Letter: Face the facts: Nuclear dump is coming here

Tuesday, May 9, 2000 | 9:42 a.m.

Some might say I'm an optimist, but I consider myself more of a realist. Reality shows me that Yucca Mountain is the only site being studied and billions of dollars have been invested in the repository program.

While opposing interim storage, President Clinton has funded the Department of Energy's study of Yucca Mountain and the "Viability Assessment," which was a study released late last year that said the site was a promising one for a permanent repository.

My background is in the building trades, the main contract for the Yucca Mountain Project is up for bid and it has a heavy emphasis on construction and licensing of a repository. You figure it out; it's clear to any reasonable observer that Yucca Mountain is a done deal.

What's unfortunate is that our elected officials have not done anything to protect us, including securing support for the safest transportation routes and getting funding for emergency management programs throughout the state.

BILL VASCONI

archive