Notable quotes from the Yucca debate

Wednesday, July 10, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

The following are quotes from people involved in Tuesday's debate about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. "I cannot describe to you the level of disappointment I feel. I take responsibility for not getting more Republicans. I did everything I could to get Republican votes and I failed to get those." -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

"It's very difficult for a senator to fight the president." -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Ensign.

"We are pleased that the Congress agrees moving forward is the right thing to do." -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham

"All we're doing is allowing the secretary (of Energy) to apply for the license. The act does not address the transportation or storage" of waste. -- Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska,

a leading Yucca advocate

"I look at their record (in court). And the scoreboard says state of Nevada: zero." -- Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho,

on Nevada's chances in court

"The Department of Energy still needs to convince the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the repository is safe before construction of the repository would begin or before transportation of waste to the site would begin." -- Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.,

on his vote for Yucca Mountain

"I say to my colleagues, this is a moment of truth for every person here. The things we do can come back to haunt us." -- Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

"Fundamentally, I want the waste out of Michigan, but I don't want to create more risks in the process." -- Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

"Bill your hours. Feel good about yourselves. You are perpetrating a travesty on the people of this country." -- Reid from the Senate floor to several nuclear

lobbyists "in their Gucci shoes and their nice

suits" sitting in the Senate gallery.

"We are going to look at this issue every year congressionally, as we should. We shouldn't abandon all these years of effort." -- Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss.

"There is no deal to be made. They are not going to give us anything. We're just going to have to work our way through this." -- Reid on getting concessions

from the federal government

"We just can't back off. We'll keep fighting." -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman

"We will not bargain, we will not negotiate, we will not waiver in our determined opposition to Yucca Mountain." -- Dario Herrera, Clark County

Commission chairman

"The fight is just beginning. We will continue to fight to protect the families here and we won't sell out." -- Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams

"I think it's a sad day for Nevada. I don't want us to be known as the nation's nuclear waste dump." -- Thalia Dondero, university regent and

former Clark County commissioner

Compiled by Sun reporters Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning