Sunday, November 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Perkins criticizes Bush
Yucca Mountain stand
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Nevada Democrats were given national radio time Saturday to criticize President Bush's choice of Yucca Mountain for burial of nuclear waste.
The Democratic National Committee picked Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins of Henderson to deliver the party's weekly radio address. It was timed to coincide with President Bush's visit to Las Vegas on Tuesday, his first trip to Nevada as president.
The speech also served to spotlight Perkins, a rising figure among Democrats and possible candidate for governor in 2006.
In a roughly five-minute address, Perkins charged Bush broke a campaign promise to Nevadans by selecting the mountain site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas for a waste repository.
During the close 2000 election, Bush told Nevada he would let science guide his decision on nuclear waste, Perkins said. Yet in July 2002, he signed legislation cementing Yucca Mountain as the repository site.
"President Bush broke his promise to us here in Nevada with a speed and arrogance that is astounding," Perkins said.
Questions remain about the safety of nuclear waste storage canisters, the mountain's ability to contain radioactive particles and the vulnerability of shipping routes. Bush and Energy Department managers say the waste can be safely transported and stored.
The Bush administration plans to ship 77,000 tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel through 43 states beginning in 2010.
"What is so disturbing about President Bush's conduct is the distrust that he has personally brought to the process," Perkins said.
Bush is set to attend a $2,000 per person fund-raiser at The Venetian and spend about an hour at Spring Valley Hospital speaking about volunteerism and Medicare.
