Columnist Jon Ralston: At least Gore’s here, not ducking dump

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2000 | 9:56 a.m.

Jon Ralston, who publishes the Ralston Report, writes a column for the Sun on Sundays andWednesdays. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or by e-mail at ralston@ vegas.com.

Vice President Al Gore said the clear difference between himself and George W. Bush on an interim nuclear waste dump is that he is against the idea and his opponent is mute on it.

But after the Democratic nominee's sojourn in Las Vegas on Monday, the real difference is even clearer and more astounding: On nuclear waste, Gore told the truth Monday, and Bush has let his lack of words speak even louder than his inaction.

Don't misunderstand: The only real contrast between the two men is in the matter of timelines. If Bush is elected, nuclear waste will be here in 2001. If Gore is elected, it might take until the middle of the decade or maybe longer.

But when he sat down with reporters in Las Vegas on Monday -- that's the largest city in the state, Governor Bush, in case you haven't heard of it -- Gore did not duck any of the tough questions and gave surprisingly straight answers.

He did not just claim to be against interim storage in Nevada. The vice president stated flatly, "I'm opposed to interim storage, period." Sure, he tried to do the "let's let the science decide the outcome" bit that all visiting federal elected officials pandering to Nevadans do. But he was well-briefed on the scientific concerns revealed at Yucca Mountain and said he was on record "fighting within the administration" for not lowering radiation standards and against interim storage.

And when pressed whether he could declare that he would never sign a Yucca Mountain bill, Gore matter-of-factly said, "No, I will not." The Republicans gleefully cried "gotcha," but their partisan froth misses the point. Gore has never said he opposes the permanent dump, although he made it clear Monday that he does not "see the science pointing in that direction," that is, toward Yucca Mountain.

What everyone seems to forget that in the state's seemingly futile attempt to evade basic political arithmetic -- it's 531 to 4 -- Nevada's only hope has been that a dump delayed could be a dump denied. Raise enough questions, be as obstreperous as possible, recruit enough situational allies -- and maybe the Department of Energy and the nuclear utilities will pursue a less obstacle-laden course.

It has been the only argument and only hope for those who would fight against the dump without any regard for the odds or the benefits that could accrue to the state. Gore said nothing Monday to undercut that strategy -- in fact, his opposition to interim storage validates it.

And there's another factor, too, that the Republicans only hope everyone will ignore. Say what you will about Gore, but it's obvious that he and Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid have a close relationship. Now few people here will vote on the issue of nuclear waste, preferring Gore or Bush on broader ideological or personal grounds. But when it comes to the dump, wouldn't it be better to have a guy in the White House that Reid can influence, just as ex-Gov. Bob Miller could hold sway with Bill Clinton? Of course. And please don't tell me that Gov. Kenny Guinn and Bush are soul mates -- they hardly know each other.

Yes, my dear Republican friends, Al Gore is in favor of Yucca Mountain being studied as the only permanent repository for nuclear waste. No kidding. But George W. Bush is guilty by omission -- and by his mealymouthed statement of a few months ago -- of being in favor not just of the permanent site but of making Nevada the interim dump, too. At least Gore was honest when he visited Las Vegas this week. At least Gore visited Las Vegas. All Bush can manage so far is a trip to a tony Lake Tahoe enclave and rhetorical offal on the dump.

As the vice president so pointedly put it Monday, "Is that hard to decode?"