Letter: Let’s benefit from nuke waste stored at Yucca

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002 | 8:49 a.m.

I just attended another rally and press conference by our elected officials and anti-nuclear activists in regards to Yucca Mountain.

Our elected officials' focus and criticism on the process surrounding the project astounds me. I guess they have to criticize the process because if they wanted to base their opposition on science they wouldn't have too many sound bites to provide to the media, so they might as well attack the process.

Our state's opposition lacks credibility nationally in the scientific arena and has always been based on political science, and that is unfortunate.

Like him or not, the secretary of energy has been out to our fair state twice in the last month.

I feel bad for the guy, he gets criticized if he doesn't come out and then when he does he gets criticized as well.

He can't win because of the politics of his job. I think he got criticized because the anti's weren't able to organize opposition on his visits.

This is a national issue that deserves a national response and the Test Site is uniquely qualified to help the country solve this dilemma. We have the technology, that is not the question at hand. The question is whether this administration will move forward and solve this environmental challenge or pass it on to our children.

The question should be how to deal with this issue responsibly and make sure all Nevadans are compensated in some way.

I don't necessarily like the word "benefits," but my friends in Alaska have benefited from the pipeline and there is no reason we shouldn't benefit from Yucca Mountain.

BILL PHILLIPS

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