Editorial: Discord damages our cause

Sunday, June 18, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

Against this backdrop, then, it was disturbing to see an influential Nevada legislator headed in the opposite direction. On Wednesday state Senate Majority Leader William Raggio, R-Reno, initially tried to block the transfer of state funds totaling $106,000, which were in reserve in the attorney general's budget, to help pay for the state's oversight of Yucca Mountain. About $90,000 would pay for additional research by geologist Jerry Szymanksi, who is examining the possibility that hot water could one day flood the underground repository at Yucca Mountain and carry away radioactive materials, a theory that state officials believe has the potential to derail the repository. In addition, $16,000 would have gone to lawyer Harry Swainston to aid in the vital work of developing the state's presentation as the DOE decides whether Yucca Mountain is suitable. Swainston previously worked in the attorney general's office for 20 years, and his expertise in both the science and the law regarding Yucca Mountain is considerable.

This should have been a no-brainer. But Raggio was upset that Swainston released a letter during the 1999 Legislature that chastised him, accusing him of not voting for extra funding for the state's fight against nuclear waste, a charge Raggio disputes. Despite Raggio's pique, in the end he and other members of the Interim Finance Committee did vote to spend $90,000 on scientific research -- but sadly none was provided for Swainston's important legal work. Heated words often are exchanged in politics, but carrying a grudge like this is destructive when it comes to Yucca Mountain. Raggio and other politicians should have understood a long time ago how important it is to bring together the best legal and scientific minds to find an effective strategy to fend off what would be an environmental disaster for this state.

archive