Yucca Mountain News Clips
Friday, April 11, 2003
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Pahrump Valley Times
April 09, 2003
DOE withholds Nye's money
By Steve Tetreault and Henry Brean
Stephens Washington Bureau
Audit Threatens More than $1 Million in Oversight Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Energy is withholding several mil-lion dollars from Nevada counties while it reviews audits detailing how the local bodies are spending federal money to monitor the Yucca Mountain Project, officials said Monday.
Officials in Lincoln County and Nye County said half their 2003 funding for the Yucca program has been set aside. Clark County has yet to learn whether any of its $1.8 million allocation is being withheld, nuclear waste planning manager Irene Navis said.
The development comes as the DOE inspector gen-eral completes audits of federal money that local governments receive to weigh the impact of the proposed Nevada nuclear waste repository.
Congress allocated $7 million in oversight to be shared this year by nine Nevada counties and Inyo County in California. But following directions from lawmakers in last year's budget to initiate annual audits, DOE also has started examining county expenditures.
The initial audits, which covered 2001 and 2002, were conducted last fall. If DOE accepts the inspector general's findings, disal-lowed spending could be deducted from this year's county allocations, officials said.
The issue surfaced earlier Monday when Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought it up at a Yucca Mountain budget hearing in Congress. He urged resolution of the audits and release of non-challenged funding.
"If the audits are reveal-ing disallowed costs for one or two counties I would prefer you release funding for the other units of affected government rather than sit on it all," Reid said to Mar-garet Chu, head of DOE's Office of Civilian Radioac-tive Waste Management.
Lincoln and Nye county officials said they disagree with the audits, which have not yet been published but which they have discussed with DOE.
"We have been scrupu-lous in how we spend over-sight money. We are just flabbergasted," said Les Bradshaw, Nye County manager of natural re-sources and federal facilities.
Bradshaw stressed that the audits do not allege any "waste, abuse or fraud" by the county, and he charac-terized the situation as a dispute over the interpreta-tion of the oversight spend-ing rules.
"I don't think (the In-spector General) is going to ask Nye County to repay the money," Bradshaw said. "They just need to clarify the rules and go forward."
Bradshaw said about DOE auditors questioned more than $1 million in Nye spending, and about $1.1 million in county funding has been withheld.
"We have to drastically reduce our program," Bradshaw said. "They may ultimately give us the rest of the money but we don't know that right now."
Nye County has yet to receive any of its $2.3 million allocation for the current fiscal year. Bradshaw said the first half of that money has been authorized by DOE, and he expects it to be wire-transferred to the Nye County Treasurer's Office soon. "I actually expected it a day or two ago," he said.
About 30 days ago, Brad-shaw said he was forced to issue a stop-work order to the scientists and regula-tory contractors under con-tact with the county's oversight office. "Most of them kept working on the risk they wouldn't get paid," Bradshaw said.
If none of the money ar-rives as expected, Brad-shaw said the county's 15-year oversight effort would effectively die on the vine - or at least go into hiberna-tion. "We would look at lay-offs," he said. "I don't think the county commissioners will fund this office out of the general fund. If the money doesn't come through, we'll lock the doors."
And it wouldn't be the first time. From 1996-98 Congress eliminated oversight funding altogether, prompting the county layoff office staff and cut loose many of its consultants. "Files and data were lost, and a lot of expertise walked out the door," Bradshaw said. "We've never recovered from that."
Independent oversight by so-called "affected units of local government" was es-tablished - and funded - by Congress as part of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Bradshaw said Nye County did some limited oversight work during those first five years, but the pro-gram really started to grow in 1987.
Over the last 15 years, the county has received roughly $18 million to $20 million for oversight. Most of that has come in the past 5-7 years, during which the oversight office has been funded to the tune of about $2 million a year, Brad-shaw said.
The Inspector General's audits for federal fiscal years 2001 and 2002 report-edly question money spent in a number of areas. Bradshaw said the key area of disagreement con-cerns what DOE is calling economic development and what the county considers a "socioeconomic assess-ment."
At issue is the county's use of oversight money in the ongoing development of a science and technology park at Lathrop Wells in Amargosa Valley. The goal of that project isn't simply to lure tech businesses to the community nearest Yucca Mountain; it is to see if such businesses can be lured into the shadow of a project like a nuclear waste repository, Bradshaw ex-plained. "We have some empirical data that Yucca Mountain has scared off some businesses."
Ultimately, Bradshaw be-lieves the dispute with DOE is moot, since, he said, de-partment officials were well aware of about 95 percent of the county expenditures that are now being ques-tioned. "DOE is basically changing the rules in the middle of the stream."
About $400,000 ear-marked for Lincoln County has also been withheld, county commissioner Spencer Hafen said.
Navis said the audit iden-tified $132,000 in questionable spending for Clark County out of $3 million ex-amined.
Clark County sent a strongly worded letter de-manding DOE release funds, officials said.
Navis said Congress di-rected the department to provide money to the coun-ties "and they didn't do it."
In addition to Nevada counties, the state and the DOE also are in the midst of disagreements over Yucca funding.
A DOE audit has chal-lenged $25,753 Nevada paid to technical adviser Steve Frishman, according to Bob Loux, director of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Pro-jects.
Loux said DOE ques-tioned Frishman presentations to out-of-state groups about Nevada's opposition to the Yucca Mountain Project.
Additionally, the state and DOE are at logger-heads over another $625,000 in funding being withheld from 2002, Loux said. He added the state also has not yet received $2.5 million in funding for 2003.
Chu said her staff is working to resolve the matter with Nevada.
"DOE has a process to follow," Chu said. "We will go back to the state and say here's the process. You give us the proposal why you need this $600,000 and we will determine to release it."
Loux said the state al-ready submitted a work plan for the funding.
©Pahrump Valley Times 2003
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Pahrump Valley Times
April 09, 2003
PV Earth Day event to focus on education, preser-vation
By Mark Waite, Reporter
Information on environmental topics ranging from low-water desert landscaping to septic tanks will be available along with entertainment during the first Pahrump Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday between the ball fields at Honeysuckle Park.
Interest has been growing recently in Pahrump on environmental issues. An adhoc water committee was formed to address water quantity and quality. The Town of Pahrump Nuclear Waste Advisory Board was recently renamed the Pahrump Nuclear Waste and Environmental Advisory Board. A room full of people showed up recently at the University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension Service for workshops on maintaining wells and septic systems. Local officials are concerned Pahrump Valley could be out of compliance with clean air standards due to the dust problem.
John Pawlak, a member of the Pahrump Nuclear Waste and Environmental Advisory Board, who hatched the idea, said or-ganizers hope to increase local public awareness in the way we live in our desert environment.
The Lynn Peterson Band and DeNile will provide music, while the House of Nazarene will put on a karate demonstration. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served.
Pawlak said the information, instruction and displays will center on renewable energy, recycling and conservation issues. Information will be provided on benefits derived from xeriscape landscaping, septic tank maintenance, water well protection and dust control.
For the initial Earth Day, organizers have lined up an impressive who's who of local contractors involved in environmental-related fields and interest groups. Vendors include Pahrump Valley Disposal, Joe's Sani-tation, Pahrump Sanita-tion, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Nevada Reno Extension Service, Valley Electric Association, Nevada Department of Environmental Pro-tection, the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency, Nye County Department of Natural Resources, the newly-formed Pahrump Valley well owners group, local landscapers, Pahrump Rentals and Master Gar-deners of Pahrump.
Vendors will be giving away petunias and children will be able to plant their own seeds to take home afterwards, Pawlak said. There will be a solar panel and cooker demonstration, he said.
"I think it's wonderful mainly due to the fact that we have minimal recycling efforts out here. So the efforts at recycling are a benefit to the community. Also we will be having vendors that will be showing the community how to maintain their septics and wells," said Jeanna How-ard, a Pahrump town board liaison to the nuclear waste and environmental advisory board.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970 and is credited with bringing environmental issues to national attention. Earth Day was conceived by former U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.), who later became a counselor for The Wilderness Society in 1981.
The Earth Day network reports there will be tens of thousands of events this year from rallies and educational "teach-outs" to concerts and earth fairs. The Pahrump group is getting a head start, the ac-tual date for Earth Day is April 22. The Earth Day Network has Water for Life campaign this year, urging local observers to test their local watershed, as well as ongoing programs like planting a tree or participating in a car free day.
©Pahrump Valley Times 2003
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NRC
April 10, 2003
NRC Advisory Committee On Nuclear Waste to Meet April 22 - 23 in Rockville, Maryland
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission´s Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold a meeting on April 22 and 23 in Rockville, Md., that will include a discussion with representatives from the State of Nevada on issues related to the transportation of spent nuclear fuel.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in Room T-2B3 and the Auditorium of the agency´s Two White Flint North Building, at 11545 Rockville Pike. It will begin at 10:30 a.m. on April 22, and at 8:30 a.m. on April 23.
A complete agenda is available via the Public Meeting Schedule on the NRC´s Web site at this address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/meeting-schedule.html#ACNW
For additional information or schedule changes, please contact Howard Larson at 301-415-6805.
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Havasu News-Herald
April 10, 2003
Nuclear waste through LHC unlikely
By Brian Wedemeyer
It´ll be a number of years before area residents know whether State Route 95 might be used to transport nuclear waste from Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant to the Yucca Mountain disposal facility near Las Vegas, according to spokesmen for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the power plant.
Jim McDonald, spokesman for Arizona Public Service, the largest user and operator of electricity produced at the Palo Verde plant 50 miles west of Phoenix, said the Department of Energy is currently developing modes and routes of transportation that might be used to transport waste fuel to Yucca Mountain. Additionally, he said that the Nevada site has not yet received final permits for the venture.
In McDonald´s estimation, Yucca Mountain will not be able to accept waste any sooner than 2010. He said he believes the DOE would transport nuclear waste fuel by rail because of security and public concerns.
That assessment was reiterated by the National Regulatory Commission, based in Washington, D.C.
“Transportation issues are going to be part of the license application that the Department of Energy is going to submit to the NRC. Once that application comes in we will find out how the DOE plans to move,’ said NRC public affairs officer Scott Burnell in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“It is going to be a number of years before fuel is being shipped around the country,’ Burnell said. “The Department of Energy hasn´t submitted its application yet, and until they submit that application any talk would be premature.’
Even if the permitting goes faster than expected, McDonald said the Palo Verde plant, which is a conglomeration of plants, would not be transporting waste fuel for a long time because it´s a relatively new facility. And usually, he said that if fuel was moved it wouldn´t be done until it had been aged in 40-foot-deep decontamination pools or large metal storage bins.
“Palo Verde is one of the newer plants. The fact is that the oldest fuel goes first, our fuel won´t move until 2050, so we´re prepared to store at sight for as near as possible,’ he said.
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Las Vegas Mercury
April 10, 2003
Government knows best
Critics charge state anti-terrorism bill would undermine democracy
By Larry Wills
The Nevada Legislature is having second thoughts about a homeland security bill that would slam the doors on Nevada's open society. The Assembly Judiciary Committee is meeting with critics of Assembly Bill 441 to water down provisions that would make many public documents secret.
That's what they worry about if AB441 were to reach the governor's desk in its original form. Opponents such as the ACLU and the Nevada Press Association wonder which documents would be made secret, the effect on civil rights and whether the public would be kept in the dark about the workings of state government.
But Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, who was working on the details of the legislation last weekend, sought to assure critics that rights will be protected. "I do realize it's a delicate area with the First Amendment," he said. "There are no intentions on sealing documents."
That, however, was not the tenor of the debate last week, when the first version of the bill was discussed. The original bill would have removed building plans, maps and drawings from public view, if those materials could be used by terrorists. Movements of state officials would be classified in emergencies and citizens of other countries could be denied Nevada driver's licenses. A 12-member commission would determine areas vulnerable to terrorism.
Horne says many states are passing similar legislation based on the federal USA PATRIOT Act, which gives broad powers to the executive branch. The state Senate already has passed that version. But Horne believes its approach is too restrictive.
"I recognize we do have the PATRIOT Act, but I'm not as likely to ride that horse," he says. "There's no way we're going to have a police state, shutting everything down. But there is a need for some things to be classified as well. We need to seal classified information that can be used with terrorist acts in mind."
But what kind of information would that be? Horne concedes that building plans are routinely studied by architecture students, and monuments such as the Hoover Dam are classic subjects of examination. "It's a great thing to learn from," he says.
Also, it may be too late to classify much of that data.
And maps? The military has already classified maps of sensitive areas, such as Area 51 and the Nellis Range. The only things left are street plans for Henderson and Winnemucca, showing the locations of laundries and beauty shops.
Last week, at the Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing, ACLU lobbyist Laura Mijanovich testified that AB441 could be used to suppress political dissent.
"I don't think there's any question on that," says Gary Peck, ACLU of Nevada's executive director. "The language they adopted tends to be over-broad in such a way that they create laws that apply not just to threats of terrorism, but would apply much more broadly to matters that the public has a right to know."
That's always the rub. Give government too much power and it will abuse it. Once documents are made secret, only the governor could release them.
The issue could mirror a national uproar 30 years ago when federal officials, stung by the Pentagon Papers, an enemies list and the Watergate burglary, took a hard look at what information was kept from the public. Among other things was a confidential military document from the War of 1812.
Horne believes the debate could end up in court. He says if officials abuse their authority, hiding embarrassing documents from the public, such as those pertaining to the over-budget and hopelessly delayed Regional Justice Center construction project or the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, lawsuits may have to be filed.
"We want to make sure that the intent is in the bill what it is to accomplish and not to accomplish," he says, noting that courts can then clearly discern the Legislature's intent.
Kent Lauer, executive director of the Nevada Press Association, isn't so sure. "Closing off those records would make it impossible to monitor construction projects to determine if they are flawed," he told the committee last week. "Public information can be used for good and evil purposes." Further, he said, families "deserve to know if state and local governments have taken adequate steps to protect their safety and they have efficiently prepared for disasters. They need to evaluate if tax dollars are spent wisely."
Lauer noted that "making school plans secret would prevent the public from ensuring they are built properly under fire code and sprinkler laws."
Peck hopes the tougher Senate bill will be discarded and cooler heads will prevail in the Assembly. "On the Assembly side, all are recognizing the need for more carefully crafted language," he says. "I hope the Assembly stays the course and continues to resist them" in the Senate.
The committee is expected to receive Horne's report this week.
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Las Vegas Mercury
April 10, 2003
Quick and Dirty: A notebook of news and politics
Internet liaison
Barbie has one. The war has one. Stay-at-home moms have one. Xena has one. Elvis has one. And now presidential candidate Howard Dean has one. It's a meet-up site on the Internet, where people can connect to arrange physical, face-to-face meetings once a month in their town to discuss their topic of choice (Barbie, Elvis, war, Dean). Local activist Peggy Maze Johnson, executive director of Citizen Alert, stumbled upon the Dean meet-up website last week--just in time to go to the first meeting the next night at Metro Pizza.
"There were about 17 people there," she says. "A couple of attorneys, a computer expert, a few teachers" and so on. "We talked about how we could raise money" to start a grassroots campaign for Dean for president in Las Vegas.
Maze Johnson, who talked with Dean about Yucca Mountain last year when he came to Las Vegas, says Citizen Alert plans to ask him "for his position papers" before it makes a formal declaration of support. But so far, she says, the physician and former Vermont governor "says the right things."
"His position on the war is great--he was the first Democrat to come out against the war," she says. "And as a doctor, he gives low-income children free medical care."
Dean supporters meet the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m., all across the country. To connect with supporters in your town, go to the website at dean2004.meetup.com.--HW
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Las Vegas SUN
April 11, 2003
Sandoval says feds aren't offering money for Yucca
By Mary Manning
<manning@lasvegassun.com>
LAS VEGAS SUN
At a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, forum Thursday night, Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval said people ask him all of the time if it wouldn't be wiser for the state to get paid for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository instead of spending millions to try to keep it from opening.
"First and foremost, I would not be willing to negotiate away the health, safety and welfare of the people of Nevada," Sandoval said. "The state cannot abandon its duty to protect public health and safety."
And even if that wasn't the case, no one has offered Nevada any money to take the waste, Sandoval said. The Energy Department is withholding millions in funds granted by Congress to the state and counties.
"There is no money available in the federal budget," the attorney general said. "It's not like the phone is ringing off the hook (with offers)."
Meanwhile, the state is struggling with a $710 million shortfall, and it is expected to cost Nevada $5 million to $10 million to wage a legal battle based on five lawsuits filed against the nuclear repository in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sandoval said.
Last year President Bush approved the site and Congress overrode Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of the nuclear repository.
But the state's legal cases are based on 300 scientific and technical flaws in the more than 20 years of Department of Energy studies at Yucca Mountain, he said.
A constitutional case based on the state's right to defend itself against harm from burying 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain may go to the U.S. Supreme Court by 2005 and could set a precedent for state's rights, he said.
"The burden is on the DOE to prove it's safe and I don't think they've done that and I am going to continue to defend the state," Sandoval said.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has said that Yucca Mountain is needed for national security reasons to protect nuclear materials from terrorist attacks after the Sept. 11, 2002 terrorist attacks.
"We believe the secretary's argument is baseless," Sandoval said. "It does nothing except create a big target in Nevada."
The Energy Department also is considering constructing an above-ground storage area near Yucca Mountain to stack waste containers and cool them off before putting them inside the mountain.
"It will create the world's largest above-ground storage facility and the world's largest underground nuclear dump," Sandoval said. "Above-ground storage could continue for at least 100 years, creating the largest nuclear target in the world."
The state also offered a solution to the nuclear industry: keep the wastes in protected dry casks at the reactors under DOE ownership.
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Reno Gazette-Journal
April 11, 2003
New Yucca twist targets opposition
Editorial
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Warnings that Nevada should keep an eye on what Energy Department officials would do with Yucca Mountain after threats to their budget were visionary. They´re operating the project on a scaled-down budget ($460 million, rather than $593 million) and now, in a new twist, plan to keep part of the oversight allocations that were to go to the state, eight Nevada counties and one nearby California county.
Upon examination, this seems like a strategy to weaken or delay opposition to turning the mountain into a nuclear waste dump. Delay — and more money — would make it easier for the department to meet its licensing deadlines and develop waste-shipping plans. The withholding plan came into full view when the Yucca project director announced it to Nevadans and then testified before a Senate appropriations subcommittee.
Officials in one county developed a community protection plan with part of the money earmarked for oversight and independent analysis of federal studies. Also the state hired a technical adviser who spoke to out-of-state groups about the plan and the state´s opposition to it. Presumably, that was part of the problem.
Certainly, the state and the counties can´t be expected to have total knowledge about the project. That´s why they hired experts: to educate themselves and others. And, while developing a protection plan might raise some red flags, understanding issues of public safety would be an expected action and no less than marginal to the money´s intended use.
And, now that Congress and the president have approved the project, the project director wonders whether the money is needed at all.
In the meantime, the feds (worried about getting the $591 million needed to meet a licensing application deadline) have built a new level of review into the process, because they fear funds are being used improperly to lobby against the project.
This seems like an attempt to tie the opposition´s hands and ease its own money-flow problems. It´s no wonder state officials are upset.
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Pahrump Valley Times
April 11, 2003
Senior News
By Ruby Happel-Holtz, Amargosa Valley Senior Center
The seniors and friends of the center wish to express our support of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we offer our heartfelt prayers for their safe return home. Our hearts are sad for those families who have lost a son or daughter or have one missing in action. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you.
The senior center continues to enjoy Karen's great food, which is increasing our attendance at meal-time. Dinner is served at 3:30 p.m.
Our new air/heating system is keeping us all cool even though it has not been completely finished. We are grateful that we will not be suffering from heat this summer or freezing in the winter.
The Pahrump Visual and Performing Arts Council of Pahrump is sponsoring the play "Love Letters" at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $6.50 per person, or $25 for a family of five or more.
Mr. Robert Hartley of the Yucca Mountain Project presented an interesting and very informative slide presentation. A bus from the Yucca Mountain Project will be picking up visitors at the senior center for a tour May 3. Seats are lim-ited and reservations should be made by calling 372-5413 as soon as possible.
On May 17 we'll be traveling by bus to Tecopa, Shoshone and China Ranch. Reservations are also needed for this trip so book early. As you can see Activities Director Tom Smith is keeping us entertained.
We would like to thank the Amargosa Christian Fellowship Church for the beautiful spring bouquets. We felt the lift of spring from their beautiful colors of white, purple, yellow and green.
The thrift shop is looking good since Bill Rowe generously donated his shelving to us. Thank you so much Bill. We sure needed them. On the first Saturday of the month, beginning May 3, the thrift shop will have the popular $1 a bag sale. Mark your calendars.
Our dinners are open to all - not just seniors. Where else can you enjoy a wonderful soup/salad bar and a complete dinner for $5 per person under 60 and $2 for those over 60?
On Mondays you can now enjoy a game of Hearts of other card games. Come one, come all. See you soon.
MENU
Monday - Beef tacos, Spanish rice, taco soup, orange cake.
Tuesday - Chicken melt, tomato slices, potato rounds, Jell-O cups.
Wednesday - Sweet and sour pork, fried rice, oriental vegetables, berry parfaits.
Thursday - Turkey pot-pie, brussel sprouts, cherry crisp.
Friday - Easter dinner, ham, yams, creamed peas, biscuits, chef's dessert.
Salad bar included daily.
©Pahrump Valley Times 2003
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State of Nevada
Agency for Nuclear Projects
www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/
nwpo@nuc.state.nv.us
775-687-3744
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