Friday, November 05, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT: Nuclear industry to forge ahead

Bush's re-election seen as green light for project by some; others vow to battle on

WASHINGTON -- Emboldened by election results, the nuclear industry and supportive lawmakers are planning a new charge to increase spending and fix financial problems plaguing the Yucca Mountain Project, executives and legislators said.

They will try to revitalize the nuclear waste program in Congress over the protests of Nevada leaders who said they will continue to fight despite an apparent setback this week.

"From my perspective the battle continues," said Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev. "I don't think there would be anything different now than from the past 20 years."

John Kane, a senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said Thursday that Nevada leaders should re-examine their opposition to Yucca Mountain in light of President Bush winning the state on Election Day even after Democrats made the proposed nuclear waste repository a major issue.

"It shows back here that the people of Nevada are in a different place from where their elected leaders are," said Kane, the institute's head of government affairs.

"I think the right thing for Nevadans now is not to keep spending money fighting this thing," Kane said. "State budgets are tight out there and money can be better applied to making sure (Yucca) is done correctly" and to seek compensation for hosting the project.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said nuclear industry officials "are getting some radiation poisoning, it's addling their minds a little bit. We are not giving up and they ought not interpret that vote for Bush as a mandate to go forward with Yucca Mountain."

The Yucca Mountain political landscape is shifting to account for Bush's re-election and Republican net additions to the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Most of the new lawmakers are expected to favor nuclear power expansion and waste disposal in Nevada, officials said in interviews this week.

The new equation also takes into account the expected promotion for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Yucca project's most powerful critic, to become Senate minority leader.

Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, said this week that congressional leaders who want to keep the repository program on track are exploring possible ways to restore a deep budget during the upcoming post-election lame-duck session.

"Whether that is achievable or not, I don't know," said Hobson, who heads a House energy subcommittee.

The Bush administration requested $880 million for the repository this year. Congress so far has allocated only $131 million and is deadlocked over a spending bill for Yucca Mountain and other energy programs.

"In the lame duck session, a lot of the difficulties we are seeing are going to be straightened out," Kane predicted.

Hobson also said he expects the Bush administration next year will try again to pass a bill to revamp Yucca Mountain accounting rules to allow the Energy Department easier access to money sitting in an industry fund.

With the Senate now counting 55 Republicans, "I would almost bet they will take a run at that," Hobson said.

Less certain, Kane said, is whether Congress will seek to overturn the damaging court ruling from this summer that voided a radiation safety requirement for the repository.

More Republicans in Congress doesn't necessarily mean more support for Yucca Mountain, according to Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Ensign said new GOP senators such as Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma are fiscal conservatives who probably will oppose big spending increases and changes to accounting rules that will allow more money to flow to the nuclear waste program.

Environmental groups will continue to count on Reid to block Yucca Mountain bills, said Michele Boyd, legislative director for energy programs at the Public Citizen watchdog organization.

The nuclear industry "most likely believes they have the upper hand in the Congress and the Senate now, but I still believe there will be a fight," Boyd said.

But with Reid likely to become a Senate leader, some are questioning whether he will have the time and energy to keep bird-dogging the Yucca issue. His new demanding job also will carry broad responsibilities.

"Before, he was kind of able to do his own thing," Hobson said. "Now when he is the leader, does he have the responsibility to look at his entire caucus more as to what is the best interest of them totally?"

Reid was in Searchlight on Thursday and was not available. His spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said Reid "still thinks Yucca is as bad an idea as it ever was. But the outcome of the election obviously makes his job much harder. Reid will work just as hard to cut the budget."