Editorial: Yucca seen as unsafe by mayors

Tuesday, June 18, 2002 | 9:03 a.m.

The nuclear power industry has concentrated its Yucca Mountain lobbying dollars in Washington with predictable results. The House of Representatives resoundingly approved Yucca as the nation's storage site for high-level nuclear waste. The Senate will vote this summer and the industry anticipates a big victory there too.

But in the nation's cities, where Yucca Mountain is viewed more objectively, there is serious concern. On Monday the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a resolution whose grave wording should get the attention of those who until now have been swallowing the lie that Yucca Mountain will be safe and that transportation poses little threat.

In a resolution passed by voice vote, 250 mayors cited problems with the mountain itself and especially cited the extreme dangers associated with moving the deadly material through their cities. When confronted -- largely by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin and Salt Lake City Mayor Ross Anderson -- with the stark truth that the potential for catastrophe awaits their cities, the mayors voted loud and clear. In a compromise with a handful of pro-Yucca mayors, the group did not outright condemn Yucca. But it called for the federal government to provide cities on the transportation route with three years of "adequate funds, training and equipment to protect the public health and safety in the event of an accident."

The truth is that the public will be in extreme jeopardy regardless of how many billions of dollars worth of training is provided. But at least the organization is on record recognizing the danger. Its resolution should be posted prominently at every City Hall in the country. It's another confirmation that Yucca Mountain, if it is allowed to open, will expose Nevada and the nation to mortal danger.