Vote on nuclear waste bill considered too close to call

      WASHINGTON -- Thirty-four is the magic number for Nevada today as the Senate prepares to vote on a bill calling for temporary storage of nuclear waste at the Nevada Test Site.
      Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said Monday he is confident there will be enough votes to uphold a promised veto by President Clinton.
      "We have the 34 votes," Bryan said. "But as Yogi Berra said, 'It's not over till it's over.' "
      Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., could not be reached for comment Monday but relayed a cautious prediction through a spokeswoman. Reid said he is hopeful, but the vote is too close to call.
      The bill would require interim storage of nuclear spent fuel at the test site until a permanent repository is completed by 2010 at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
      Last year, the Senate passed a virtually identical bill 63-37, four votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
      Bryan said he is confident Clinton will follow through on his veto threat because Vice President Al Gore and Energy Secretary Federico Pena have pulled out all the stops in helping Nevadans hold on to their votes.
      "The difference this year is that our opponents have developed a more flexible strategy to address concerns of individual members," Bryan said.
      For example, the Senate approved by voice vote Monday an amendment by Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., requiring the Department of Energy to certify local emergency management officials along routes where nuclear waste would be transported.
      Another sign that Nevada's support may be shaky occurred Monday when a key ally, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said he thinks it's important to pass interim nuclear waste storage legislation this year. Bingaman said taxpayers face a major financial liability if the government does not comply with a federal court order to take possession of nuclear waste by January.
      But after being unable to negotiate a compromise last week with Sen. Frank Murkowski, co-author of the bill, Bingaman declared Monday the legislation is fatally flawed. Bingaman offered an amendment that would allow interim storage at a location other than the test site if a permanent repository cannot be built at Yucca Mountain.
      Murkowski, R-Alaska, opposed the amendment, saying it would provide a trap door for the government to avoid an interim solution. He said the White House would have two years to select a location other than the test site if Yucca Mountain is found unsuitable.