Not a done deal

Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

An application for a rail line to carry high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain presumes far too much, as Nevada officials made clear at a Thursday hearing.

The application was filed by the Energy Department, which for more than 20 years has been working toward opening a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Even after that amount of time, the department admits that its planned opening of the dump in 2020 is an “extreme stretch.” In our view, that is mainly because of all the legitimate safety issues that Nevada has raised not only with the dump itself, but also with the transportation of the deadly waste.

The application at issue Thursday was for a rail line beginning in Lincoln County and stretching over Nevada lands to Yucca Mountain. The application arrogantly presumes Yucca Mountain is a done deal.

Having agreed to allow Nevadans to speak out on the issue, the three-member Surface Transportation Board got an earful. The board reviews proposed federal rail projects.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley, both D-Nev., submitted prepared statements blistering the board over safety issues. Nevada has long said that moving high-level nuclear waste long distances by rail is dangerous.

Additionally, Robert Halstead, who advises Nevada on Yucca issues, said the application was submitted before any competent review has been undertaken of the bigger picture — the cross-country shipping.

He said waste from the nation’s nuclear power plants will be shipped 24/7 for more than 50 years through 193 cities if Yucca is approved, adding that public hearings should be held in those cities before an application for a final rail link is submitted.

We agree. Focusing on the final link before gauging public reaction to the main routes is putting the caboose before the engine.