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In Capitol elevator, with a nuclear waste dump supporter onboard, Berkley sums up plan’s demise
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Shelley Berkley
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About an hour before the Senate gave final approval Thursday to the latest funding cuts to the Yucca Mountain project, the project’s end was neatly summed up during an elevator ride on the other side of the Capitol.
Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley hustled out of the House chamber and into the crowded elevator full of representatives and reporters heading back to their offices after a series of votes.
One reporter was asking a lawmaker whether there exists in the House a nuclear caucus — a group of representatives working to benefit nuclear power.
Before the lawmaker could reply, Berkley piped up.
“There’s an anti-Yucca Mountain caucus,” the Las Vegas congresswoman said.
“It’s right here,” she said indicating herself. “I’m the chair.”
Chuckles, perhaps some nervousness, all around.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Berkley was Republican Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois, whose home state has more nuclear waste waiting to be shipped to Yucca Mountain than any other. Shimkus is a longtime supporter of Yucca Mountain.
They exchanged a few words, punctuated by Berkley demonstrating how she throws darts at a picture of the Illinois congressman in her office. (It was a joke.)
The House had previously approved the annual Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal 2010, which fulfills President Barack Obama’s pledge to dramatically cut the budget for the Yucca Mountain project, the proposed nuclear waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The project is receiving $196.8 million, its smallest allocation in years. It is enough funding to continue the license application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission but not much more. Work at the mountain has slowed, and employees have been steadily laid off.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid went a step further and got Congress to slash the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s budget almost in half, limiting the panel’s ability to work on the Yucca Mountain application.
Obama has pledged to establish a commission to review alternatives to Yucca Mountain, and Congress batted back an eleventh-hour attempt by the dump’s supporters to include the Yucca Mountain site in the study. Obama has vowed that next year’s budget will fully eliminate funding for Yucca Mountain.
By the end of the day Thursday, the Senate would also give the legislation final approval. The bill now goes to the White House for Obama’s signature.
During the elevator ride, it was suggested that the congresswoman from Nevada and the congressman from Illinois should arm-wrestle and let the winner decide Yucca’s fate.
“She’d win,” the Illinois congressman said. “It’s over.”
Almost.
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thank you harry reid...
you are the man...
you single handedly beat back the worst possible thing that could have happened to vegas...
vegas loves you baby...
we don't want to be the dumping ground for the most toxic crap known to man...
we don't want our children to glow in the dark...
vegas loves harry reid!!!
I'll second Birdie... And I'll add my thanks to Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus as well. Funny how all of Nevada's Democrats in DC are busy killing the Yucca Mountain dump while Johnny Casino and "Helluva" Heller can't get their fellow Republicans to stop trying to nuke Las Vegas.
Are we LOL yet on the Democrats bait and switch approach to science based decisions.
"Nuclear Regulatory Commission's budget almost in half, limiting the panel's ability to work on the Yucca Mountain application"
Just continues to show that Harry is afraid of the answer that Yucca is safe.
Harry's whole election next year is anti Yucca. It would be damaging for him if proven wrong and it is shown safe before his election.
In a surprise decision, the NRC voted to not publish the draft final update of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's waste confidence decision and final rule. The NRC has proposed eliminating the requirement of opening an operating geologic repository by 2025 as a conditional basis for the NRC to derive confidence that spent fuel and high-level waste can and will be permanently disposed of.
Commissioners voted against the action to release the final rule because they felt that the public should be given a chance to comment on the rule given the nation's recent decisions about a geologic waste repository. Klein said "the Commission should give the public an opportunity to comment on whether and, if so, how the Administration's recent announcements of changes in the Nation's high-level waste (HLW) repository program should affect the proposed update." Svinicki mentioned that there may be "deliberation"which may lead to a wholesale re-examination of the Nation's path forward on high-level radioactive waste disposal."
"The President has acknowledged that nuclear power is -- and likely will remain -- an important source of electricity for many years to come and that how the Nation deals with the dangerous byproduct of nuclear reactors is a critical question that has yet to be resolved.
"The President, however, has made clear that the Nation needs a better solution than the proposed Yucca Mountain repository.
Such a solution must be based on sound science and capable of securing broad support, including support from those who live in areas that might be affected by the solution.
"Accordingly, Secretary of Energy Chu has announced that he will stand up an expert, Blue Ribbon Commission to evaluate options and make recommendations to the Administration for developing a new plan for the back end of the fuel cycle.
Still looking for the Blue Ribbon Commission
What is not addressed by Obama, Chu, and Harry Reid is the broken DOE/EPA Federal Facility Agreements (FFA) (under the Federal Facility Compliance Act) with several States (SC, TN, WA, ID, etc).
These FFAs were made in the Clinton 90s to address Defense High Level Waste from the weapons complex to meet RCRA and CERCLA by putting the waste in Yucca Mountain.
Where is Obama going to bury this DHLW that is being removed from these sites?
Where is Obama going to put the Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel?
What a mindless group of twits....