$5.5 mil. released for fight against Yucca

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Examiners Tuesday released up to $5.5 million to continue the television and media fight against a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

The board approved a contract with Brown & Partners, a Las Vegas public relations agency, which will in turn pay for production and showing of television ads.

Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, told the examiners board that the campaign would continue until the end of July, when the Senate is expected to vote whether to approve President Bush's selection of the nuclear dump.

The advertising campaign started in Vermont, which Loux estimated cost $200,000. The television spots are now running in Utah.

Loux said it has not been decided yet what states will be targeted next but he talked about Oregon and Iowa.

The 2001 Legislature, at Guinn's request, allocated $4 million to help stop Yucca. The state already allocated $1 million of that to Brown & Partners.

The Legislative Interim Finance Committee allocated another $3 million, but that had to be matched from new outside contributions.

Clark County has chipped in an extra $1.5 million. Las Vegas, which had allocated $100,000, voted an extra $50,000. North Las Vegas and Henderson have pledged $50,000 each. And residents have sent in about $300,000.

The state doesn't have the full $5.5 million to allocate at this point. But Loux said he wanted authorization from the Examiners Board so that when the amount is available, he won't need another approval.

The state has set aside another $4.5 million for a legal fight against the repository.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly backed President Bush's designation of Yucca Mountain. The advertising campaign stresses the danger of transporting the radioactive waste through states. It hopes to get residents to call their senator to vote against Yucca Mountain.