Kerry, in LV, pledges to fight Yucca dump

Kirsten Searer

Monday, May 17, 2004 | 11:01 a.m.

Sen. John Kerry promised Nevadans on Sunday that, as president, he would do anything he could to stop the nation's nuclear waste from coming to the state.

"Rest assured, Nevada, if I'm the president of the United States, Yucca Mountain will not be a repository," Kerry said at a fund-raiser late Sunday afternoon at the Four Seasons.

The Massachusetts Democrat tried to draw a strong contrast between himself and President Bush, who in 2002 said he would not approve Yucca Mountain without "strong science" supporting the project.

The president and Congress approved the project in 2002 over Nevada officials' objections that the scientific work is faulty, and state Democrats said Bush lied and broke a campaign promise.

On Sunday Republicans were skeptical of Kerry's pledge, saying he couldn't give the state an absolute guarantee that the project won't come to Nevada.

"To say he's going to stop Yucca Mountain, it's a nice thing in the campaign, but certainly a false promise," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., a Yucca Mountain opponent, adding that Kerry would need some sort of congressional vote to prevent Yucca Mountain.

Kerry argued that a president could employ "any number of ways" to stop the project.

He said he could start by halting federal money going to the repository or by forcing government branches such as the Environmental Protection Agency to acknowledge scientific studies that show the project might be unsafe.

He accused the Bush administration of failing to use "21st Century" science to look at issues such as global warming, stem-cell research and, now, the potential effects of Yucca Mountain.

"They deny the science now of what people are telling us about the long-term safety of Yucca Mountain," he said. "And they've even ignored warnings about safety for workers up there. I think that's callous. I think it's wrong.

"I will proceed to take America down the road of the proper scientific research and discovery. I'm confident we can find a more effective long-term way to ultimately dispose of our waste."

In a taping of "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," Kerry said that he thinks, "the science out there today shows us Yucca Mountain is not a good idea."

Ralston asked Kerry, "You will stop the project?

Kerry responded, "Yes, sir."

Ralston pressed Kerry, saying that other politicians have made pledges about Yucca Mountain and then changed their tunes.

"All you're doing is making a promise," Ralston said.

"No, I'm not (just) making a promise," Kerry said. "I've actually voted to stop it. I have voted against it."

Kerry has voted against bills that would authorize the Yucca Mountain project, though Ensign said that Kerry has voted for energy and water bills that indirectly would help fund the project.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he thinks a President Kerry could stop Yucca Mountain.

"If John Kerry didn't want this thing to come, where would we get the money?" he said. "If he told his secretary of Energy he didn't want nuclear waste to come to Nevada, what do you think would happen?"

Also during a taping of the show, which is broadcast on Las Vegas ONE, Kerry said he thinks "it would be good not to bet on college sports."

Still, he said he would not support a proposed federal bill that would ban bets on college athletics. States do a fine job of regulating gambling without federal intervention, he said.

This was the second time in three months that Nevada Democrats opened their arms and their wallets to Kerry. The presumptive Democratic nominee visited Nevada to rally Democratic support before the state's Feb. 14 caucus.

Reid, who helped organize fund-raisers for Kerry on Sunday, estimated that the Democratic senator helped to pull in at least $500,000 for his presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee on his short Vegas trip.

Guests attending a $1,000-a-head cocktail reception at the Four Seasons included a sampling of state legislators, lobbyists, Democratic candidates, veterans and Arizona governor Janet Napolitano. The event drew about 200 supporters.

The centerpiece of Kerry's trip to Las Vegas was a speech he gave at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Annual Unity Conference at Bally's.

Kerry tried to appeal to the union, which initially supported Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt in his bid for the presidency.

Gephardt sat in the front row for Kerry's Las Vegas speech, and on Sunday Teamsters president James P. Hoffa told reporters that Gephardt would make a fine running mate for Kerry.

In his speech, Kerry briefly reminisced about his time as a Teamster, when he spent a summer in college loading trucks.

But he quickly tore into the Bush administration for, he said, not enforcing provisions of trade policies, creating a $500 billion trade deficit and allowing jobs to go overseas.

"Let me be clear," he said. "I have a plan to put America back to work."

Kerry offered to give tax breaks to companies that choose to keep jobs in the states and enforce trade agreements so that the trade deficit goes down and American jobs are protected.

His economic and health care plans, he said, also would help working families. He promised to cut health care premiums by up to $1,000 a family, and to give tax cuts to 98 percent of Americans and 99 percent of American businesses.

Kerry criticized the Bush administration for refusing to admit mistakes it might have made during its tenure and then running on the promise that they would continue their form of leadership.

"That's like the Red Sox saying we can go another 86 years without winning a World Series," Kerry joked.

But Ensign criticized Kerry's plans, saying Kerry's proposals could add "trillions" of dollars in debt.

Ensign also defended tax cuts made by the Bush administration. Kerry has advocated repealing tax cuts that the Bush administration gave to families that make $200,000 or more a year.

"These tax cuts are largely responsible for this incredible economy we have in the state of Nevada," Ensign said.

Republicans held their own events Sunday to recognize Kerry's arrival in town, starting with a pancake party to recognize the "flip flops" they said Kerry has made on his stances. Later, about 40 people walked along The Strip to protest Kerry's stances.