State official sees long Yucca fight

Monday, June 17, 2002 | 10:41 a.m.

RENO -- A state official on nuclear waste says the legal fight to stop Yucca Mountain could go on for up to eight years and will probably end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Joseph Strolin of the Agency for Nuclear Projects told the state Board of Health Friday that if Congress overrides the veto of Gov. Kenny Guinn, the "fight has just begun."

The state has "strong legal and technical" arguments to stop Yucca Mountain from being used as a repository for the nation's high-level nuclear waste, he said.

The deadline for a vote by the U.S. Senate is July 25, Strolin noted.

Federal legislation passed in 1987 singled out Nevada as the only location to be studied for such a project, and the legislation was designed so Congress could easily override the veto of any Nevada governor. Strolin said, however, that Congress did not anticipate that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., would be assistant majority leader and carry so much power. Four lawsuits have been filed to stop the nuclear dump and there may be more coming, Strolin said. Nevada has an excellent chance before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to show that the site doesn't conform to the federal law, he added.

The geologic features of the dump must be enough to contain the highly radioactive waste, according to guidelines. But Strolin said the Energy Department is planning man-made barriers to make sure the waste and radiation do not escape from the underground burial grounds.