On Tuesday, the new director of the Yucca Mountain Project told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that he's in charge of a troubled operation.

Yucca Mountain suffers from "a quality problem in terms of the culture and people and how they view their responsibilities for quality," said Ward Sproat. "The organization has not developed in my opinion in a way that allows it today to be an appropriate and adequate licensee to advance and operate Yucca Mountain. ... It is time to get this program up to today's standards."

Considering that the Department of Energy hopes to ask the NRC in a little less than two years for its license to run the nuclear waste repository -- located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas -- it's obvious Mr. Sproat has a tall order in front of him.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sproat's candidness is certainly appreciated. As is the frank talk from nuclear industry chief Admiral Frank "Skip" Bowman.

Just a day after Mr. Sproat's comments, Mr. Bowman -- president of the Nuclear Energy Institute -- told Congress that the multibillion-dollar Yucca Mountain Project is essentially just a giant public relations operation.

"There's absolutely no technical reason, no reason for health and safety, to change what we are doing now" with nuclear waste -- which is stored on-site at commercial reactors -- Mr. Bowman said. "But there is a big reason that goes to the public perception of confidence in where we are going, whether we have a plan, and that is what we are hearing."

So, to sum up the comments from Mr. Sproat and Mr. Bowman: We have a massive government project plagued by quality problems whose primary purpose is to spin the American public into accepting the need for more nuclear power plants.

Tell us again why Nevadans aren't operating in the public interest when they agitate against Yucca Mountain?