Guinn, Del Papa rip Yucca process

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 | 10:07 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa are complaining that the public has been given neither adequate information nor sufficient time to comment during the latest round of public hearings on the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

The Energy Department agreed to schedule 29 additional public hearings. The first meetings were scheduled today in Carson City and Virginia City.

The governor said the state has received from the DOE only a preliminary report, which contains "questionable findings regarding the safety and suitability of Yucca Mountain."

He said he was pleased the DOE scheduled additional hearings, but Guinn and Del Papa said that a final environmental impact statement has not been released, nor have final siting guidelines that provide evidence the location is suitable to bury 77,000 tons of the nation's nuclear waste.

Without these documents, a proper evaluation cannot be made, the two said in separate news releases.

Guinn also said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not established its licensing requirements for the proposed project. In addition, the governor said the state is challenging in federal court radiation standards issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Del Papa said the public notice for the new hearings did not appear in the Federal Register until Monday.

The hearings are scheduled to run today through Oct. 12.

"Once again, DOE will be conducting public hearings prematurely and without sufficient advance notice to the public to afford an adequate opportunity for people to attend the hearings and provide comment," Del Papa said.

"Under the guise of seeking public input, DOE is making a mockery of the public participation process and denying the public an opportunity for meaningful input," Del Papa said.

Guinn said he was "concerned and disappointed that the DOE has scheduled these hearings when the country is grieving and working through the many challenges resulting from the horrific events of Sept. 11."

Hearings in Reno and Gardnerville are scheduled Thursday.