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Gov. Kenny Guinn on Friday defends a letter he received from Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush taking a stand on interim storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. At his side at Republican Party headquarters in Las Vegas is John Ensign, a candidate for U.S. Senate. Photo by Jeff Scheid. Related Story: BUSH LETTER TO GOV. GUINN

Saturday, September 30, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Republicans hail Bush letter on nuclear waste

Guinn says presidential candidates' positions on issue now equal, but Democrats disagree

Trying to neutralize any advantage Vice President Al Gore might have gained by his recent visit to Las Vegas, Nevada Republicans on Friday proudly revealed a letter from Texas Gov. George W. Bush in which he pledged that until safety questions are answered, he would "veto legislation that would provide for temporary storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain."

Gov. Kenny Guinn said this means Bush's position on nuclear waste is now equal to that of Gore.

Democratic leaders not-so-respectfully disagreed.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the letter "weasly words" and an attempt to confuse voters into thinking Bush is on par with Gore when it comes to interim storage of nuclear waste, when Gore is adamantly against it and Bush is not.

U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., called Bush "the ever-artful dodger. He has not said that he would veto the legislation that would jeopardize health and safety standards for Yucca Mountain."

Bryan added that Bush's reference to "Yucca Mountain," instead of the temporary storage area at the Nevada Test Site, means that Bush "either doesn't know the difference or is being disingenuous."

"It's a nothing statement," Bryan said. "It does not address Nevada's concerns."

But Robert Loux, head of the state's Nuclear Projects Agency, who represents the state on nuclear waste matters, said the letter "evens the playing field. It seems about the same. The only thing it doesn't say that Gore specifically said is about lowering the radiation standards. But that could be read into the letter."

While visiting Las Vegas Sept. 18, Gore said he opposed interim waste storage anywhere and favored keeping the waste at the power plants where it's created.

That same day, Guinn wrote Bush asking for a written statement "further clarifying your position on interim waste storage in Nevada."

On the question of permanent storage, the two presidential candidates have both said science should determine if the permanent repository is suitable. Neither has suggested they would block the permanent site if scientists say it is safe. The only site under consideration is at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, which could open by 2010.

A temporary site at the Nevada Test Site, adjacent to Yucca Mountain, could open by 2002, if not sooner, and is considered the more immediate threat to Nevada.

While Bryan and Reid chided Bush for apparently confusing Yucca Mountain with the Nevada Test Site, Loux said the sites are adjacent and "one and the same."

The temporary above-ground site would consist of slabs of concrete for cannisters to sit on, if they use the same cannisters the waste is transported within.

Friday's letter was Bush's second to Guinn on the nuclear waste issue. In a letter written just before a June fund-raiser in Lake Tahoe, Bush gave his position on permanent waste.

Guinn released the letter at a morning news conference, flanked by nine Republican office-seekers, including Senate candidate John Ensign and state Sen. Jon Porter, who is running for the House.

They, not Bush, then had to answer questions about why the letter didn't address radiation standards. Guinn did not specifically ask that question in his letter to Bush.

Guinn said Bush's language that "the best science must prevail in the designation of any high-level nuclear waste repository" means Bush would have vetoed a bill lowering the radiation standards for the permanent repository, as President Clinton did April 26.

During the Democratic National Convention in August, Gore reiterated he would veto that bill, which would have allowed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to lower standards and limited the Environmental Protection Agency's authority. But the vice president didn't specifically address the interim storage question until his 20-minute roundtable with local journalists during his trip to Las Vegas.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said the Bush letter "takes away any misrepresentation of George W. Bush's position and removes this as an issue for playing politics by some politicians."

In the letter, Bush writes that he would veto an interim storage site because the Department of Energy "has not completed its impact study of Yucca Mountain and important questions of environmental protection and safety have not yet been answered."

That appears to suggest that if the environmental and safety questions were addressed to his satisfaction, Bush would approve such a bill.

Guinn and Gibbons said that's not how they interpret the paragraph.

Reid said he didn't think Bush was trying to leave a loophole for himself, and suggested the Texas governor's campaign is merely incompetent. "They feel if they can confuse people enough, they'll get the mileage."

Now that Bush's position is clear, Guinn said, "let us move ahead" to other issues and not make nuclear waste storage a partisan issue.

Guinn denied that the letter was an act of desperation because Bush recently has fallen into a statistical dead heat with Gore in Nevada after enjoying a comfortable lead.

Ensign challenged the Democrats to praise Bush's position as he, Guinn and Gibbons praised Clinton for his April veto and as he praised Gore's August statement.

But the Democrats didn't respond positively to that challenge. Ensign's Democratic rival, Ed Bernstein, contended the letter was only released because Bush is dropping in Nevada polls and receiving so much criticism for not answering questions during his first and only presidential visit to Nevada. "He doesn't care about the people of Nevada until he thinks he needs them," Bernstein said.

Reid also contended the letter "does show how important they think Nevada's four electoral votes are."

Review-Journal staff writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report.BUSH LETTER TO GOV. GUINN

September 28, 2000

Dear Kenny,

Thanks for your recent letter regarding temporary storage of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

As I've said before, I believe the best science must prevail in the designation of any high-level nuclear waste repository. As President, I would not sign legislation that would send nuclear waste to any proposed site -- either on a permanent or temporary basis -- unless it has been deemed scientifically safe.

The Department of Energy has not completed its impact study of Yucca Mountain and important questions of environmental protection and safety have not yet been answered. Therefore, I would veto legislation that would provide for the temporary storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

I also believe the federal government must work with the local and state governments that will be affected to address safety and transportation issues.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush