Yucca ads anger Reid

Suzanne Struglinski

Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's ads offering free Yucca Mountain tours to the public counters what officials have told Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the past.

Ads appear in today's Las Vegas Sun as well as this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal inviting residents to "Get answers to your questions" and tour the Yucca Mountain facility.

Reid has objected to the tours in the past, saying money should be focused on the science and research associated with the facility set to store 77,000 tons of nuclear waste in the mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and not "propaganda" trying to convince people to support the site, spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.

The senator included language in a previous energy spending bill that prohibited the use of funds for advertising the tours.

Hafen said Margaret Chu, the department's civilian radioactive waste chief, told Reid's office they would no longer place the ads.

Allen Benson, te Energy Department's Yucca Mountain Project spokesman, did not know of this agreement but pointed out the law only limited the ads from running in 2001 and no discussion has taken place to limit tours or ads for this year.

Benson said the Energy Department fully compiled with the law in 2001 and that he even took the tour information off the project website.

Ads ran also ran in August 2002.

The "Open House" ads costs about $2,000 and are only done once a year, Benson said.

The tours cost $30,000 for the day, he said.

Reid is still evaluating what to do next, Hafen said.