Yucca Mountain rail line hearing set for Monday

Department of Energy officials with the Yucca Mountain Project will hold a public hearing Monday in Las Vegas to air issues about building a rail line to haul highly radioactive waste to the planned repository and potential, additional impacts from entombing spent nuclear fuel there.

The hearing is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd.

Last week, Clark County officials issued a statement encouraging residents to "speak up on Yucca Mountain" by attending the hearing or sending e-mails to weigh in on the issues.

"Whatever your views on Yucca Mountain, this is a rare and important opportunity to publicly express them," Clark County Planning Manager Irene Navis was quoted as saying in the statement Thursday.

She noted that comments can be submitted to the Energy Department's Web site at www.ocrwm.doe.gov.

Navis said the draft, supplemental impact documents "are complex and lengthy, and we are in the process of reviewing them."

The county has steadfastly opposed the Yucca Mountain Project in resolutions passed since 1985.

Recently, DOE officials indicated the cost of the project is likely to increase beyond the initial projection of some $58 billion. They have vowed, however, to meet a self-imposed deadline of submitting a complete license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for review in June.