Editorial: Just say no to dump for nuclear garbage

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

Finally, it's our turn.

Tonight, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the U.S. Department of Energy will hold a public comment hearing in North Las Vegas on plans to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The DOE has done a poor job in its suitability studies of Yucca Mountain, so it's not surprising that it also has bungled this public hearing. Last week a hotel-casino said it couldn't hold the hearing because of overcrowding concerns. Instead of postponing the hearing until a more suitable, neutral site could be found, the DOE opted to hold the hearing inside the agency's North Las Vegas office, which is ringed by barbed wire. Talk about inviting.

It appears likely that the DOE will recommend Yucca Mountain to President Bush, but this process is far from over. The DOE still would have to get the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval, and the NRC's staff recently has begun to question some of the scientific work to date. Nevadans overwhelmingly oppose the dump, and those who can make it to the DOE's Nevada Operations Office in North Las Vegas at 232 Energy Way, should go and let the federal government know once again that we don't want this garbage shoved down our throats.