Letter: Yucca, energy bill should infuriate all Nevadans

Friday, July 8, 2005 | 9:09 a.m.

Nevadans have a healthy mistrust of the federal government, largely because of the political campaign that's been ongoing since 1987 to force upon us a scientifically unsound nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. More than 30 other states were eliminated as potential sites almost immediately because of political expediency. Nevada was picked because it was politically weak.

One would think that after unkept presidential campaign promises in 2000 and 2004 that Gov. Kenny Guinn and other Nevada Republicans would be outraged at President Bush and the Energy Department over the recent allegations of scientific deceit at Yucca Mountain. Instead, Nevada's court victory regarding the mountain's radiation standar, and the Energy Department's incriminating e-mails are pretty much being ignored. The Energy Department is proceeding on Yucca Mountain as if nothing has happened.

Where is the outrage from Nevadans on this issue? The state's residents should be expressing their concern to President Bush and to Congress.

It is disgusting that the energy bill nearing completion in Congress would subsidize new nuclear power plants. Of course, taxpayers will bear the potentially huge risk imposed by the Price-Anderson Act, which limits the liability of nuclear power producers in the event of a catastrophe.

Why not use all subsidy money to promote green energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydrogen, which are safer, do not produce toxic waste and are technologically possible today?

FRANK PERNA