Nevada wants Yucca meetings public

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Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 10:45 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada wants to stop back-room meetings between agencies on how to deal with the Yucca Mountain project court ruling aftermath.

On Friday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia threw out an Environmental Protection Agency guideline that required the high-level nuclear waste dump to contain radiation for 10,000 years, noting that the National Academy of Sciences recommended a longer period.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Sue Gagner said there have already been discussions among the EPA, Energy Department and the commission "on process issues growing out of the court's decision," but would not give specifics.

Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow said Tuesday that the department has spoken with the commission on how it could proceed.

Bob Loux, executive director of the state's Agency for Nuclear Projects, sent a letter Wednesday to Commission Chairman Nils Diaz and EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt to make sure Nevada is not left out of any conversations.

Loux said any discussions should be kept public to "avoid suggestions that new rules specifying radiation standards have been trimmed to the fit the needs of the Energy Department."