Dam and onto the Las Vegas Beltway.

After it is introduced Wednesday, Goodman's ordinance faces a public hearing before the council's Recommending Committee meeting before it returns to the full council for a vote on its adoption.