Friday, March 26, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT: DOE seeks funding increase

But Nevada's representatives vow to stand in way

WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department and supporters of the Yucca Mountain Project urged a House panel on Thursday to loosen the purse strings on the nuclear waste program, while Nevadans said Congress should, if anything, tighten its grip.

Department Undersecretary Robert Card told lawmakers that a DOE plan to modify accounting for fees flowing into a special nuclear waste fund will ensure money is available for the government to build a repository in Nevada by a 2010 deadline.

"The key to keeping this project on track is adequate funding," Card said.

But Nevada's three House representatives said they will stand in the way. At the hearing of the House energy and air quality subcommittee, they renewed their efforts to sow doubt about Yucca Mountain.

"At a time when Congress should be tightening its spending belt whenever and wherever possible, it would be irresponsible for us to allow funding to increase at an astronomical rate for a project that may very well be proven unfeasible before it is even licensed," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.

Given their questions about DOE performance and Yucca Mountain safety, Nevada lawmakers said Congress should slow down, not speed up, the repository effort.

"Should this project go forward, the civil disobedience will be extraordinary," warned Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. "There are thousands of Nevadans who have already pledged to lay across the railroad tracks."

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said the March 11 railway bombings in Madrid should give new pause to the idea of transporting nuclear waste.

"We are concerned about the nation also," Porter said. "These trains will be passing your churches, schools and homes."

On that point, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., demanded the Nuclear Regulatory Commission devise regulations to protect against terrorism and sabotage of rail cars carrying spent nuclear fuel.

But NRC chairman Nils Diaz told lawmakers that casks carrying nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain could withstand the impact of a large aircraft without releasing radiation.

"We feel confident the present designs of casks will be resistent to terrorist attacks," said Nils Diaz, who said the agency reached the conclusion in recent classified studies.

Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., said the selection of Yucca Mountain was finalized by Congress two years ago.

"The debate now is not about the siting, it's about the funding," he said.

The DOE accounting plan was well received by House energy committee leaders of both parties, although it has received mixed reviews from other influential lawmakers.

Committee Chairman Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said he expected to have a bill passed by the end of September but he added he did not have a timetable for action.

The bill proposed by DOE would reclassify $749 million this year and similar sums in the future that nuclear utilities feed into a special account dedicated to the repository. The fund has collected $20.4 billion since 1983. About $6 billion has been spent so far.

The problem, according to Yucca supporters, is that congressional accounting rules effectively restrict how much money is disbursed from the fund each year.

Without a change in law, the repository program likely will starve financially, supporters said. Card said the DOE proposal will allow Congress to appropriate larger sums without running afoul of budget restrictions.

Card's message was reinforced by Sam Ervin IV, a North Carolina utility commissioner, and by Angelina Howard, executive vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Ervin said ratepayers expect the fees to be spent for their intended purpose.