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Associated Press
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., speaks about gas prices as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, right, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, listen in May 2008.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 | 6:25 p.m.
There’s a new bill on nuclear waste disposal in Congress. But this time, it’s not from some House Republican dead-set on jump-starting dumps at Yucca Mountain.
Outgoing Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat from New Mexico, released his much-anticipated bill on Wednesday formalizing the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Nuclear Waste Management.
The commission, which met through last year, released a report in January that set guidelines for selecting a future site, including a recommendation that the federal government engage in a cooperative process with any potential state host for a long-term storage facility.
While Yucca Mountain was not specifically mentioned, the lessons of it were clearly apparent: When choosing future sites, don’t stuff a project down an unwilling state’s throat.
“I appreciate Sen. Bingaman’s efforts and believe he has taken a courageous step toward safely and securely managing nuclear waste,” Sen. Harry Reid, perhaps Congress’ most vocal opponent of bringing the country’s nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, said Wednesday. “I look forward to working with him and my colleagues to finally develop a nuclear waste policy that protects Nevadans and all Americans.”
While members of the Nevada delegation have varying opinions as to what the best use of Yucca Mountain would be, the entire Nevada delegation is opposed to using the site as it was initially designated under federal law, as a nuclear waste dumpyard.
Bingaman’s bill is, at best, an opening statement for a conversation that even he acknowledged, is likely to take far longer than he plans to be in Congress to see it through.
For example, Bingaman said he had been unable to reach an agreement with Republicans on how new nuclear waste facilities should be authorized.
“I recognize (action on and implementation of this bill) will not happen this year,” Bingaman said in an official statement he released with the bill. “It will take a great deal more time and work. But it must begin and I hope it will continue in the next Congress.”
How the conversation proceeds next Congress, however, will be drastically affected by what transpires in the elections this November. While both presidential candidates have endorsed a consultative approach to siting nuclear waste disposal facilities, Republicans in Congress have already pledged to use their power to restart activity at Yucca Mountain through appropriations if they are able to win the majority of both houses of Congress.
It has been widely reported, and believed, that Nevada is the dumbest State in the Union based on the education system.
That said, if New Mexico is actually saying that it wants to be the home of a project like Yucca Mountain, and New Mexico has presumably read all the arguments for and against, then it stands to reason that New Mexico, being a smarter State than Nevada, has seen or understood something that many in Nevada are too stupid to accept.
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Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Democrat - New Mexico is doing everything he can to get the repository jobs in his State.
This effort may be too late as the federal courts are set to rule against Reid shortly
Harry Reid has lie to Nevada about Yucca and now New Mexico may take them jobs away.
In the process Harry Reid has wasted $20 billion in scientific research, engineering and licensing activities. Taxpayers are also on the hook for $30 billion in performance delay penalties because the waste could not be delivered to Yucca.
Every time Harry Reid opens his mouth he lies.
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Just this week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid denounced Nuclear Regulatory Commission Democrat member William Magwood as a "first-class rat," "miserable liar," "sh-t-stirrer" and "tool of the nuclear industry" in a new interview with The Huffington Post.
Why? Reid said a senior White House official had assured him that Magwood would oppose Yucca. The quotes from Reid were "100 percent accurate," Adam Jentleson told POLITICO. Jentleson said he does not know if Reid ever expressed those views directly to Obama administration officials.
Reid is going nuts
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YES, YUCCA MOUNTAIN DUMP IS DEAD!!!
We know Yucca will never be safe, PERIOD.
New Mexico is a safe and welcome site.
Harry Reid is 100% correct in protecting Nevada.
HARRY REID IS THE BEST!
OUTGOING Senator may be generating legislation that is well thought out but a career-killer because of public mis-perception. Yucca should still be in the running but the FEDS MUST FIRST come up with a proposal that shows how RECYCLING NUCLEAR FUEL rods and such would be accomplished. We cannot trust a bankrupt federal government to adequately finance temporary storage areas for spent rods awaiting recharging. Nevadans need to balance the many technical jobs and infrastructure such a project would bring and sustain. We'd even get a real highway between Vegas and Reno? Maybe a railroad line that can handle passenger traffic--so we could cut back on the air travel for thousands of government employees.
Years ago Chic Hecht had an idea to build sites that would take the nuclear waste and make lower level energy from it. I don't understand why here in the US we don't come up with a way to use the waste to create energy.