Guinn: More money needed

Erin Neff

Wednesday, March 20, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

With 26 days left to veto President Bush's Yucca Mountain decision, Gov. Kenny Guinn is worried the state doesn't have enough money to fight the proposed nuclear waste dump.

On Tuesday, Guinn asked the private sector to "step up to the plate" to help fund the now-$6 million Nevada Protection Fund, which already has more than half of its donations spoken for.

"Truthfully, $6 million is wonderful, but we could spend millions more," Guinn said. "The nuclear energy industry has earmarked $30 million to lobby" for the dump.

Sometime between April 1 and 15 Guinn will become the first governor in U.S. history to veto a president's decision, triggering a 90-day window for Congress to vote to override him.

Nevada's cost to fight the dump, which includes retaining lobbyists, PR firms and attorneys, is expected to skyrocket as the issue moves to Congress.

Already $2.5 million of the Nevada Protection Fund has been earmarked for Nevada's outside attorneys to stage a legal fight against the proposed nuclear waste dump 90 miles outside of Las Vegas. Another $1 million was granted to Brown & Partners to conduct public relations campaigns in states where senators could be swayed about the hazards of transporting the waste through their districts.

No one believes Nevada can sustain Guinn's veto in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, but everyone is holding out hope Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., can get the 51 votes needed to block the dump.

In addition to the $3.5 million already earmarked, the hiring of two prominent lobbyists will cost an estimated $600,000.

John Podesta, chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton, will be paid $300,000 over the next six months to lobby Democrats. Ken Duberstein, chief of staff for former President Ronald Reagan, was hired at about the same amount to lobby Senate Republicans.

"We're trying to make every penny we have count," Guinn said.

On Tuesday, The Molasky Companies donated $50,000 and the Nevada Association of Realtors contributed $20,000 to the state's fight -- pushing the total over $6 million.

"My motive is to really use it as a kickoff campaign to the business community," said Steven Molasky, who has served on the Nuclear Projects Commission for the past eight years. "While we have a long fight ahead of us, I think it's beatable.

"I'll do what I can to reach out to the business community. Nobody wants to throw money away, but this isn't going to be throwing money away."

Molasky said he is confident Nevada will be able to raise $10 million for the fight.

Guinn said he is talking almost daily to Reid and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to coordinate the state's lobbying efforts.

"If they want us to go somewhere, we will," Guinn said. "We just can't cover every state because of the money.

"If we had another $10 or $15 million, we could do more."