Ward Sproat, left, director of the office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., tour a tunnel alcove at Yucca Mountain on Tuesday. The tour was part of an investigation Porter is leading on workforce practices at the site. Photo by Gary Thompson.

YUCCA MOUNTAIN -- Rep. Jon Porter, chairman of a House subcommittee looking into some aspects of the Yucca Mountain Project, stood atop the mountain Tuesday and pronounced the project to house more than 70,000 tons of nuclear waste "broken."

"There are so many problems with the mountain. There are so many questions about safety, that it's broken," Porter said.

The visit, which included a drive to the top of the mountain and a tour of the five-mile tunnel beneath it, was the Republican congressman's first to the site in more than 20 years. He said the last time he viewed the mountain as a Boulder City councilman, there were no tunnels and the city was preparing a resolution against the project.

Tuesday's tour included briefings on geology, hydrology, faulting and volcanism by Energy Department officials Russ Dyer, chief scientist, and Ward Sproat, the new director of the office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.

Surrounded by news media, Porter questioned the DOE officials about science and safety issues.

"We don't trust what's going on here," he told Sproat.

Holding a copy of a DOE inspector general's report released Friday, Porter questioned what Sproat will do to ensure employees at Yucca Mountain feel free to report mistakes and that those mistakes will be corrected.

The report found more than 100 possible problems that should have been fixed but were not managed properly. In some cases, managers discouraged employees from reporting them, the report stated.

"One of the ongoing concerns I have is employees have a fear of reprisal," Porter said.

Sproat said he's planning changes to ensure a culture where employees feel safe reporting errors and where supervisors are compelled to make corrections.

In July, the DOE released a schedule that would open the repository, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for high-level nuclear waste by March 2017. DOE missed its original 1998 deadline to open the repository and also abandoned a 2010 startup date.

Despite setbacks to the project, Sproat said he's encouraged by the work at the site he's seen so far and promised vigilance in reviewing science and safety protocols.

Tessa Hafen, the Democratic candidate challenging Porter in this year's elections, also opposes President Bush's plan to store nuclear waste in Nevada. She released a statement Tuesday calling Porter's tour an "election year field trip."

Shannon Meade, chief investigator on Porter's subcommittee on Yucca Mountain, said the visit was not political. "The DOE just issued its licensing schedule so this was a very appropriate time to come out."