Goodman wants state law banning nuke waste transport

Dan Kulin

Thursday, April 21, 2005 | 8:57 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday that he wants a state law banning the transportation of radioactive waste through Nevada, a law similar to the city's ordinance.

During the Wednesday City Council meeting, Goodman asked Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell to look into getting the Legislature to consider such legislation this year.

Goodman also said he would want the law to require transporters of other dangerous cargo to be required to alert local governments before they travel through an area.

The mayor's comments came on the heels of a Monday ruling in federal court that upheld a Washington, D.C., ban on hazardous rail shipments, which the mayor said was a wonderful development for local governments including Las Vegas. In 2000, Las Vegas adopted an ordinance banning nuclear waste shipments through the city in an effort to keep waste bound for the proposed Yucca Mountain waste repository out of the city.

The Clark County District Attorney's office questioned if it were constitutional, but Goodman has noted that the ordinance has never been tested in court. Goodman has said he would have drivers hauling high-level nuclear waste through Las Vegas arrested. On Tuesday, Goodman said that in light of the ruling he would ask the city attorney to draft a new ordinance that would expand the city's ban to include other dangerous cargo.