Editorial: Bush’s inaction is telling

Sunday, May 14, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

George W. Bush's long-awaited statement on nuclear waste storage finally was released last week, and the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said he believes science, not politics, should determine if high-level nuclear waste should be buried in Nevada. He added that he wouldn't sign legislation sending nuclear waste to a disposal site unless it's found to be scientifically safe. There were lusty cheers by prominent Nevada Republicans upon hearing this, but Bush's missive was too little, too late.

To gauge Bush's sincerity, it's necessary to compare his comments to those of President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, who will be the Democratic presidential nominee. Since Clinton was elected in 1992, he has consistently pledged to veto legislation that would undermine any suitability study of Yucca Mountain. And those weren't just words: Less than three weeks ago Clinton vetoed legislation that would have guaranteed the arrival of nuclear waste in Nevada within seven years.

At the beginning of this year, just as the presidential campaign officially got under way, an environmental coalition asked the candidates if they supported a high-level nuclear waste repository in Nevada. Gore answered that science, not politics, should decide the issue. He added that he "strongly supported" the administration's fight against legislation that would have sent nuclear waste to Nevada before the scientific investigation is finished. Bush was given the same opportunity to respond to the survey, whose responses were published in January, but he didn't answer, opting to remain silent.

This state's worst fears were realized when, in February and March, Congress drafted legislation that would send nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain by 2007 -- even though the DOE's investigation hasn't been completed yet. In April, with Gore's support, Clinton vetoed the Republican Congress' legislation, which also would have resulted in the weakening of radiation standards for Yucca Mountain. So would Bush have vetoed this bill, which would have sent 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste to Nevada? As Congress debated the legislation, this state's residents couldn't find out, since Bush's campaign wouldn't respond to Sun reporters' direct questions regarding this bill.

Only after Clinton vetoed the GOP-sponsored legislation, and the Senate failed to override the president's veto, did Bush issue a statement on nuclear waste. Even then his remarks didn't address the GOP leadership's bill, a fact that calls into question his candor on the issue. And while his tepid response came after weeks of prodding by Nevada Republican officials, they acted as if it was Bush who had vetoed the legislation. Gov. Kenny Guinn even called Bush's statement a "victory for Nevada."

Republicans also have said that Bush's views are similar to Gore's, but words aren't the same thing as actions. If Bush genuinely cared about science taking precedence, he would have told House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., to abandon this folly. But Bush, who is cozy with the nuclear power industry, kept his mouth shut -- at least until the fight already was over.

Besides, if Bush really is in Nevada's corner, why haven't brickbats been hurled his way by Hastert, Lott and the nuclear power lobby? Clinton and Gore, after all, were denounced by GOP congressional leaders, who had the gall to say it was the Democratic president and vice president, not them, who played politics with the issue. Bush surely hoped last week to quell the uneasiness Nevadans have regarding his thoughts on nuclear waste, but his words ring hollow. Bush's belated statement, and steadfast refusal to say anything for months when this state was in harm's way, is alarming.

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