Gibbons turns tables on hearing snub

WASHINGTON -- First he was out.

Then he was in.

Now, Gov. Jim Gibbons has sent word that he is not going to appear after all at a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday on nuclear waste in Nevada.

Gibbons was left off an initial lineup to testify at the hearing about the Yucca Mountain Project. He secured an invitation on Thursday after complaining he felt he had been snubbed by Democratic organizers.

But his aides on Monday advised the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to cross the governor off the witness list.

Gibbons will be tied up Wednesday in a meeting with state Budget Director Andrew Clinger and department heads to discuss state economic forecasts and possible budget cuts because of projections of revenue shortfalls, spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said.

Subbotin said the meeting was on the schedule before Gibbons sent his letter of complaint on Oct. 24 to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the committee.

"We had hoped to accommodate both," Subbotin said. "We tried to make it work where he could leave on the red eye and get back on the red eye, but it was not gong to work out."

"The governor is in the process of contacting key state leaders and is also in the process of announcing plans to bring them together to assess and evaluate the numbers," Subbotin said. "Unfortunately we are working with timely information, and at the end of the day, the governor felt the budget challenges took precedent."

The Senate committee once again rearranged its list of speakers, who will include Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., and officials from the Energy Department, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

As originally planned, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, will present the state's views on DOE plans to build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was planning to take part and promised to ask tough questions. She has promoted herself as the presidential candidate most likely to stop the project if elected.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., last week lobbied for Gibbons to be invited to speak and said the Democrat-organized hearing was evolving into "a dog and pony show" that could be dominated by speakers looking to score political points.

On Monday, Porter said, "It was unfortunate (Gibbons) will not be able to attend. The most important thing is for everyone to work together."

Cortez Masto was picked to testify because the hearing is expected to focus on repository licensing and legal issues, Democrats said.

"It is unfortunate that Governor Gibbons will miss this important hearing; however, Sen. Reid looks forward to presenting Nevada's case alongside Sen. Ensign and Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said.