Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Vote keeps 'bunker buster' alive

Senate rejects cutting nuclear weapons study

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Tuesday to continue research on nuclear weapons that some believe could spark a resumption of nuclear testing in Nevada.

Senators voted 55-42 to reject an amendment to cut $27.6 million in funding next year for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, also known as the "bunker buster." The amendment also would have cut $9 million from research into low-yield nuclear weapons, or "mini-nukes."

The vote was a victory for the Bush administration, which supports studies projected to cost more than $485 million over five years. The bunker buster would be used to destroy buried command centers or weapons depots.

Last week, a House subcommittee voted to eliminate all funding for the bunker buster study from next year's budget.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted to continue funding the bunker buster.

"If protecting the security of the United States requires us to develop a weapon to get at weapons of mass destruction buried in the ground, that is what we should pursue," Ensign said.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has said the bunker buster would be developed from weapons that have already been tested and, therefore, would not require any new tests at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. But some arms control experts believe the program could usher in new nuclear testing.

"I have never been opposed to testing at the Nevada Test Site, if scientists tell us it would ensure the safe use of the nuclear weapons stockpile," Ensign said.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted to stop funding for the bunker buster.

"I do not support creating a new generation of nuclear weapons, and that is essentially what we are talking about," Reid said in a statement. "I think it sends the wrong signal for the United States to call on other countries to stop producing nuclear weapons, while pushing for the development of such weapons in our own country."

Critics note estimated costs of the bunker buster study jumped from $7.5 million in this year's budget to $27.6 million requested for fiscal 2005.

Fearing the Bush administration is poised to end a nuclear testing moratorium that has existed since September 1992, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has introduced legislation that would require congressional approval before another test is conducted.