Guinn seeks alternative to session

Erin Neff

Thursday, March 28, 2002 | 11:15 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said he is looking for an "off-budget" alternative to convening a special session to find $10 million for the state's campaign against the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.

In a press conference Wednesday with U.S. Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., and local leaders, Guinn said he is committed to trying to find the money to boost Nevada's fight.

"The issue here is can you figure out a different way to get the money," Guinn said.

The state's Nevada Protection Fund has $6 million to fight the dump but much of the money has been accounted for. State leaders have called on local governments and businesses to contribute.

Reid and Ensign have asked Guinn to call a special session of the Legislature to appropriate $10 million that would be used for a national television ad campaign and a grass-roots organizing effort.

Guinn had suggested lawmakers could tap into the state's $136 million rainy day fund in a special session, but he has run into lukewarm support in the Legislature.

A Sun poll of lawmakers this week showed a slight majority in the Assembly and strong opposition in the Senate to a proposed special session. Sixty-eight percent of Clark County residents, however, support the move, according to a UNLV poll commissioned by the Sun this week.

State Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, questioned the need for and legality of a special session on the issue since the fund cannot be accessed to pay for a proposed nationwide public relations campaign against the dump without a change in state law.

Guinn said the money could be found through the the state's Interim Finance Committee. The committee, which is next scheduled to meet April 10, has the ability to tap $8 million in state money for emergency purposes. Guinn said he presented the idea to Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, and Raggio, hoping to gain their support for the expenditure.

"If there's another way, a better way, a different way of doing this, I support it," said Perkins, who does support a special session. "As long as we can get the (advertising) program together."

Raggio, chairman of the interim committee, said he still doesn't know where the state can find $10 million, but will "defer" to Guinn and "work with him to any extent possible."

"The state has no capability to come up with $10 million from any source," Raggio said. "It would have to be partial."

Already Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera said he wants to give $3 million more from the county to the Nevada Protection Fund. The county has already donated $1 million. No one at the county is currently sure of where the additional money would come from and whether it is a legal use of the funds.

Even Commissioner Myrna Williams, also a Democrat and Yucca opponent, said she would support the expenditure only if it would not impact jobs or services.

If Guinn gets $3 million from Clark County, he will only have to find $7 million for the new campaign.

Reid and Ensign, meanwhile, are putting together a plan to use the money, although neither is making promises that the money can guarantee victory.

Both stressed Wednesday that the battle over Yucca Mountain in the U.S. Senate will be "difficult." However -- in seeking more money for the fight -- both also remained confident Nevada can get the 51 votes needed to sustain Guinn's expected veto of President George Bush's recommendation that Yucca Mountain serve as the nation's nuclear waste repository.

"Some have suggested that we just throw in the towel and walk away," Reid said. "The answer is not only, 'no,' but 'hell no.' "

Reid characterized the next few months of the fight as "big time" and said "we think we can do this."

"We feel that with the right effort, we can prevail," Reid added.

Ensign said the vote in the Senate -- which must take place within 90 legislative days of Guinn's veto -- is "our best chance to stop this."

Neither Reid nor Ensign would comment specifically about the proposed ad campaign, because they said they did not want to tip off the deep-pocketed nuclear power industry. That industry has spent $30 million in the past 30 months to lobby for Yucca Mountain.

"We want to challenge each and every local government to look for every dime," Ensign said. "We're also going to be going to private citizens for help."

The senators plan to set up a website to collect donations from residents. But it is the ad campaign that both hope can help sway Republican senators to Nevada's side.

The senators also asked local governments to see if there is any additional money to contribute.

Clark County has already pledged $1 million and Las Vegas has pledged $100,000. Fallon, Mesquite and Reno have all pledged money as well.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he has just gone over the city's preliminary budget and sees no obviously available money. But he also said he "can't think of any better way" money could be used given his staunch opposition to the dump.

"It's not Nevada's problem," Goodman said. "(Yucca Mountain) might be 90 miles from here, but it's the nation's problem."

As a result, he and others said they support an ad campaign targeting transportation concerns.

North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon said his city has not been lobbied to contribute to the anti-Yucca fight. He said he didn't think the city could contribute more money because, "we don't have the depth in our budget that the county does."

Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro was also doubtful that his city would contribute.

"I doubt you're going to see any contributions from Boulder City because, frankly, we have a tight budget," he said. "It's a reality of the times."

In Henderson, the story was different. Mayor Jim Gibson could not confirm if his city will add to the $50,000 already pledged, but said he will meet with the city finance director and city manager this week to see "what we can steal from."

"What I will do, because I was asked to and I want to be supportive -- we will look at whether we can squeeze some more money out," Gibson said.

Some state lawmakers are also taking another look at the issue and reconsidering their opposition to spending the money.

State Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, originally opposed a special session, but after talking to Guinn, Ensign and Reid, he said he could support both a session and the appropriation of funds.

"They feel it's of value and I support their efforts," Townsend said.

A second Sun survey of lawmakers found a few others -- like state Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas -- willing to change their position to support for a special session.

However, Guinn still has quite a task to find the money and prove the ad campaign is a worthy expenditure.

Some lawmakers remain unconvinced the $10 million is needed.

State Sen. Jon Porter, R-Henderson, said he would prefer the state first use the $6 million currently in the Nevada Protection Fund to create a test campaign in a particular market while Guinn starts the process to allocate more money through the IFC.

"Let's target a state and see how we're doing," Porter said. "If we're not able to make a dent, then we should reconsider."

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