Editorial: It’s time to step up to the plate

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

It was two decades late, but at least the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce finally is on board in Nevada's fight against federal efforts to send nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, a scant 90 miles away from Las Vegas. Last week the Chamber passed a resolution that acknowledged millions of visitors may stay away from Las Vegas if the region is viewed as unsafe because of the storage of deadly waste nearby. While the resolution's logic would be self-evident to most people, it still was a long time in the making. If it hadn't been for the persistence of Strip executive Stephen Cloobeck, who recently put together a valleywide campaign against the Yucca Mountain Project, the Chamber's statement likely would not have come to pass.

Cloobeck is on a roll. Last week he announced that a nonprofit organization, assembled by a consortium of valley businesses, would be set up to help explain that a nuclear waste repository in Nevada wouldn't just endanger this state's residents. Sometimes lost in the shuffle is that the Energy Department has suggested using federal highways -- through 43 states -- to send the waste here. It also has been estimated that more than 53 million people live within 1 mile of these routes.

Transportation could be the Achilles heel of the Yucca Mountain Project -- especially since the federal government has not seriously thought about this critical issue. For instance, Clark County Nuclear Waste Division Director Dennis Bechtel said major transportation routes in Southern Nevada were chosen as part of the DOE's environmental impact studies -- without consulting the county or any of the cities in Southern Nevada that would be affected. This is but one instance of the arrogance, and bias against fairness, displayed all along by the federal government. Gov. Kenny Guinn's pledge of $5 million in state funds to educate other Americans who would live along the nuclear waste transportation routes, and the $1 million Clark County says it will set aside, will aid the nonprofit anti-Yucca Mountain Project group's efforts.

It is essential that the businesses of this valley take a stand against federal government actions that not only could irreparably harm our economy, but that also could endanger the lives of the men, women and children who call Southern Nevada home. It's been disappointing for all these years to have Nevada's political leadership lead this fight without the backing of the business community. Now the key is whether the state's gaming industry will lend its support. This isn't just about putting words to paper and passing a resolution, though. This is about actively lobbying the White House and members of Congress. The fact is that the federal government has ignored scientific evidence that has demonstrated how dangerous it would be to bury nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain.

If money wasn't a factor in politics, Yucca Mountain never would have been targeted by the federal government. The nuclear power industry has long had Congress' attention, which is no surprise in light of the campaign largess the industry lavishes on lawmakers. Nevada, with the gaming industry and the business community sitting on the sidelines, has been at a terrible disadvantage all these years since the state's business interests haven't raised their voices in opposition. The gaming industry may fear that opposing Yucca Mountain would offend members of Congress who have nuclear power plants in their home states, which in turn could jeopardize gaming legislation before Congress. But the gaming industry should be ashamed for failing to look beyond its quarterly earnings reports and not speaking up on behalf of this state's residents. It's time for casino executives to step forward -- now.