Council to use lobbying money toward Yucca suit

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, March 8, 2001 | 10:46 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council decided Wednesday to direct money reserved for the fight against the Yucca nuclear waste project toward a lawsuit against the federal government.

City attorney Brad Jerbic will use the $40,000 appropriated for lobbying efforts against the Yucca project to investigate legal options.

Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is the only nuclear waste disposal site under consideration. It would store about 77,000 tons of the country's nuclear waste.

"If I were convinced that a lobbyist was able to change the minds of those who are proponents of Yucca Mountain ... I would feel much more comfortable saying, Yes, we need a lobbyist," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. "I don't see minds being changed."

The city's contract with lobbyists Alcalde and Fay expires March 31.

Clark County commissioners last month voted to end their agreement with Alcalde and Fay and instead sign a $60,000 contract with Washington, D.C.-based lobbyists Cassidy and Associates.

The city could have followed the county's lead and discussed negotiating a new contract with Alcalde and Fay. It also could have submitted a request for proposals from other lobbyists.

Goodman said the city won't file what he called a "copycat lawsuit."

Eight lawsuits regarding the site filed in the 1980s by the state were ultimately thrown out by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In each case, Jerbic said, the court ruled the federal government would have to name Yucca Mountain the permanent dump site before Nevada has a valid case.