Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 4:46 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 27, 2002 The death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., has deprived the nation of a senator whose fierce independence -- and unabashed liberalism -- sparked healthy debates in Congress. Wellstone, as Nevadans know, also didn't shy from taking on powerful interest groups. He sided with our small state this past July on the issue of nuclear-waste transportation. Before the Senate's 60-39 vote to approve the Yucca Mountain project, Wellstone rose and delivered an impassioned speech that echoed precisely the same concern Nevada had expressed -- approving the site before transportation issues were resolved would imperil the nation.
Wellstone's vote was a testament to his political courage: A utility in his state said failure to solve the waste problem could shut down one of Minnesota's nuclear power plants. And most states with nuclear waste want to get rid of it as fast as they can, which put enormous pressure on officials like Wellstone to vote for Yucca Mountain. Not only Nevada, but the entire United States as well, has lost a friend who wasn't afraid to stand up for what's right -- politics be damned.
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