Editorial: Dean’s reassessment

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003 | 8:47 a.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, who supported storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain when he was Vermont's governor, has softened his stand since seeking the presidency. A couple of months ago Dean said he would reassess his position on Yucca Mountain, which is just 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It was encouraging that Dean, during a Tuesday trip to Las Vegas for a couple of fund-raisers, said if he became president he would halt construction at Yucca Mountain and order a complete safety review. But don't uncork the champagne just yet: Dean won't rule out storing nuclear waste in Nevada, either.

Nevadans have grown used to congressional candidates and presidential hopefuls stopping in Las Vegas for fund-raisers and saying that they would use "sound science" to base their decision on Yucca Mountain. With the notable exception of Bill Clinton, rarely do candidates back up their talk if they get to Washington. The most notorious example was George W. Bush, who told Nevadans during the 2000 campaign that he would use "sound science" to make his recommendation on Yucca Mountain. But Bush pushed Congress to approve Yucca Mountain despite all of the scientific evidence that shows just how dangerous it is to ship nuclear waste to Nevada and bury it here.

While Dean now is taking a cautious approach on Yucca Mountain, we hope that view doesn't soften as he campaigns in states that want to rid themselves of nuclear waste. It also should be mentioned that three other major Democratic presidential nominees aren't recent converts on this issue. Last year Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Richard Gephardt all voted against sending nuclear waste here. Republicans point out that Yucca Mountain isn't a partisan issue because many Democratic members of Congress have supported the dump, but at the presidential level it sure is clear who our real friends have been.