State’s anti-dump fund may fall short of $10 million goal

Erin Neff

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 | 10:57 a.m.

Yucca Mountain opponents got plenty of free advertising Tuesday in national media, but a legitimate lobbying campaign will cost more than the state appears to be able to raise.

This morning the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee was expected to approve a $3 million transfer to the Nevada Protection Fund, with the Clark County Commission to consider adding another $1.5 million next Tuesday.

That's not the $10 million Nevada leaders have asked for to supplement a $6 million warchest, but Gov. Kenny Guinn said that amount is enough to begin educating people about transporting waste across the nation to Yucca Mountain.

"That will buy us some commercial time we need badly in certain states our team is looking at," Guinn said. "If we had more, we could do more."

Mark Brown, whose firm Brown & Partners has been hired to produce the ads, said one commercial has been completed and will air sometime within a week.

The ad will run in Vermont, where Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is courting Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., a former Republican.

"Numerous" other commercial spots are planned, Brown said.

Chuck Johnston, Brown & Partners' managing partner, said he is not concerned that the state isn't awash in money for the campaign.

"Assuming that's ($4.5 million) the number, that's when we really need to go in and evaluate what we can do," Thompson said. "Obviously we can get in deeper and we get into a broader message with more money, but we can still get the message."

Thompson said his firm is analyzing what type of ads -- whether television, radio or print -- that will have the biggest impact in a given market.

But, the initial $10 million requested by U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign for the fight, is not necessarily the amount state officials think they need.

"The $10 million is a moving target," Guinn said before heading to Washington. "If we get $9.5 or $8 (million), that's still great."

This morning Reno philanthropist Dorothy Lemelson, announced the largest individual donation so far to the Nevada Protection Fund -- $75,000.

Guinn acknowledged that state leaders had hoped more government money would come in to fund the campaign. Clark County commissioners initially discussed adding $3 million to the fund, before a secondary proposal for the $1.5 million expenditure was offered.

The fund had $6 million prior to Guinn's veto Monday of President Bush's decision to approve Yucca Mountain as the repository for the nation's nuclear waste. Much of that money is already earmarked for the state's legal fight and consulting.

Coinciding with Guinn's veto, the state's Nuclear Projects Agency ran full-page ads in newspapers statewide asking residents to donate $1 or more to the fund.

Bob Loux, director of the agency, said one staffer spent the entire day fielding calls from hundreds of people interested in sending a check by mail but inquiring which address they should use. The state's ad listed a website, www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/ and a phone number, (800) 366-0990, but not an address.

"We think most of those are going to translate into donations," Loux said. "I think it will help. Obviously, we'd like to have a lot more money, and we'll spend everything we have."

Guinn stressed private money is still tricking in by showing reporters a check a senior citizen handed him several days ago.

Johnston said his firm plans to create ads that are "memorable" and able to focus attention on the dangers of transporting 96,0000 shipments of nuclear waste through 43 states.

"Just making people aware of what's going on is scary enough," Johnston said. "But the visuals could be very scary. We're not talking about just a normal accident."