Congress OKs money for Yucca oversight

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004 | 11:18 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The state of Nevada and eight counties in the state will be able to use federal money for Yucca Mountain oversight that the Energy Department sought to curb, according to new federal legislation.

Congress approved $2 million for the state of Nevada and $8 million for nine counties, including Inyo County in California, for Yucca watchdog activities as part of the $388 billion omnibus spending bill approved Nov. 20. That's up from the current fiscal year when the counties shared about $4 million.

Nevada and the counties, including Clark, typically receive money each year from Congress to track the federal plan to construct a national nuclear waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. But this year the Energy Department signaled that it might limit some uses of the money.

Nevada officials specifically objected to what they said would be new limits on their ability to use oversight money to analyze a new database of Yucca documents and to research a proposed nuclear waste rail route in Nevada.

Clark County commissioners and Nevada lawmakers in Congress sought clarification from the department on how money could be used.

But Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has put the matter to rest, at least for this year. He inserted a provision into the spending bill that specifically earmarks the monies "to conduct scientific oversight responsibilities and participate in licensing activities." That language should cover the oversight work Nevada officials want to do, congressional sources said.

The Energy Department is seeking to finalize an application for a license to construct Yucca, and state officials are planning to challenge that application.

The bill language applies only to the current fiscal year and would have to be renewed -- along with a new appropriation -- next year.

Concerns have been eased -- for now -- that the state would not be able to use federal money to plan a number of challenges it intends to make to the license application, said said Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Agency.

Nevada officials anticipate that the application will be flawed and will fail to make a case that Yucca would protect people and the environment, Loux said.

"We have an obligation to challenge it," Loux said.