Lawyers put heavy price tag on Yucca fight

Stephen Curran and Cy Ryan

Thursday, July 25, 2002 | 9:34 a.m.

The battle to keep nuclear waste away from Yucca Mountain will be a costly one, attorneys for the state of Nevada said Wednesday.

The state has spent about $5 million from the Nevada Protection Fund, leaving $4 million in the fund, said Bob Loux, executive director of the state Agency for Nuclear Projects.

Loux estimated that $3 million was spent on an advertising and public relations campaign to influence members of Congress before they voted to override Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of the project. President Bush signed Congress' action this week.

A budget for the coming fight has not been announced, but the battle is expected to cost an additional $6 million to $7 million over the next three years, said attorney and nuclear engineer Joe Egan, whose Washington-based firm is representing the state at a cost of $2.5 million.

"This is a public health and safety issue, and I think that's a small price to pay," Egan said.

Attorneys are expected to meet with representatives from the state Attorney General's Office in Reno this fall to compile budget estimates, Loux said.

Despite the mounting costs, Loux is confident the state will have enough money to pay the bills associated with the fight at least through June 30, the end of this fiscal year. Guinn is expected to ask for a one-time allocation of between $4 million and $5 million when the state Legislature meets next spring, he said.

Guinn said Wednesday that he would request extra money if needed, but he stressed that it would be up to the Legislature to allocate the money. He would not commit to an amount. The state is facing a budget shortage.

The governor noted that the state has enough to get it through 2003, and the overall expenses could be reduced by the amount of research that has already been done.

The costs become more difficult to estimate after the end of the fiscal year, Loux said.

"It's hard to say. If we get an answer favorable to Nevada, we could spend less," he said. "But there's also the chance we could spend more."

Egan agreed it is "conceivable" the case could be over in the next 2 1/2 years.

The state created the Nevada Protection Fund in 2001 to fund legal challenges to the Yucca Mountain Project and launch a public relations campaign to raise awareness in other states.

The 2001 Nevada Legislature appropriated $4 million to the fund, the Clark County Commission added $1 million, and the Interim Finance Committee pledged an extra $3 million this year if it could be matched by other sources. So far $2 million has been matched.