Before big vote, board reviewing Yucca questions

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, May 7, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- On the eve of an expected House vote on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, an independent board created by Congress continued its ongoing discussion about project safety.

The 11-member Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board began a two-day meeting this morning to talk over a variety of issues that Nevada officials hope will bolster their case against Yucca.

Congress created the board in 1987 to analyze Energy Department studies at Yucca, give the department guidance and report on the department's progress.

Nevada officials have found an ally in the board. It has said scientific evidence supporting the site so far is "weak to moderate," in part because the Energy Department is still trying to resolve 293 unanswered scientific questions about the site.

Energy officials have said they will answer all those questions in the next few years -- before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves a license for the site.

The board's agenda included discussions about the safety of the metal waste containers that would be buried in tunnels under the mountain if the project is ultimately approved. Other topics include the design of the repository and whether to develop the project in stages, which could allow moving waste to Nevada sooner.

Several Nevada officials are addressing the board.

In a public comment period, Charles Fitzpatrick, a lawyer working for Nevada, asked board Chairman Jared Cohon if the Energy Department had adequately explained all the unresolved questions surrounding the project.

"I felt that the DOE did not convey what the uncertainties are ... of Yucca Mountain performance," Cohon said.

Having similar comments on record from independent panelists helps the state, Nevada Nuclear Waste Projects Agency Director Bob Loux said. But it won't help the state when the House votes Wednesday to approve Yucca, as expected, he acknowledged.

A Senate vote is expected by the end of July.

"You listen to the members of Congress and it appears they don't give a whit about the science at Yucca Mountain," Loux said. "They are more interested in moving the project along."

Former acting Yucca Director Lake Barrett disagreed with Cohon, saying that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham explained to Congress that certain technical issues remain unresolved.

"We can always (communicate) better," Barrett said.

Today's meeting underscores a point of bitter disagreement between Yucca advocates and its opponents.

While Energy and nuclear industry officials say scientific study of the site has proven it safe, Nevada officials and environmental groups say technical analysis has proved the mountain cannot isolate radioactive waste from the environment for 10,000 years.

High-level Energy officials told the board that they have drafted a plan to apply for a license by December 2004. Energy officials say they can still construct underground tunnels at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and begin shipping waste to the site by 2010, although critics highly doubt it can be completed that quickly.

Margaret Chu, the new director, said her goals were to continue studies to answer unanswered questions, to enhance public confidence and to "ramp up" department preparations for transporting nuclear waste across the country.

Chu also said she was looking for ways to cut costs.

Meanwhile, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., held a press conference with six environmental groups outside the Capitol, urging activists to continue last-minute lobbying efforts.