Editorial: There’s no reason to fear facts

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

State Sen. Bill O'Donnell is upset that opponents of a nuclear waste repository, which has been targeted for Nevada's Yucca Mountain, are warning that if it is built it could have a devastating impact on tourism. The Las Vegas Republican fretted last week about this during a meeting to organize a valleywide campaign against the Yucca Mountain Project. O'Donnell appears to be worried that millions of tourists could be frightened away if the dangers of nuclear waste are talked about publicly. "We're going to be shooting ourselves in the foot if we continue this dialogue," O'Donnell said.

Once again O'Donnell, who for a decade now has advocated that the state roll over in its fight against the repository, has aired his head-in-the-sand approach to the specter of nuclear waste storage in Nevada. Contrary to O'Donnell's naivete, which even the nuclear power industry must privately chuckle at, there are genuine dangers if 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste are buried just 90 miles from Las Vegas -- for residents, visitors and our tourist-based economy itself.

The residents of Nevada would be at ground zero -- and in harm's way -- if any disaster occurs from an accident during the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. For that matter, Las Vegas and the rest of this nation, especially those who would live along the transportation routes that would deliver the waste to Nevada, need to know the facts now, not later. Some of this information truly is frightening. For instance, Clark County officials estimate that to get all the nation's nuclear waste to Nevada would require at least 80,000 loads of radioactive waste, which would have to travel through Las Vegas over a 24-year period to a repository at Yucca Mountain. Clark County's assessment is twice that of the federal government's projection, but even the federal estimate is shocking enough. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy itself, which over time has be en notorious for understating the risks of danger due to radiation exposure, predicts that 11 to 88 people, who are within ! 1 mile of the routes, could die of cancer after exposure from the worst release of radiation.

Now about those tourists. Clark County planners believe that if a repository is built, it could lead to a 1 percent to 10 percent drop in tourism and a $775 million decline in gaming revenues. Visitors who travel our highways won't be able to miss seeing the huge trucks that would carry nuclear waste along our roads on their way to Yucca Mountain. After all, these massive convoys would stretch the length of a football field. The trucks that would carry the waste alone are massive, measuring 220 feet in length. If tourists see these behemoths rumble down a highway through the heart of Las Vegas, who seriously believes that a wife would turn to her husband and say, "Hey, isn't that nice. Let's stay an extra night." It would be more like: "Let's get out of here!"

The truth is that a significant number of tourists will not want anything to do with a destination if they fear that they might be harmed in some way. It is critical then that not only Nevadans, but also that members of Congress, the Department of Energy and President-elect Bush all know the dangers that could be heaped on this state if a repository is built. Discovering the deadly truth after the fact won't be of any benefit to this and future generations.

The good news is that Nevadans, in overwhelming numbers, continue to oppose the repository. Last week's anti-Yucca Mountain meeting of civic and business leaders, which was spearheaded by Strip executive Stephen Cloobeck, should gather momentum for this battle. One of the next steps is to enlist the support of the gaming industry and other business leaders in the valley to help take the fight to Washington, D.C. If every part of this city comes together and works in tandem, then there is a very real chance that this folly can be defeated.