Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: A Yucca conspiracy

Sunday, June 4, 2000 | 9:01 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

I am not a conspiracy theorist.

That means I don't go out of my way to look for conspiracies. I don't have to because they keep sneaking up on me until I can't ignore them any longer. This latest one, if it is true, is the kind of plot that may doom all of us who live, work and play in this wonderful place we call home. For that reason alone it is worthy of discussion, no matter how theoretical it may be.

It has been almost 20 years since most Nevadans decided that any plans by the nuclear waste industry to shove their high-level problems into our state were inimical to the best interests of the people. As it became clearer to anyone who paid attention in those early days that the federal government would do anything it could to give aid and comfort to the nuke wasters, even if it meant dumping on Nevada at every turn, responsible leaders took the offensive and have mounted a very credible effort to stop the truck and trainloads of death from ever heading our way.

We have learned over the years the significant problems that a small state, such as Nevada, has in fending off the efforts of practically every other state, through their congressional delegations, to force what the rest of the country doesn't want down our throats. Simply put, it ain't easy. But we have managed to thwart the efforts of the people who seek only profits at the expense of our health and safety because our elected officials have maintained an impenetrable wall against those who would bury us in radioactive garbage. It has also helped immensely that scientific evidence -- which deals with earthquake faults, running water and leaking radioactivity from the Nevada Test Site -- has proved our case that the politically selected site, Yucca Mountain, will not be a stable place for the 10,000 years or so that is required.

Until now, that is. And here's where the conspiracy signs start to show. We have heard for years the voices of some who advocate negotiations with the federal government that could lead to economic benefits should the dump be built in Nevada. They have argued that a few million or a few billion dollars would more than offset any harm to the environment -- that's our air and water -- that generations of leaking nuke garbage would cause. Fortunately, their voices have been drowned out by reason. There is no price we can put on our children's heads for knowingly destroying the environment in which we are raising them and in which they will raise, hopefully, their children. Plus, history has proven that there is no price the government will pay once it has its way with us.

The idea of the dump was mostly theoretical in Nevadans' minds because we have heard the year 2010 as the date when the trucks would start to roll our way and never stop, except for the inevitable accidents that we all know will happen. That was a long way off two decades ago. Today, it is less than 10 years away and, but for the courageous veto of President Clinton earlier this year of a Republican-sponsored bill that would create a temporary dump in Nevada, we would be staring the reality of glowing garbage in a few months, not years.

So now, in the face of an enemy growing stronger with every dollar it contributes to the GOP-controlled Congress, you would think our elected officials would close ranks even more to defeat the nuclear-tipped hordes. Now, when the results of the next presidential election may favor Gov. George Bush, an action that will bring that temporary dump -- read that permanent and forever -- to the Silver State with barely a breath wasted on the campaign rhetoric we are being fed; now, that Nevada's main and only industry, tourism -- read that gambling -- is being challenged in practically every state, including California and we need every tourist we can get ... now, you'd think we would think and act as one.

So what is really happening?

How about a Nevada Republican Convention last week in which seemingly responsible people discussed softening their previous position which, like the Democrats, was fully opposed to the dump? Regardless of any final outcome, the fact that politicians wanted language that "encourages" industry to research and develop other ways to deal with nuclear waste and, if not, prepare a table for negotiations with the federal government, tells me there is something afoot that is not good for those of us who live here. That something, of course, is a soft-landing sellout to the nuclear industry that is either being orchestrated by the Republican Party in this state or is duping them into submission.

And, if that weren't enough, our own outspoken Mayor Oscar Goodman is starting to sound just like those who would sell us down a radioactive river for a few dollars more. Even Oscar got into the act by suggesting we consider going for the dollars in some perverted "who wants to be a cancer-laden millionaire" game that the nuke industry is playing for profits and we are playing for real. Oscar may not know what he is doing right now by humming the same tune as those who are calling the shots, but the simple fact remains that negotiations will do nothing for this state other than send a message to Congress that Nevada is now divided, so surely it must fall.

A good conspiracy theorist would ask, "Why?" Why are people starting to sing a different tune? Why is the gaming industry so quiet on this issue when it is so vitally important to not only the people who live here, but also to the bottom lines of their own organizations? Why are the Republicans in this state warming us up to the idea that the dump is ours for the asking, and that no one is really going to ask us anyway? They're just going to send it C.O.D. The "C" by the way does not stand for cash.

A good conspiracy theorist will ask these questions. As good citizens of this state, who care more about health and safety than a few dollars that will never come our way, you have to answer them for yourselves. If you get stuck, just pay attention to what the politicians are saying and what their colleagues are doing. And, if you are still stuck for the answers, act in your own best interests. Here's a hint: A nuclear waste dump in Nevada is not in your best interests.

If you are still stuck ... get a conspiracy of your own.

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