Porter accepts donations from Yucca supporters

Kirsten Searer and Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, July 16, 2004 | 10:47 a.m.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., has just over $1.1 million on hand for his re-election campaign and has accepted donations from people leading the effort to put the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada.

Porter raised about $530,000 this quarter for his effort to keep his Third District seat in Congress. And according to Federal Election Commission records filed Thursday, he has received $5,000 from the Texas Freedom Fund, a political fund-raising group controlled by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and $1,500 from former Nevada Gov. Bob List, who now lobbies for the nuclear industry in favor of Yucca Mountain.

Barton heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee and has been leading the effort in the House this year to change the funding rules for the Yucca Mountain project.

The Energy Department wants the rule changes so it can funnel $750 million a year into the nuclear waste storage project at the site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, without affecting other federal programs.

Porter has said he has been fighting the project for 20 years and his campaign says the money will not diminish his fight.

Politicians who support Yucca Mountain and gave Porter money know that Porter will continue fighting the project, Porter campaign consultant Mike Slanker said.

"If you go down the list of energy companies, legislators, PACs and lobbyists, you'll find pro-Yucca people in one way shape or form on just about every financial list for every federal elected official in Nevada," Slanker said. "The bottom line is they know we're going to fight them. We've fought them from Day One."

While Porter and Barton disagree on Yucca Mountain, Barton helped Porter push through grants to the Clark County School District, Slanker said. They also worked together on issues such as tax cuts and employment bills, he said.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who isn't up for re-election until 2006, raised $70,025 this quarter, bringing his total amount of cash on hand to $513,019, a sizeable amount for someone whose re-election campaign isn't due for two years.

"It probably ranks him in the top three or four or five who aren't up," said Slanker, who also is working on the Ensign campaign. "If you plan to run for re-election, no matter what office you hold, raising money is full time."

Meanwhile, the campaign team for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced on Thursday that it "couldn't be in a better position" with $4.8 million in cash on hand for the upcoming election, including $766,165 Reid raised this quarter.

The quarterly fund-raising report for Reid's Republican opponent, Richard Ziser, has not yet been posted on the Federal Elections Commission Web site. Ziser's campaign did not return phone calls seeking comment this morning.

Other incumbent congressional members from the state also have been raising money quickly. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., has $662,669 in cash on hand. He raised $207,148 this quarter.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., raised $190,365 this quarter, giving her almost $1.1 million in cash on hand.