Bush makes bid for new nukes, but he still has to open Yucca for the waste

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Bush intends to open the Yucca Mt. site in Nevada to recieve old nuclear waste, and new waste from his new nuclear plants that he intends to build to produce the 'next generation' of nuclear weaponry. Without a waste transport agreement from Congress, Bush won't be able to put his nuclear agenda in motion. There is strong opposition from the districts that surround the Livermore site where the research and production is to take place. A Democratic congresswoman there, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, reportedly just overcame her objections to the new activity at the lab because the administration promised her the waste would be moving out of the facility as part of the deal. Too bad for the congresswoman that this Yucca Mt. bill is far from a done deal.

The DOE presented a bill to Congress this week that intends to allow the dumping of nuclear waste in Yucca Mt. The legislation is entitled the "Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act."

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REID, ENSIGN SLAM YUCCA MOUNTAIN BILL

DOE Legislation Called “Dead on Arrival”

Washington, D.C. – Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign today criticized a new Yucca Mountain bill for being a continuation of the failed policies of the past.

The Department of Energy will send the legislation to Capitol Hill tomorrow morning. Lawmakers have not had a chance to study the bill yet, but Reid and Ensign say they know enough about it to realize that it would be harmful to Nevada.

“I received a call from a DOE official today. I didn’t hear all the details of the bill, but I heard enough to know there’s nothing new or original,” said Reid. “The DOE is following the same road that has led them to countless health, safety, and scientific violations. This bill has no future; it’s dead when it gets here. We need to move away from these failed policies and towards on-site dry cask storage of nuclear waste. Dry cask storage would save our country billions of dollars and keep us safer. It’s already being used successfully at 34 nuclear sites.”

“The bill being brought before us is yet another attempt to twist the data and make Yucca Mountain appear scientifically sound,” said Ensign. “This bill will go nowhere. The Nevada delegation is as united as ever on stopping Yucca Mountain and interim storage, and misguided legislation such as this will only bolster our cause. No doctored data, cartoon character or amount of scientific malpractice will make Yucca Mountain suitable.”

Reid and Ensign plan to study the bill closely in the next few days, but both said they expect the legislation to look even worse with more scrutiny.

http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/news2006/nn12208.htm

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BUSH MAKES YUCCA MOUNTAIN WATER GRAB

Berkley: "Vicious Assault on Nevadans"

(April 5, 2006 -- Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) today said that the Bush Administration's new plan to speed the opening of Yucca Mountain will destroy Nevada's ability to protect its water resources and limit the ability of the State to fight the proposed nuclear garbage dump.

"The Bush Administration's Yucca Mountain bill tramples all over Nevada's right to determine how water is used to benefit the families of our State. If President Bush and his allies succeed in passing this bill, Nevada will be unable to block the Department of Energy from using unlimited amounts of water for burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain," said Berkley.

"The State of Nevada has determined that Yucca Mountain threatens to pollute vital water sources and has denied DOE the ability to tap local water reserves. The Bush plan calls on Congress to take away Nevada's ability to block water from going to Yucca Mountain and would set a terrible precedent for destroying long-standing local control over one of our State's most important natural resources," Berkley said.

"The entire Yucca Mountain process has shown that President Bush and his Republican allies have absolutely no respect for Nevada's rights as a state, our laws, or the health and safety of our families," said Berkley.

"This is but one of the vicious assaults on Nevadans included in the Bush Yucca Mountain package, which also eliminates all restrictions on how much waste can be sent to Nevada and limits local challenges against the proposed dump and dangerous shipments to the facility," Berkley said.

SUMMARY OF WATER RIGHTS PROVISIONS:

The State of Nevada has determined that it is not in Nevada's public interest to allow the water to be used for the development of Yucca Mountain. This provision would give the Department of Energy access to the water it says is needed to run Yucca Mountain. The provision also would authorize the Secretary to obtain water rights, by purchase or otherwise, to carry out the Department's functions under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. This provision also bars Nevada from enacting laws to block DOE's use of water at the proposed dump site.

http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/news2006/nn12207.htm


Summary of Proposed Yucca Mountain Legislation - Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/newsroom/documents/summary.pdf

Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/newsroom/documents/actual_bill.pdf

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1. its a wonder they've managed to stop this program from proceeding

for so long.

Can't even get a discussion going here.

Good luck Senators. Don't screw it up, whatever it is . . .