Chamber of Commerce runs pro-Yucca ads

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 9:49 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined a final-hour advertising effort to influence a Senate vote on Yucca Mountain.

The chamber, which announced its support for the Nevada nuclear waste dump project in November, is sponsoring pro-Yucca radio advertisements in dozens of markets in 13 states.

"Senators must hear that the citizens of their state want a permanent and secure site for nuclear waste," said William Kovacs, chamber vice president for environment and regulatory affairs. "Pro-business activists are mobilizing across the country to educate lawmakers, challenge the nay-sayers and tell the facts about storing nuclear waste."

The 60-second radio ads began Monday and will run through July 8, when the Senate returns for a holiday break and is expected to act on Yucca.

A sample of the radio ad running in Colorado: "Yucca Mountain Nevada is the safest place to store America's nuclear waste. It's a common sense plan. But out-of-state special interests want to leave the nuclear waste here in Colorado, where it doesn't belong. Sen. (Wayne) Allard, R-Colo., is standing up to the extremists and standing firm for Colorado. Call Sen. Allard today at 202-224-2131. Thank him for supporting the plan to get the nuclear waste out of Colorado."

Chamber officials would not say how much the ad buys cost. "It's significant," chamber spokeswoman Linda Rozett said. "It's not a token campaign."

Meanwhile, anti-Yucca Mountain activists planned to rally and to block major highways in cities in every state, including Las Vegas, to bring attention to the Senate vote, an activist said.

The acts are planning to focus on the risks of transporting high-level nuclear waste by road and rail.

Citizen Alert Executive Director Peggy Maze Johnson said a rally is planned at noon Sunday on Grand Central Parkway, just north of Charleston Boulevard at the on-ramp to Interstate 15.

"We are not closing down I-15, but we will if the Senate proceeds with this dangerous plan of putting deadly, high-level nuclear waste on the roads, rails and waterways of our cities, our towns and our neighborhoods," Johnson said.