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Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011 | 2 a.m.
In their words
A selection of comments the candidates made during the Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas. The full transcript can be found at CNN's website.
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas:
Quite frankly, the government shouldn’t be in the business of subsidizing any form of energy. And nuclear energy, I think, is a good source of energy, but they still get subsidies. Then they assume this responsibility. Then we as politicians and the bureaucrats get involved in this. And then we get involved with which state’s going to get stuck with the garbage.
So I would say, the more the free market handles this and the more you deal with property rights and no subsidies to any form of energy, the easier this problem would be solved.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney:
If Nevada says, “Look, we don’t want it,” then let other states make bids and say, hey, look, we’ll take it. Here’s a geological site that we’ve evaluated. Here’s the compensation we want for taking it. ... Let the free market work. And on that basis, the places that are geologically safe, according to science, and where the people say the deal’s a good one will decide where we put this stuff. That’s the right course for America.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry:
You know, from time to time, Mitt and I don’t agree. But on this one, he’s hit it, the nail, right on the head. ... and, Congressman Paul, you’re correct when it comes to allowing the states to compete with each other. That is the answer to this.
During the Republican debate Tuesday at the Venetian, the presidential candidates were asked whether they support plans to dump the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
We weren’t expecting much from the candidates. For years, we’ve heard candidates, supported by the nuclear industry, patronize Nevada on the issue, and Tuesday night it appeared we would hear more of the same. Answering first, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich fit the stereotype: He outlined his support of the project, adding that while in Congress, he worked with Nevada lawmakers to provide time for scientific studies.
In other words: He cares about Nevadans’ views but still wants to make the state a nuclear waste dump. George W. Bush said something similar during the 2000 campaign, pledging to make a decision on Yucca Mountain based on “sound science.” But after Bush took office, sound science took a back seat to politics.
Just when we were about to grab the remote control, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, the debate moderator, asked Rep. Ron Paul about his opposition to Yucca Mountain.
“I approach it from a states’ rights position,” Paul said. “What right does 49 states have to punish one state and say, ‘We’re going to put our garbage in your state?’ I think that’s wrong.”
Then former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he agreed with Paul.
“The idea that 49 states can tell Nevada, ‘We want to give you our nuclear waste,’ doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Romney said. “I think the people of Nevada ought to have the final say as to whether they want that.”
Cooper asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry what he thought.
“You know, from time to time, Mitt and I don’t agree,” Perry said. “But on this one, he’s hit it, the nail, right on the head.”
Wow. We didn’t think we’d ever hear one, much less two, Republican front-runners offer support for Nevada’s opposition.
In some ways, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Conservatives over the past few years have trumpeted the 10th Amendment, which guarantees states’ rights, to try to fight against the federal health care law and other federal issues. But their love for states’ rights has stopped at Yucca Mountain.
For decades, Nevadans have been clear that they don’t want the nation’s nuclear waste, and yet the nuclear industry’s supporters in Washington have ignored the state’s wishes and railroaded plans through Congress.
The nuclear industry’s supporters have treated Nevada like a little child, telling the state it knows what is best. They have dismissed the serious safety and scientific issues that plague the plans and make brash claims. For example, during the debate Gingrich said “most geologists” had found Yucca Mountain suitable and “geologically stable.”
But that argument doesn’t stand up. Yucca Mountain isn’t a solid mountain; it’s a porous volcanic ridge in an area prone to earthquakes. And geologists didn’t pick Yucca Mountain. Politicians did.
Congress cut short a scientific search for a nuclear waste dump in the 1980s, choosing Nevada to be the nation’s nuclear waste dump. Why? Nevada’s congressional delegation didn’t have the clout to stop the plans.
The state has continued its opposition, and the Nevada congressional delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has diligently worked to cut funding for the project. After he took office, President Barack Obama brought some common sense to the issue, telling the Energy Department to end its work. However, Republican leaders in Congress have continued to push for the project and made an all-out push to revive the moribund and dangerous project.
We hope they were listening to the debate. Nevadans don’t want it, and some of the leading Republicans running for president say Nevada shouldn’t be forced to take it. Republicans in Congress should see the writing on the wall and drop the plan once and for all.
What do you think? Send your thoughts in a letter — no more than 250 words. Include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be considered. E-mail: letters@lasvegassun.com.
Before the Obama - Reid glee club arives
Obama is actively promoting Nuclear power as a carbon free energy source.
The Obama administration has never said that Yucca Mountain is not safe just that it is "not workable." Not Workable is the statement in the budget submittals, court case briefs, and letters to the blue ribbon committee.
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Some of the America's best and brightest scientists in the ten DOE National Labs lead by Sandia and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have spent 25 year looking at Yucca Mountain and determined it was safe. This includes 25 years of National and International peer review, and statement by Steven Chu Obama's Nobel Prize winning head of the DOE
The Department of Energy then put together a License Application for an independent safety review.
The Obama DOE has never wavered on supporting the Sound Science of Yucca Mountain. The fact is the Yucca Sound Science is the only basis for the blue ribbon committee to use to re-examine potential alternatives.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the "independent" organization that would approve the Sound Science. Only with the NRC approval of Yucca can the blue Ribbon committee have a base of Sound Science to evaluate alternatives.
As noted above the Yucca issue needs a solution, not more rhetoric - because no matter what the final solution it has to be based on the Sound Science developed by the Yucca Project and Federal scientists.
This requires the Jaczko lead NRC to be allowed to complete their Safety Evaluation Report.
There are four key points to this debate:
If the anti-Yucca crowd were true to a transparent science-based process then they should want the decision of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to be made public.
The anti-Yucca crowd should have no problem with the Harry Reid protegee NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko leading the NRC adjudication of the License Application prepared by the Five National Laboratories run by and science based on Obama's Department of Energy.
Steven Chu the Obama Secretary of DOE has not repudiated any of the Science-base information in the License Application that his DOE and the five U.S National Labs have developed.
Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Steven Chu, and Gregory Jaczko clearly have been complicit in violate the Nuclear waste Policy Act (NWPA) based on there efforts in the summer and fall of 2010 to re-elect Harry.
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The Federal Courts will find in favor as they always have in the past for the Yucca Mountain project.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Interesting what they all said regarding an issue they probably could care less about. The only way they would care about it is if they found out how much money would line their pockets if they encouraged it. The Republican Party, in its entirety, thinks predatory thoughts like that...even at the expense of what people don't want.
But that's okay, Yucca Mountain Project is not going to happen.
The fight has been going on for quite a few years and the tide has turned. This "Screw Nevada Campaign" started in the 1980s has lost momentum. Nevada is stronger now politically. We keep fighting them off and make them waste money and time in courts. Eventually, the law suits will fizzle out and when they find out they can't throw it at Nevada, they'll give up. Time is on our side. We can easily afford to wait them out.
I encourage them to keep trying though. Because that process needs to continue in order for it to sink into their thick heads it's not going to work. And that Nevada decides what is best for it. We are not interested in handling nuclear waste, the most dangerous substance known to mankind. Because if we get saddled with it? It's forever. We cannot accept a burden like that and throw it unfairly on future generations of Nevadans; Nevadans that aren't even born yet. They would curse our graves. Guaranteed.
Yucca is a pipedream. Take it somewhere else. Bury it in Gingrich's backyard or something if he wants the money that bad.
The Price Anderson Act provided insurance for accidents over 650 million dollars for the Nuke industry. The government subsidized the nuclear industry with this insurance. No one would insure it otherwise.
Now Bob List and local KDWN talk show host Alan Stock are isolated by their pro-nuke views. Everyone else is against Yucca. The NUKE DUMP should be located in Mitt's front lawn.
Volcanic explosions and poisonous gases to Nevada. What more do you want to expect.
As long we don`t need new jobs in Nevada, its ok by me!
Future..thank you for your forsenic analysis. Did it ever dawn on you that the people of Nevada DON'T WANT IT!!! It looks to me that you are in favor of full Federal control and to hell with state's rights.
Thank you President Obama and Harry Reid for
stopping Yucca Mountain.
The Yucca site is a dangerous rat-hole.
YUCCA WILL NEVER BE SAFE,PERIOD.
Yucca Mountain is a volcanic ridge that sits on
and near ACTIVE EARTHQUAKE FAULT LINES.
YUCCA IS DEAD!
THANK GOD.
I support storage of nuclear waste inside Yucca Mt.
Go and see it for yourself to make an informed choice. I did. I'd LOVE to have a job out there!