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Yucca Mountain is located about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Thursday, June 2, 2011 | 4:44 a.m.
Sun coverage
The Energy and Commerce Committee has turned into a veritable cockfighting ring over Yucca mountain in the last few weeks, as lawmakers pit Energy Department official against Energy Department official, nuclear commissioner against nuclear commissioner, and Nevadan against Nevadan to publicly duke it out and, in the process, discredit the movement to shut down the nuclear waste disposal site.
Yucca mountain has seen a burst of boosterism since Republicans took over the House five months ago. Since then, House leaders have tried to force-fund the project’s extension for fiscal 2011, and when that failed, came back with even stronger language for fiscal 2012.
On Wednesday, House Appropriations leaders released an Energy and Water spending package that includes “$35 million to support Yucca Mountain activities, including $10 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue their review of the license application” and “provisions to forbid the use of funds to close down the program.”
But that’s just backdrop to the political face-offs being played out before the committee.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was the first to be brought into the committee’s ring for a reckoning, when chairman Fred Upton and Rep. John Shimkus, the chairman of the House Energy Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, launched a formal investigation into the NRC’s delay of a vote on whether the Obama administration has the authority to dismantle the Yucca project, which it began doing in 2010.
The specter of that ongoing investigation — which leading Democrats on the committee, who are not being included in Republicans’ interviews of witnesses, have charged is partisan and unfair — was hanging over the committee’s meeting Wednesday, as lawmakers accused Energy Department officials of making the decision to shutter Yucca purely for political popularity points.
It’s now up to the NRC, and a series of courts, to decide whether that decision was legal under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
But even if it’s the Republicans driving the issue, on Wednesday it was very clear that recriminations of the Yucca takedown are very bipartisan.
Nevada lawmakers, almost all of whom vehemently oppose the development of Yucca to house nuclear waste, have painted the project as a $100 million boondoggle, $10 million of which has already been thrown down a vast hole in the ground in Nye County.
But lawmakers from nuclear-producing states who want to see it going are seeing much bigger wasted-dollar signs: the federal government has already paid out about $1 billion in lawsuits for reneging on promises made under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to cart off nuclear waste.
According to the Department of Energy’s Inspector General, the government will have to spend about $15.4 billion more in the next few years to pay off the rest, if no alternative to Yucca is developed before 2020.
Armed with alarming numbers, a series of lawmakers pressed Assistant Energy Secretary Pete Lyons — a Nevada native, and former nuclear regulatory commissioner — to say in plain speech Wednesday whether the decision to dismantle the Yucca project was made because of scientific concerns, which would seem to obviate the legal obligations of the NWPA, or other concerns, which would put the administration’s decision on shakier legal footing.
After several minutes of staving off questions with a carefully worded response about technical considerations, Lyons broke, telling the panel that “it was a question of social, public acceptance.”
Lawmakers leapt on that.
“There is no statutory authority for social acceptance,” Republican Rep. Cory Gardner of Colorado said flatly to Lyons in his questioning.
Lyons agreed there was not.
“This flagrant statement that social acceptance is now a legal criteria I don’t understand,” echoed Washington Democrat Jay Inslee, who called the rationale Lyons presented “unacceptable.”
“Is there something unique about Nevadans that make them unique, and this would be welcomed as rosewater in the rest of the United States?” Inslee asked. “What evidence do you have that there’s any more socially acceptable place?”
Administration officials suggested the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository, located in the Carlsbad area of New Mexico, where public enthusiasm for the project is measurably more present than it is in Nevada.
But the more direct answer to Inslee’s question may have been “ask a Nevadan” — and they did.
“There are many of us who live next to Yucca mountain who support the completion of the licensing process,” said Gary Hollis, chairman of the five-member Nye County Board of County Commissioners, all of whom, he pointed out, had expressed their support for continuing the Yucca project and been reelected by their constituents.
“It is my community, my family. My friends live and work here. I would never accept a federal facility be located in my county if I thought it was unsafe,” he said.
There has been support for the project from the six Nevada counties most geographically close to the site, a consideration that is doubtless tied to the federal investments that came into the area on the back of the decision to focus waste facility development efforts exclusively on Yucca starting in 1987, but also lends some credibility to the notion that the scientific concerns aren’t that bad.
But even if Energy officials steered clear of citing any concerns with the science behind the site, Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley — who has for years been almost rabid in her opposition to Yucca and was invited to testify before the committee along with two of her congressional compatriots who support the project — had them in spades and threw them out on the table in an avalanche of testimony.
“Originally, they were going to store nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain,” Berkley explained with more than a hint of incredulity in her voice. “Then they realized there were ground water problems. So we were going to store it in containers with a titanium shield to protect it from the dripping water. Then they realized that wasn’t enough because the titanium shields were going to erode. So then they were going to build concrete bunkers to contain the titanium shields to contain that contained the canisters. And then the last secretary of energy in the Bush administration actually said he was going to create an army of robots to go down to Yucca Mountain, because man can’t go down there to protect us from the nuclear waste leakage.”
“Make no mistake, the Yucca mountain project was born of politics, starting with the infamous 1987 ‘screw Nevada’ bill...which did away with any pretense of science,” said Berkley, who in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan has encouraged a dismantling of the U.S. nuclear industry if the country can’t come up with a better storage option, as Germany just announced it would do, by 2022.
That position goes further than her delegation colleagues in the Senate, Harry Reid and Dean Heller, who both oppose Yucca Mountain but have encouraged continued investment in nuclear.
“If anyone watching what’s happening in Japan still has the audacity to suggest that for our country, shame on us all...I will lay my body down on those railroad tracks to prevent any train that has nuclear waste in it from going to Yucca Mountain,” Berkley finished dramatically.
Again, we have, those who wish to profit and make gain from Nevada, will try to do so with Nevada being subjected to HAZARDOUS LOSS.
Science behind closing Yucca Mountain High Level Radioactive Waste Repository, is that first and foremost, the site is seismically ACTIVE, not stable, not safe. The issues with leaking water will never be resolved due to that (it will cost millions/billions to fix forever).
Then, you have transporting high level radioactive waste across the country to a state(Nevada), that doesn't even have a nuclear power generator nor does Nevada USE high level radiation. Terrorists would have a field day using this stuff as targets or as hostages. So it is a HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUE as well.
If that is NOT ENOUGH to deter bringing and exposing Nevada and the People of Nevada to high level radioactive waste, then try HEALTH. Many who had been subjected to wanton exposure from the Atomic Test Site, struggle/or are dead due to CANCERS caused from such, and the indisputable history is that the USA government shamefully avoided addressing these folks cancers and medical needs. Just take a drive to Alamo, Lund, points north of Las Vegas, a few are still alive and dealing with this. Disaster? yeah, the government will "take care of you."
Nevadans have spoken many times, loud and clear, "NO TO YUCCA MOUNTAIN!" and mean it. Why on God's green Earth, do these career politicians continue to bring Yucca Mountain High Level Radioactive Waste Repository up, is a WASTE of taxpayer dollars, and time that could be better utilized!
Peace
What the administration is doing to the Yucca Mountain Project is completely corrupt!!!
Dirty Harry "We lost the War" Reid planted Gregory Jaczko (his former Science Advisor and he also worked for anti-nuke Ed Markey) on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (after holding up ~100 Bush appointees until Bush was forced to cave) and then pushed for him to be the Chairman of the NRC under Obama SPECIFICALLY so he could derail the NRC Review of the YMP License Application from the inside.
In addition, he got Steven Chu to flip-flop his position on the YMP (after signing with the other National Lab Leads that the YMR was the path to pursue) in order to gain appointment to the Secretary of Energy job (... So much for "Sound Science"...).
Further, the sitting NRC Commissioners all had to agree not to challenge DOE's pulling of the License Application during their confirmation hearings in order to be confirmed.
All of these players and obstructionists are in violation of the LAW!!! Reid, Waxman, Jaczko, Chu, Berkley, Heller ALL need to be thrown out of their jobs" I'd even go further and have them arrested for violating FEDERAL LAW.
In watching the hearing yesterday, Lyons came off as an in-the-tank political hack and Berkley looked and acted like a deranged, incompetent, lunatic spewing nothing but misinformation about the project, which I'm sure the Subcommittee members saw right through... I pray she lays down on the railway tracks as promised!!!
@ staralioflundnv: Only the NRC is authorized to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Repository is safe! Your nonsensical rant of unfounded gibberish has no basis in science or fact.
What your diatribe does display is how effective the Reid media machine has been in scaring the hell out of people as a way to get votes. The DOE is also to blame as they have failed to educate the residents. If there had been any real effort to present the facts to the public so they can make an informed decision, I am confident that the public would back the YMR...
You are also ignoring the economic reality in NV. There are definitely financial gains to be had from the Yucca Mountain Repository!!! The project itself brought in ~$300 Million a year to the Las Vegas economy and to the areas near the site. The Nuclear Waste Fund brings in ~$750 Million a year just for this project and NV doesn't want it... Real bright! To get construction going, amounts in the $800 Million per year range could be coming in (Bush requested ~$860 Million)!!! Add to that all the homes the 2,750 employees purchased and their spending power spread in the local communities. Deals were offered to the state many years ago and the NV politicians turned them down. With today's state of NV economics, such deals could be revisited. Options to be explored annual storage fees per ton of waste, NV taking title to the fuel so it can sell the fuel back to the industry when reprocessing is available, etc... Deals on par with Alaskan dividend checks to residents are not out of the question... And, don't forget... The operational period for the YMR facility is 300 years... 300 years of big money coming into the state!
Also, NV needs to diversify its income stream! The Las Vegas reliance on gambling alone is going to backfire -- and it's already in progress. While driving across the country to a job in Maryland, it is easy to see why fewer and fewer people are going to Vegas; every state I drove through had their own casinos... Nevada needs the money, the jobs, and the diversified source of revenue that the YMR provides.
Here we have a perfect way to diversify our economy and the Dems want to kick it to the curb. I would understand if there was sound science to back up their position, but they are just pandering for votes and using scare tactics.
Impeach_Harry_Reid: Your two long comments, along with your moniker you chose to comment with, show incredible horse-with-blinders-clearcut-agenda-driven bias that clearly pursues a Republican Party hell vision that is not shared by a majority of Southern Nevadans.
As further proof to show the error of ways in your comments, I call your attention to a LV Sun article by Mr. Jon Ralston, "County Commission chair writes to House chairman on Yucca" (link below):
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralston...
In that article, there is a link to Chairman Susan Brager's recent letter of May 31, 2011 to the House Chairman stating clearly statistics why the people of Southern Nevada desire Yucca to not happen. And she clearly disputes all your talking points.
To add to it, you state the need for Nevada to take millions of dollars in benefits from Yucca to branch out away from gambling. I agree Nevada needs diversification to help our economy recover and put people back to work. But this isn't the way.
You fail to mention the billions and billions of dollars Southern Nevada would lose if something went wrong at Yucca. Even the slightest incident would cause tourists not to come to Las Vegas ever again. Not to mention the pain, suffering and misery it would cause to the local populace here.
The tradeoff don't make sense. And we cannot take that chance. We can't sell ourselves off like that.
I know I can't be bought and paid off; urged to do something that is against my best interests and will inevitably jeopardize my safety and health.
The simple fact of the matter is that Yucca is dead. And it will stay dead.
We owe it to our children's children's children to fight this tooth and nail right now. We simply are not in a position to make a decision like this that would effect generations and generations of future Southern Nevadans. Nor is it fair to them. Especially when they aren't even born yet.
I am happy to see the fight continues. We don't want Yucca. Have never wanted it.
Dead. Completely dead. Turn it into a hot dog stand for all I care.
Well Mr Berkley...shame on you...get on those railroad tracks. Should we continue to pollute with carbon..DEATH BY BREATH OR HEAT? Should we keep nuclear waste scattered all over the USA? Clearly your local short sited wisdom is coming from a bonehead fear, not science. Should USA drop to a 2nd world nation do to fear. Come on you have raped US dollars to your community..where is the product? How do you stay in office or sleep at night. You are no different than Bernie Madoff lie and cheat the public? If you don't want Yucca there please return the $90 BILLION to US Tax payers. I WANT A REFUND!!
http://www.lvrj.com/news/25498919.html
@ staralioflundnv: Are you SERIOUSLY holding up Ralston and Brager as fully informed and unbiased???? Brager's letter demonstrates she doesn't know what she is talking about...
You are obviously misinformed on the safety of the Yucca Mountain Repository. Have you read ANY part of the License Application or ANY of the documents produced over the 25+ years from our National Labs??? You sound like another one of the mindless sheep that got sucked into the garbage ole' Dirty Harry keeps pumping out there. While the Las Vegas economy crumbles, Harry is turning away ~2,700 jobs, and over $400 Million a year...
BTW -- Who said I was a Republican??? I base my positions on my engineering background, knowledge, and the facts!!! Politics do not influence what I think is the right thing to do for the State and the Country!
Go to Yucca and look at it for yourself. Don't just sit at home on your computer whining. Get out more...see it up close. Don't be afraid. It's an interesting place.