Quantcast
MobileRJ | RSS TwitterTwitter FacebookFacebook E-mail Alerts
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

sponsored by
News
Jun. 06, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Nevada lawmakers claim politics fuels Yucca bid

By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
More Info
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy's bid to begin licensing for a nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain reeks of politics and uncertainty and should be rejected out of hand, Nevada lawmakers urged in a letter Thursday to top nuclear safety regulators.

The DOE construction application sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday was timed to coincide with the fall elections and is "undoubtedly incomplete," the lawmakers argued.

Most Popular Stories
  • Three suspects arrested in shooting death of police officer
  • Three suspects arrested in shooting death of police officer
  • FATAL SHOOTING: Police again mourn comrade
  • NORM: Biden finds rank has its privileges
  • NORM: Walton: Coach deserved a punch
  • Two of three suspects in slaying of officer could face death penalty
  • DEADLY HOME INVASION: Police suspect link to family
  • Station Casinos posts $455 million third-quarter loss
  • Las Vegas police shoot at man fleeing after traffic stop
  • Las Vegas police shoot at man fleeing after traffic stop
  • NORM: 'Girls Gone Wild' creator feels heat
  • UNLV sacks football coach Sanford




    • "There are too many components missing ... to suggest that the department is genuinely prepared to make its case for moving forward on the Yucca Mountain project," they said in the letter that was sent to the four NRC commissioners.

    "The Commission is consulting with its legal counsel to determine the appropriate response," spokesman David McIntyre said.

    By its letter, the five-member Nevada delegation added its support to the formal petition filed Wednesday by state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

    Cortez Masto asked the NRC to reject the application on a number of grounds including the absence of final radiation health standards and final designs for the underground repository and for canisters that would be used to transport and dispose of spent nuclear fuel.

    A DOE spokesman said the department was confident it met all requirements to submit the application for the repository.

    The NRC is undertaking a 90-day initial review to determine whether the application is complete enough to be docketed for more extensive safety reviews and license hearings.

    Even if the NRC spots flaws in a license application during the initial review, it generally will give an applicant the chance to respond first, agency officials have said.

    The 90 days for the NRC examination would expire at the beginning of September. The Nevada lawmakers noted some federal agencies, including the Government Accountability Office, refrain from making major decisions within 60 days of an election to avoid charges of political bias.

    "We hope the NRC would want to do the same," the Nevadans said.

    If the Yucca Mountain application is accepted for docketing, the NRC's overall license process is expected to take four years or more.

    The delegation letter initiated by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., also was signed by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Reps. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat, and Republicans Jon Porter and Dean Heller.

    Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@review journal.com or 202-783-1760.

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 5 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    hillobamacain wrote on June 06, 2008 05:37 PM: [best Claude Raines impression) i am shocked!! shocked!! that politics is taking place here!!, your winnings sir oh! thank you very much


    ronn wrote on June 06, 2008 01:47 PM: Good point.
    I have to say I was somewhat impressed by the idea that Reid and Ensign could read the thousands of pages of the multiple volumes of the license application and then were able to analyze the quality of the application less than a day after it was released!!


    CPR wrote on June 06, 2008 09:48 AM: ronn -

    The NV delegation is worried that once in NRC hands they will have to bring forth their "facts" rather than rhetoric. Have you noticed that each and every time Reid/Ensign/etc. speak to the science & engineering aspects of the license application, they never, repeat, never cite hard facts. This is because they have never done any research - its all based on their political views & feelings. I say let the panel of experts comb through the details and raise legitimate issues & concerns based on skills, knowledge, training, and experience - not political posturing.


    ronn wrote on June 06, 2008 06:50 AM: I'm confused. Doesn't the state of Nevada oppose the Yucca Mountain repository?
    If so, and if they believe that DOE's license application is incomplete and fatally flawed, why aren't they happy about that? If the license application is so bad, why is Nevada so upset about it being submitted to the NRC?


    Jerry Mac wrote on June 06, 2008 05:58 AM: What a novelty: politicians complaining about politics.