Editorial: Dropping the ball on nuke dump

Friday, April 12, 2002 | 9:04 a.m.

On Wednesday the Nevada Legislature's Interim Finance Committee approved up to $3 million for an anti-Yucca Mountain media blitz to explain the dangers of nuclear waste transportation. But the allocation came with strings attached, conditions that will seriously hamper the state's efforts to fend off plans in Congress to build a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. Instead of immediately disbursing the money, Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, the swing vote on the finance committee, cajoled other lawmakers to go along with his demand that no state money be allocated until it was matched by contributions from private sources or local governments. In addition, any of the local government money already spent on the anti-Yucca Mountain campaign -- such as the $1 million previously delivered by Clark County -- won't be counted by the state toward the matching funds.

Local governments haven't exactly shown their courage, either. While Clark County did approve some funding, last week the commission delayed action on a proposal by County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera to set aside another $3 million for the fight. The other county commissioners said the state should ante up first. Thank heavens local government officials and state lawmakers aren't members of a volunteer fire department. If there were an emergency, they'd spend all day at the firehouse arguing over who should suit up first while the home they're supposed to be saving instead burned to the ground.

It all should have been oh so simple. Nevada's two U.S. senators, Harry Reid and John Ensign, asked Gov. Kenny Guinn to convene a special session of the Legislature to get $10 million for the anti-Yucca Mountain campaign. But too many state legislators opposed a special session, forcing Guinn to seek a lower amount through the Interim Finance Committee. Any money raised probably will be spent on television and newspaper advertisements in states where its U.S. senators would be more amenable to siding with Nevada. But the failure to get enough money quickly will make it difficult for Nevada to effectively get its message out in time since a final vote on Yucca Mountain will happen within three months. What's inexplicable is that the state's residents overwhelmingly oppose Yucca Mountain, but too many state legislators and local officials act as if they're a fraid to fight and help our state's congressional delegation.