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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
Reid wins another round
Senate majority leader from Nevada announces another victory in Yucca Mountain fight
Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.
It is premature to say that the long battle against Yucca Mountain has ended in victory for Nevada, but it is safe to say a turning point in the state’s favor makes ultimate victory more assured.
The turning point came Wednesday with an agreement among Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the White House and Energy Secretary Steven Chu. They agreed the budget for getting Yucca Mountain federally licensed as a burial site for the nation’s high-level nuclear waste should be significantly reduced.
On Thursday Reid announced that the White House, in keeping with President Barack Obama’s campaign promises to Nevada, had decided to propose no funding whatsoever in the fiscal-year 2011 budget for the license application.
“This is a major victory for Nevada,” said Reid, who has led Nevada’s fight against Yucca for more than 20 years. He was right. If there is no licensing budget, the Yucca Mountain project, barely moving after two decades of disclosures from Nevada about its multiple dangers, comes to a stop.
In anticipation of this, Obama is planning to appoint a blue-ribbon commission to recommend a safer alternative to Yucca Mountain.
The issue began in 1987 when Congress approved the “Screw Nevada” bill, which named Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the only site that would be considered as the burial ground for deadly radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear plants.
Nevada had little clout on the national level at the time. That began to change as Reid, elected to the Senate in 1986, steadily advanced in its ranks. He became minority leader in 2005 and became majority leader after Democrats gained control following the 2006 general election.
After years of fighting against congressional Republicans who support Yucca Mountain, and after fighting the Bush administration, which gave the Energy Department the go-ahead to construct the project, Nevada is prevailing, but it has not yet won.
The state will need the clout of Reid in the coming years to finish the job.
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It is strang that it takes both Obama and Reid to fight back the Democratic party.
I guess the Democrats are hell bent on putting the nuclear waste site in Nevada.
I guess Obama and Reid can not convince the Democrats to pass legislative to remove the Screw Nevada bill from the books.
It is also replusive that the Sun is supporting Reid's and Obama's push to break US law.
Does the Sun have any respect for the law?
I guess not.
If Reid was so powerful, why did it take so long. Oh wait, it's an election year!
"It is strang that it takes both Obama and Reid to fight back the Democratic party."
Reid has had to fight both the Dems and the Republicans as it was him against the world regarding Yucca. It will be a formidable victory when it is put to bed.
Stop trying to make EVERYTHING anti-Democrat, your I.Q. is showing.
I think your low I.Q. is showing.
Otherwise you would not be making such a dumb remark.
When the original "Screw Nevada" bill was passed, it was passed when Democrats were in control of the legislative branch.
If it were not for the Democrats there never would have been Yucca Mtn in the first place.
Now again Democrats are in full control of legislative branch and you can hold your breath and turn blue in the face it will not change these facts.
Of course, you struggle to understand this having a low I.Q.
PvtRock.....
I'm disappointed in you....more and more you're having trouble playing with others. Be nice! Do you have any information (maybe a link?) that validates your statement that:
"when the original "Screw Nevada" bill was passed, it was passed when Democrats were in control of the legislative branch."
I don't quite remember it that way.... Thanks in advance for the link!
Hey El Logo
Check out
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_party_ha...
Both the Senate and House were Democractically controlled in 1987 when the Screw Nevada bill passed.
Contrary to many posters, Yucca Mountain is NOT a Republican project, but a United States project passed when the Democrats controlled Congress.
Pro Reid supporters are pathetic in not knowing history and why Yucca Mountain was picked. I guess this comes from the majority of Americans being born since reason was a requirement to be in the public. The new Democratic left wing liberals know that most Americans are ignorant of science, history, etc etc and will prey upon you for their votes. How pathetic that America is now owned by uneducated Hollywood high school dropouts.