Yucca Mountain News Clips - Sunday, June 20, 2004

Yucca Mountain News Clips
Sunday, June 20, 2004
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Nevada Appeal
June 19, 2004

Yucca issue raised by Sandoval and Guinn but not in Bush speech

Geoff Dornan
gdornan@nevadaappeal.com

RENO - Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval took the opportunity to bend President Bush's ear over Yucca Mountain as the three rode from the airport to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Friday.

Both said the effort was to little avail.

"We agreed to disagree," said Guinn.

Storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain near Las Vegas is one of the issues Democrats hope to use against Bush in this election. He promised in 2000 to base his decision whether to order the high-level nuclear waste sent to Nevada on "sound science."

But he made the decision almost immediately after the recommendation reached his desk two years ago, prompting Democrats to charge he broke the campaign promise that helped him win Nevada during his first campaign.

"He knows we're staunchly opposed to storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain," said Sandoval.

As for the charge Bush's decision was political, not based on sound science, Sandoval said, "the president made his decision on the information that was provided to him.

"Our challenge is to show that information was wrong and I believe we'll prevail in court," he said.

Guinn said Bush wasn't gong to change his position and joined Sandoval in predicting Nevada will win its case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Although the topic was debated in the limousine trip, it was absent from Bush's speech, which focused on the war in Iraq and terrorism worldwide and the recovery of the economy.

Guinn said Bush focused on terrorism, national security and the recovering economy because those are what's most important to the nation and Nevadans.

"Yucca Mountain, I don't think it's the biggest issue from the polls I've seen," he said.

And Sandoval said the disagreement over Yucca Mountain doesn't change his support for Bush.

"The president is the best person for the job in terms of the war on terror, the economy and education," he said. "He's the best person to lead us for the next four years."

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Nevada Appeal
June 18, 2004

Northern Nevada Democrats accuse president of lying on Yucca Mountain

Nevada Appeal Staff Reports

RENO, Nev. (AP) - On the eve of George W. Bush's first visit to northern Nevada, Democrats again accused the Republican president of lying about a southern Nevada issue - Yucca Mountain.

"President Bush came to Nevada four years ago and he lied," Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party said at a news conference on Thursday.

"He said it was based on sound science and he lied."

A handful of Democrats spoke out to reporters and television crews a day before Bush was scheduled to tout a booming economy and national security at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

The Democrats, along with opponents of the war in Iraq and foes of the Patriot Act said they planned to be on hand outside Friday's visit by the president.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Bush-Cheney campaign chairman Marc Racicot said he didn't know whether Bush's support for a high-level nuclear waste dump in southern Nevada would figure in tightening his race against the expected Democratic nominee, John Kerry, who opposes the dump.

Racicot said the president has been entirely honest with Nevadans about Yucca Mountain. In the 2000 campaign, Bush said he would base his decision on "sound science" and not politics. Racicot said the president lived up to that promise.

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Las Vegas SUN
June 19, 2004

Editorial: Nuke dump silence

Las Vegas SUN
Weekend Edition
June 19 - 20, 2004

President Bush visited Reno on Friday and talked a lot about what he sees as a national economy on the rebound, but he said nary a word about his plans to send nuclear waste to Nevada's Yucca Mountain. Of course, Bush fears talking about the Yucca Mountain project, which is reviled in this state. Compounding matters for Bush is that his advocacy of such an unsafe location as Yucca Mountain directly contravenes his pledge to Nevadans during the 2000 campaign that he would use "sound science" in judging the site's suitability to contain 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste.

If Bush doesn't believe Nevadans' argument that the Yucca Mountain project has huge problems, you'd think he would at least listen to the concerns expressed by the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, whose members are appointed by the president. Less than two weeks ago this group of independent scientists warned Congress in a report that the Energy Department is pushing ahead with a dump despite the board's concerns that its current design is vulnerable to corrosion, which could allow radioactive waste to escape into the environment. But we're not holding our breath that Bush, whose lack of intellectual curiosity has been well established, will even bother to be briefed about this report.

It's obvious to us that if George Bush gets re-elected, his plans to build a nuclear waste dump in Nevada will accelerate no matter how much information continues to come out about how unsafe it would be to do so.

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Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
June 16, 2004

Berkley Statement on "Reclassification" Of Funding for Yucca Mountain

The Bush Administration and Republican leaders in Congress are pulling out all the stops in their effort to fund Yucca Mountain. They are now attempting to change the law in order to guarantee that the majority of funding for Yucca Mountain does not have to compete with other national priorities such as clean water, flood control projects and renewable energy development.

I remain opposed to efforts that would reclassify funding for Yucca Mountain and I will be working to rally support in the House against allowing any such change to be included as part of the FY 2005 Energy and Water Appropriations package.

We should not spend another dime on Yucca Mountain until DOE adequately addresses nationwide concerns about the dangers of transporting nuclear waste across the U.S. and answers the hundreds of unresolved scientific questions surrounding the site – including findings that canisters used in the dump will rapidly corrode and leak radioactive waste into southern Nevada water supplies.’

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Senator John Ensign (R-NV)
June 16, 2004

ENSIGN APPLAUDS PRESIDENT FOR RECORD PILT PAYMENTS TO NEVADA

Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign applauded today´s announcement that a record level of funding will be transferred to Nevada counties tomorrow. Nearly $13.5 million will arrive in Nevada through Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), which are federal payments to local governments to offset losses in property taxes due to federal lands within their boundaries.

“This is incredible news, especially for our rural counties,’ said Ensign, a cosponsor of legislation to fully fund PILT. “Counties across Nevada will be able to use these increased payments to fund critical needs in their communities. No state has more of its land owned by the federal government than Nevada, and these payments are extremely important to our counties and their citizens.’

Counties stand to gain even more next year. President Bush´s budget for FY 2005 includes $226 million, the largest request ever made by a president and an increase of almost 70% over FY 2000. PILT payments may be used for any governmental purpose such as police and fire protection and road, water and school maintenance.

“This is better than finding extra money under your couch cushions,’ said Ensign. “Tomorrow, Nevada counties will receive $362,434 more than they received last year, which I am confident will be a welcome surprise to help meet essential needs.’

Payments in Lieu of Taxes

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Las Vegas Review-Journal
June 19, 2004

Reno opens arms to Bush

State leaders, president agree to disagree on Yucca storage

By Sean Whaley and Ed Vogel
Review-Journal Capital Bureau

RENO -- President Bush talked up the improving national economy and his successful efforts to combat terrorism in a brief campaign stop Friday, but the words Yucca Mountain never came up in his 40-minute speech.

After his remarks, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval said that in a private discussion with Bush prior to his speech, the leaders "agreed to disagree" on the proposal to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

"We agreed that the courts will decide," said Guinn, who with Sandoval serves as chairman of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in Nevada.

Bush was greeted by chants of "four more years" as he took to the podium at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, accompanied by a host of state Republican leaders and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

An estimated 9,700 people waited patiently for two hours for the president to arrive, waving flags and listening to patriotic music as a motorcade made its way from Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Bush got a big laugh right away.

Apparently recalling criticism directed at him for his mispronunciation of Nevada in his visit to Las Vegas last fall, Bush made sure he pronounced the state's name correctly.

"You didn't think I'd get it right, did you?" he joked.

In his remarks, Bush attributed the country's rebounding economy to his tax cuts, and he urged Congress to vote to keep them in place.

"Here in Nevada, you have added 3,800 new jobs last month," said Bush, visiting Northern Nevada for the first time since his campaign in 2000. "You've added 50,000 new jobs in the last year. The tax relief we passed is working."

Outside the convention center, an estimated 600 people, most of them women carrying anti-Yucca Mountain signs, protested.

The protesters heckled supporters of the president as they entered and left the convention center, and Bush supporters mixed it up as well, but the clashes were verbal only.

Jon Summers, communications director of the Nevada Democratic Party, contended Bush was "afraid to go to Las Vegas" because he would face a more hostile audience there. As it was, the president did not come near where the protesters gathered along South Virginia Street.

"He holds this event here, but he won't talk to reporters," Summers added. "He doesn't want to answers questions about Yucca Mountain. That's being a chicken." Bush approved the site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in 2002 for burial of the nation's nuclear waste.

In his speech, Bush cited Joe and Tammy Barkowski and their three children, of Reno, as why the tax cuts need to be preserved. The family saved about $2,200 on their taxes last year because of the cuts, he said.

"If Congress does not act, if Congress does not make sure that the tax relief we have passed stays in place, their tax bill is going to go up by $1,000 next year," Bush said. "I don't think it's right, I don't think that makes sense. "

The president, who arrived in Reno after speaking to soldiers in Fort Lewis, Wash., also defended his decision to go to war in Iraq.

"We showed the dictator and the watching world that America means what it says," Bush said. "Because we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended forever. Because we acted, nations like Libya have gotten the message and renounced their own weapons programs."

Bush also criticized Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for what he said was a pessimistic view of the national economy.

"The other side has not offered much in the ways of strategies to win the war, or policies to expand our economy," he said. "We're well into the campaign, and all we have heard is old bitterness and partisan anger.

"The voters will have an unmistakable choice this year," Bush said. "It is a choice between keeping the tax relief that is moving the economy forward, or putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people.

"It is a choice between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence, or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger," he said.

Bush was introduced by McCain, who praised Bush for his actions following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including both the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

"He has not wavered," McCain said. "He has not flinched from the hard choices."

Guinn and Sandoval accompanied Bush from the airport to the convention center and briefly discussed the Yucca Mountain Project. Both said Bush remains convinced the science shows Yucca Mountain is suitable as a repository, although state officials maintain it is unsuitable.

"The president knows the governor and I are steadfast in our opposition to the storage of nuclear waste in Nevada," Sandoval said. "The president respects that. We agreed to disagree."

Sandoval said there was no discussion about negotiating for benefits in exchange for accepting nuclear waste in Nevada. He added the criticism that Bush lied to Nevada by making a political decision to support Yucca Mountain rather than relying on "sound science" is spin by political opponents.

Guinn echoed Sandoval's comments.

"We're in court and we're going to see how it gets settled up out of there," he said. "And he's acceptable to that. And he was before."

Asked why Bush did not address Yucca Mountain during his remarks, Guinn said the nuclear waste issue is not the top concern of Nevada residents. Poll results suggest the economy and terrorism are more important to Nevada voters, he said.

Only a handful of Bush supporters mingled with the protesters.

Bush backer Michael Horton stood on roof of his truck, argued with hecklers and blared the president's speech from his truck's radio.

"Not all hippies are liberals," said Horton, a Kid Rock look-alike who works three jobs and considers the economy in America as amazing. "I would die for my family. I would die for my president."

Among the signs carried by protesters: "Bush: Are your Yucca facts like your Iraq facts?," "Bury Bush at Yucca Mountain," and "No one died when Clinton lied."

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

Bush in Reno ignores Yucca; touts tax cut and security

By Cy Ryan
<cy@lasvegassun.com>
Sun Capital Bureau

RENO -- Making a brief campaign stop in Northern Nevada this afternoon, President Bush touted the nation's recovering economy and said Congress must make permanent the tax cuts that he believes helped the country out of recession.

But he didn't mention Yucca Mountain.

Bush told a cheering crowd estimated at 9,700 people at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center that nearly 1 million jobs have been added in the last 100 days.

Business is growing and personal income is on the rise, he said during a 40-minute speech that was repeatedly interrupted by applause.

"We're on the path of progress and opportunity and we're not going backward," he said.

Bush did not mention Yucca Mountain or his Department of Energy's plans to store high-level nuclear waste at the site.

But Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval, who are the co-chairmen of the Bush re-election effort in Nevada, said they talked to the president about Yucca Mountain.

Both said they agreed to disagree with Bush.

Guinn and Sandoval oppose the nuclear dump, with Sandoval leading the state's legal fight against it.

Guinn did not find it strange that the president did not mention Yucca in his speech. He said the issue has been talked out and will be decided by the courts.

In addition, Guinn referred to a public opinion poll that showed security and jobs were the top issues on the minds of Nevadans. He said Yucca Mountain was down the list.

Hundreds of demonstrators paraded on the streets at the convention center, carrying signs opposed to nuclear waste. Others said "Illegal president, illegal war" and "Peace is Patriotic."

A crowd of 6,500 was predicted but it turned out to be more than expected. Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, who was the master of ceremonies, joked, "Now you know what a sardine feels like."

Bush was introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had opposed him in the GOP primary four years ago. McCain's name has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., but McCain has denied any interest.

McCain said Bush has "not wavered and not flinched from the hard choices. He has more than earned our support." He said the president deserves "support and admiration" for his battle against terrorism.

When Bush took the podium, he said McCain was a friend of both major party candidates.

"But he's got only one vote and I'm proud that it's me," Bush quipped.

Talking about the fight against terrorism, Bush said: "No cave or hole is deep enough to hide from American justice" for those involved in trying to harm the United States.

His speech was twice interrupted by chants of: "Four more years."

Bush credited his tax cuts when he said he had talked earlier with Joe and Tammy Barkowski of Reno, who he said saved about $2,200 in the 2003 tax year and will save a like amount this year.

If Congress fails to make the tax cuts permanent, the president said the family will pay about $1,000 more in 2005.

Bush picked a favorite Republican target when he said there must be federal legislation to protect small businesses from frivolous lawsuits and regulations. "There must be a choice between small business and trial lawyers and I made my choice -- small business," Bush said.

He predicted "tough times" in the near future in Iraq. The new government takes over in less than two weeks and he predicts there will be more bombings and more suicide missions.

The terrorists, he said, fear the new government. But he pledged: "We will not be intimidated by them."

Referring to other nations who do not support the United States in its efforts, Bush said, "We will never turn over American security to the leaders of other countries."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said that Republican leaders were coming en masse to Nevada this week because "they're really worried" about the progress Democrats are making in the state.

Vice President Dick Cheney is making a brief stop Monday in Henderson at an invitation-only event.

"It goes to show you how nervous they are," McAuliffe said.

The Bush administration was expected to crow about job numbers released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, numbers that showed Nevada created 3,800 new jobs in May.

The total number of Nevada jobs created in the past year now numbers 50,000, according to the statistics.

And the Bush-Cheney campaign argues that 46 percent of the new jobs were created in industries that pay more than the national average.

For example, 32 percent of gross job growth was generated in the construction industry, which has an average non-supervisory hourly pay of $19.21, compared to the national average of non-supervisory jobs of $15.64, the campaign pointed out in a release.

The state's unemployement rate is 4.1 percent, compared with the national average of 5.6 percent.

The campaign also points to increasing personal incomes in the state, increasing housing values and increasing exports.

But McAuliffe said Friday that the average salary of the new jobs claimed by Bush is $9,000 less than what was earned by the people who lost jobs over the past few years.

"It's all these little service sector jobs that are being created," he said. "People working in fast food restaurants."

Kerry has pledged to create 10 million new jobs and cut the deficit in half, McAuliffe said.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry would help jump-start the country's economic engine by aiding the middle class and small businesses with tuition credits, health care credits and tax cuts for 98 percent of taxpayers, McAuliffe said.

The Kerry campaign also pointed out in a release that 20,240 Nevada households filed for bankruptcy in 2003, a 48 percent increase from 2000. And state households have seen increases in family health care premiums, gasoline costs, college tuition and child care costs, the campaign noted.

McAuliffe also criticized Bush's decision to allow the Yucca Mountain project to proceed, saying that Kerry has a 16-year history of working with Nevada to fight the dump.

While Bush promised to wait for "sound science" before proceeding with the dump, McAuliffe said there are still questions about the safety of transporting nuclear waste to the site and keeping it contained in the mountain.

"As a resident of Nevada, I would like a scientific study done if I'm going to bring up my family," he said. "I'd be very concerned. I'd think twice about it and I'd be darned mad at the commander in chief who promised me he wouldn't move it until it was safe. It just goes to the deception of George Bush."

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

State Republicans warm up crowd for Bush

By Cy Ryan
<cy@lasvegassun.com>
Sun Capital Bureau

RENO -- While waiting for President Bush to arrive to give a campaign speech, Republican state elective officials tried to warm up the crowd, with one politician comparing Democrat Sen. John Kerry to a Nevada prostitute.

Secretary of State Dean Heller criticized Kerry, the expected Democratic nominee, for changing his positions. "Depending on the time of day, John Kerry changes his position more often than a Nevada prostitute," Heller said.

The comment drew cheers and some laughter from the estimated 9,700 people who crowded the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to hear Bush's 40-minute campaign speech.

The elected officials and special guests were all seated behind Bush, in front of a backdrop banner that read "America -- Safer, Stronger, Better."

Sprinkled among the crowd were state GOP legislators, gaming executives, state and local government employees and lobbyists who ply their trade at the Nevada Legislature.

The people were boisterous, repeatedly cheering and yelling "Four More Years," before Bush arrived, about 30 minutes late.

State Treasurer Brian Krolicki got the biggest applause when he said that Congress must make the federal tax cut permanent.

Others who urged the re-election of Bush were Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and Controller Kathy Augustine.

State Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, a reverend, gave the invocation, urging God to give Bush "divine wisdom."

Those in attendance were crowded close together. Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, who was the master of ceremonies, quipped, "If you're going to pass out, get permission from your neighbor."

Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval, co-chairman of the campaign in Nevada to re-elect Bush, met the president at the airport and rode in his limousine to the convention center.

Guinn said the first topic he brought up was jobs. The governor told the president there has been a gain of 38,000 new jobs in Nevada in the past year and that leads the nation.

Guinn and Sandoval both talked to the president about Yucca Mountain. "We told him we are firmly committed" to following through on the court challenge to Bush selecting Yucca Mountain, Guinn said.

"He (Bush) said he understood that and he had no problem whatsoever," Guinn said.

The governor said he was not surprised Bush did not mention it to a Nevada audience because it has "been talked over and over now for the last two years."

"I don't think it (Yucca Mountain) is the biggest issue from the latest poll I've seen," Guinn said. "It puts security number one and jobs number two. And then it starts spreading out and Yucca comes down quite a ways on that list."

"Yucca Mountain is one issue for him and it's one issue for us. We've had that issue for 20 years," Guinn said.

Sandoval said despite his disagreement with Bush on Yucca Mountain, he believes Bush to "be the best person for the job."

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

Bush makes stop in Reno

By Kirsten Searer
<searer@lasvegassun.com>
Las Vegas SUN

A host of top Republicans are visiting Nevada, including President Bush and two Cabinet members today and Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday.

Bush was expected to be greeted by hundreds of party loyalists and hundreds of protesters this afternoon when he makes his first presidential trip to Northern Nevada. He visited Lake Tahoe during the 2000 presidential campaign.

Cheney is scheduled to give a speech on the economy Monday morning at the Henderson Convention Center, the Bush-Cheney campaign announced this morning.

It will be Cheney's second trip to Southern Nevada this year. He helped raise about $100,000 for Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., when he visited Las Vegas in January.

Bush is scheduled to speak at a rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 1:50 p.m. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also is scheduled to attend the event.

Campaign representatives said Bush would talk today about the war on terror and highlight recent job growth.

"President Bush's optimistic agenda and pro-growth policies have resulted in robust job creation, and Nevada has 50,000 more jobs than one year ago," said Bush spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "The president will highlight the progress being made to strengthen our economy and win the war on terror."

But Democrats have vowed to make their views known at the visit, which is Bush's first to the state so far this year. He visited Las Vegas in November.

More than 200 Democrats have RSVP'd to say they will attend protests outside the convention center, said state party spokesman Jon Summers. And they're not the only ones who will be there to show displeasure, he said.

"We know there are several other groups and organizations that are planning on going out," he said.

The Media Fund, an independent group established by Democratic activists, plans to run radio ads and a full-page newspaper ad criticizing Bush for allowing the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository to proceed under his watch.

Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, who is attending several events to highlight homeownership and job creation, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, who was to talk about affordable housing, are in Las Vegas today.

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

Bush brings presidential campaign to Nevada

By Brendan Riley
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) - President Bush focused on the Iraq war and the economy in a campaign speech Friday - avoiding any comment on his unpopular support for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada.

The president's 40-minute speech to a cheering, partisan crowd of nearly 10,000 touched on a few Nevada-related issues, such as his support for $300 million in federal funds for cleaning up Lake Tahoe and legislation to ease fire hazards by thinning forests.

Bush even teased himself for mispronouncing the state's name during a Las Vegas stop last fall, this time stating it correctly and then saying, "You didn't think I'd get it right, did you?"

Bush was introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who called the Iraq war "a fight between right and wrong, good and evil - and it's no more ambiguous than that."

Bush continued the war theme, saying, "I will never relent in bringing justice to our enemies. I will defend our country whatever it takes."

On the economy, Bush said 1 million jobs had been created in the past 100 days thanks to his policies and that the nation's jobless rate was down.

In Nevada, 50,000 jobs were added in the past year, Bush said.

Criticizing Sen. John Kerry, the expected Democratic presidential nominee, Bush said Kerry has been in Washington, D.C., long enough "to take both sides on just about every issues."

Secretary of State Dean Heller, one of several GOP officials to speak in advance of Bush's arrival, put it more bluntly, saying, "John Kerry changes his position more often than a Nevada prostitute."

After the speech, Gov. Kenny Guinn and state Attorney General Brian Sandoval said they told Bush they'll continue fighting the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain, but still support him.

"It's not certainly our only issue," the GOP governor said. "We've had that issue for 20 years, and it's come through a lot of presidents."

Sandoval and Guinn also said they remain hopeful the state's legal battle will succeed in blocking the dump from opening 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Democrats contend Bush's backing of Yucca Mountain broke a promise he made as a candidate in 2000 to ensure science and not politics determined the dump's future. Bush approved Yucca Mountain after winning the presidency, even though many scientific studies remained unfinished.

It was the second visit to Nevada by Bush as president, who arrived after appearances in the state of Washington.

McCain accompanied Bush as a sign of Republican unity. Earlier in Fort Lewis, Wash., the popular Republican senator who has rebuffed overtures from Kerry to be the Democrat's running mate praised Bush's efforts in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You will not yield and neither will he," McCain told troops just back from the battlefield.

Bush later met with wounded soldiers and families of others who died in recent combat.

Outside the Reno convention center, about 600 Democrats and Kerry supporters rallied. Opponents of the war in Iraq and foes of the Patriot Act joined Democrats protesting the president's Yucca Mountain decision.

"He lied to the citizens of Nevada and he did it for partisan political gain," Terry McAuliffe, Democratic National Committee chairman, said by telephone Friday.

Bush campaign chief Marc Racicot has said he doesn't know whether Bush's support for the nuclear waste dump will tighten a race already expected to be close.

Nevada's registered voters are almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. In 2000, Bush won the state's four electoral votes by 4 percentage points, 50-46, over Al Gore. Nevada will have five electoral votes this year.

Racicot said Nevada residents "know the president has been entirely honest with them" about Yucca Mountain, and the campaign's hope is that they will understand "their obligations and duties" in helping resolve the problem of nuclear waste that has collected for years in 39 states.

After his speech, Bush was to fly back to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.

On Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to fly in to Las Vegas and deliver a speech Monday in Henderson about the economy.

---

On the Net:

Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com

Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com/

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

About 600 gather at Reno convention center to protest president

By Tom Gardner
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) - About 600 friends of John Kerry and foes of the war in Iraq and of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain gathered Friday in front of the convention center where President Bush campaigned in his first visit to northern Nevada.

"When you get this many people out in the middle of a work day, that says something," said Jon Summers, communications director for the state Democratic party.

The protesters lined both sides of South Virginia Street in front of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in a peaceful, if vocal, demonstration.

They were moved to the side and back of the center and away from the route of the president's motorcade before Bush arrived, nearly one hour late.

The limousines skirted the protesters and their signs, reading "Send Bush and Nuclear Waste to Texas," "Keep the Yuck out of Yucca," and "Drop Bush, Not Bombs."

Inside some 9,700 supporters cheered the president's remarks.

Police reported only one minor shouting incident between an anti-Bush demonstrator and one of the handful of pro-Bush sign carriers.

Ben Brown of Reno, dressed in a mock radioactive-protective jump suit, said he considered Bush's support of a national nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain a key issue in the campaign.

"It affects all of us, our tourism," he said. "There's no two ways about it. If it comes here, Nevada's going to be the nuclear waste dump of the nation."

Terry McAuliffe, Democratic National Committee chairman, also joined in the criticism of Bush's decision in 2002 to proceed with Yucca Mountain.

"He lied to the citizens of Nevada and he did it for partisan political gain," McAuliffe said in a telephone interview.

McAuliffe also challenged remarks by Bush campaign chief Marc Racicot, who expressed hope that Nevadans will understand "their obligations and duties" in helping to resolve a national problem of nuclear waste disposal.

"Clearly it's no more Nevada's duty than any other state in the nation," McAuliffe said, adding it's the president's responsibility "to make sure you're protecting your citizens."

Instead, McAuliffe said Bush's backing of the dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas was "a payoff to special interests" done before some 200 scientific studies concerning the dump had been completed.

Sen. John Kerry, the expected Democratic nominee, has promised to block the shipment of about 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste to Nevada and to form a blue-ribbon panel to study the issue and ensure people are protected, McAuliffe added.

Robert Boyd of Reno, a 79-year-old veteran of World War II, said the United States' involvement in Iraq is a key issue in the campaign.

"I know something about war and I think this war in Iraq is totally unnecessary," Boyd said.

---

AP Correspondent Brendan Riley contributed to this report.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
June 19, 2004

Hundreds protest Bush policies

Hot topics: Iraq war, environment topped list of complaints about Bush administration.

Ben Kieckhefer

Hundreds lined up Friday around the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to protest President Bush´s appearance in Reno, hoping their voices were heard on issues including the war in Iraq and the environment.

Most protesters lined South Virginia Street along the west side of the center, where one line of attendees was moving toward the north doors. Minor shouting matches between the Bush supporters and protesters led Washoe County Sheriff´s deputies to separate the sides by the width of a driveway, calming the situation.

Washoe County Sheriff´s Sgt. Doug Brady gave a rough estimate of between 500 and 1000 protesters. The state Democratic Party counted about 550 protesters along South Virginia Street.

The Reno and Sparks police departments did not report making any arrests at the protests.

Matt Reeves, 29, of Reno, said that while expected Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry does not inspire him, he will vote for the Massachusetts senator as an alternative to the Bush administration.

“There´s so many things they´ve done wrong I can´t even list them,’ Reeves said. “The Iraq war? They misled the entire American population.’

While the war was most visible issue for protesters´ signs, Reeves also said the environment is among issues that matter most to him and one that he said Bush neglects.

“I´m so mad about Bush I registered as a Democrat. I´m previously an independent,’ Reeves said.

Bush´s campaign staff worked the line of attendees to ensure only his supporters were allowed into the rally. Three Reno teenagers had tickets pulled out of their hands and ripped to pieces by a campaign staff member after someone in line pointed out an anti-Bush sticker on one of the teens´ shirts.

“I believe it´s my right as an American to hear where he is leading our country,’ said Jonathan Daniel, 17, of Reno, saying he did not plan on causing any trouble and only wanted to hear the president on the issues.

He said that while he understands the event was privately funded, he said the president should speak to everyone, not just his supporters. The teens joined the protesters along South Virginia Street after they were turned away at the door.

Others complained that police cordoned off areas where the president was likely to hear their chants and read their signs, with slogans such as “I don´t have to like Bush to love America,’ and “Regime Change Begins at Home.’

Police closed Kietzke Lane along the east side of the convention center, preventing protesters from standing along the street the president´s motorcade used to approach and enter the convention center.

Laura Mijanovich, Northern Nevada coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the courts have upheld sidewalks as public property that must be kept open for free speech unless there is a specific threat. She said the president´s mere presence does not fit that level of threat.

“They´re protecting the president from seeing what the people think about his policies, and that´s a concern,’ Mijanovich said. “If there´s no safety concern, it´s just a matter of keeping the protesters away.’

She said the ACLU would pursue legal action if necessary. Sparks Police Sgt. Charlie Alt said his office was acting under the direction of the Secret Service.

Others said it was just as important to spread their message to passing drivers.

“It´s not just Bush,’ said Rena Meyers, 28, of Gardnerville. “The United States´ people need to become informed.’

Another prominant issue was the president´s stance in favor of putting nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. Some protesters said the president lied in 2000 when he said he would base his decision on sound science.

“He promised not to bring Yucca Mountain to Nevada before he was president and now he´s all for Yucca Mountain,’ said Tahis Castro, 62, of Reno. “We don´t want any nuclear waste for our kids and for our grandkids.’

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Reno Gazette-Journal
June 19, 2004

Bush rallies Reno supporters

No mention of Yucca site, Iraq violence

Anjeanette Damon

In his first visit to Reno, President Bush rallied a crowd of supporters Friday with a campaign speech that focused on his determination to keep the economy strong and the country safe from terrorism. But he avoided controversial issues such as nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and lingering violence in Iraq.

Inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, nearly 10,000 fans cheered the president´s every sentence. Outside, hundreds of protesters lined the street, waving signs and chanting anti-Bush slogans.

Air Force One touched down at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport at 2:10 p.m. and took off at 4 p.m., giving the president less than two hours in the Biggest Little City.

Bush´s motorcade, led by two rows of Nevada Highway Patrol motorcycle officers, moved west from the airport on Plumb Lane, then south on U.S. 395 to South Virginia Street. The 25 vehicles traveled north to Kietzke Lane, turned right and curved into the southeast entrance of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

Supporters lined the streets along the route. People spilled out of businesses to wave as the motorcade passed. Mechanics stopped servicing cars at Jones-West Ford to watch. The waiters at the Olive Garden stood outside the restaurant to catch a glimpse.

And if the president looked to his left when he reached South Virginia Street and Kietzke Lane, he would have seen dozens of protesters waiving signs that called him a liar.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced Bush on a stage filled with Nevada´s elected Republicans and party faithful, putting to rest rumors that he had considered joining presumed Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as a running mate.

“Both candidates in this race are honored to be the friend of John McCain,’ Bush said. “Only one of us gets his vote. And I am proud that it is me.’

Bush pronounced Nevada correctly, after his mispronunciation of the state´s name on a stop in Las Vegas last November sparked widespread criticism.

“You didn´t think I´d get it right, did you,’ he joked.

He counseled Reno Mayor Bob Cashell to keep the city´s potholes filled and said he likes to visit a town “known for its good people and for its good times.’

Nevada is a battleground state in the race for the presidency, resulting in unprecedented attention by the campaigns that don´t want to let a single electoral vote slip.

Bush´s visit comes one week after his top political adviser, Karl Rove, attended a string of fund-raisers for Nevada Republicans. Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to visit Henderson on Monday.

Kerry has visited Las Vegas twice and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid has promised Kerry will visit Northern Nevada before November.

Bush´s Reno campaign speech catered to the party faithful — touching on family values, faith-based organizations, small business — and closed with “May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.’

The crowd remained enthusiastic through the 40-minute speech, booing when Kerry´s name was mentioned and breaking out into chants of “four more years’ at appropriate moments.

Bush´s remarks focused mostly on national issues, including the economy and the war on terror.

He also mentioned signing a bill to provide $300 million to help restore Lake Tahoe and touted his Healthy Forests Act, which promotes thinning forests to prevent wildfires.

Bush made no remarks about his decision to send the nation´s radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain, an issue on which Nevada Democrats hope the president is vulnerable.

Bush positioned himself as a decisive leader in difficult times, poised to lead America in its fight for freedom. He reminded the crowd of his perseverance in rooting out terrorists and overturning Saddam Hussein´s regime.

“We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning,’ he said. “So we pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We´ve captured or killed many of the key leaders of the al-Qaida network. And the rest will know there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American justice.’

Bush spoke of the “sacrifice’ made by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, assuring the crowd that “the cause of freedom is in very good hands.’

Calling on former President Reagan´s memory, Bush touted his own tax cuts and urged Congress to extend the relief for American families.

“By spending and investing and helping create new jobs, the American people have used their money far better than the federal government would have,’ he said.

Frank Velazquez, pastor of the Harvest Fellowship Church in Sparks, said he was moved by the president´s speech.

“I liked how he talked about keeping the family together and keeping the American spirit together and keeping our courage up against terrorism,’ he said. “As a veteran, I support our troops, so I thought he was very firm and showed his good leadership when he said there´s no backing up, but only going forward.’

Reagan Thir, who was named by her mother, Mary, after the late former President Reagan, said she “loved every minute’ of Bush´s speech and that it touched on issues important to Nevada and the nation.

“He talked a lot about restoring Lake Tahoe and about the economy and how the number of jobs are picking up, which is a great thing,’ the 20-year-old Truckee Meadows Community College student said. “I also work at America West and I see that on a daily basis. I saw what Sept. 11 to the airlines and the economy.’

Bush´s speech, which relied on the common themes of his re-election bid, was filled with one-liners.

“My opponent has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue,’ he said, repeating a line from a video the Republicans aired at their state convention in Reno last month.

Several times Bush criticized Kerry as waffling on important issues, such as the USA Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind Act and the Iraq war, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Kerry spokesman Sean Smith said Bush has no room to speak.

“This president has a lot of gall talking about someone who has changed his positions, when he promised in 2000 to Nevadans that his decision on Yucca Mountain would be guided by sound science, then he turned around and did just the opposite,’ he said.

Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party, called Bush´s remarks “a standard stump speech, which included every homily under the sun.’

He said he was surprised Bush did not address Yucca Mountain and by the number of negative remarks he made about Kerry.

“I surprised how many times he took shots at Kerry,’ he said. “To me, that indicates he is very concerned.’

But Bush´s speech impressed Reno Republican Greg Peek.

“It was a fabulous delivery,’ he said. “He just came across as a real person.’

Reporters Lenita Powers and Susan Voyles contributed to this report.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
June 19, 2004

Bush speech: clear, strong

Editorial

The cheers and chants that greeted President George W. Bush as he entered the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and that trailed him as he left are good reason to believe those who filled the auditorium saw and heard what they came for. Arizona Sen. John McCain portrayed Bush as a strong war president with hands confidently guiding the economy. And that´s the way the president presented himself.

Few people have the opportunity to shake the hand of a United States president — or any head of state for that matter. So it was foreseeable that those people who stood in line for hours to attend the standing-room-only event thought it was a treat to be in the same room with President Bush. As special as was the event, however, the message the president brought to Reno amid tight security was a predictable catalog of his administration´s achievements and a preview of campaign issues that voters can expect to hear repeated for the next 41/2 months.

Iraq and the war on terror are uppermost in most people´s minds so Bush laid out a familiar line of thought that emphasized the threat presented by Saddam Hussein and Saddam´s Iraq. It has become controversial to link that tyrant with the war on terror. But regardless of what anyone thinks of the invasion and continuing hostilities, most Americans will agree, certainly, that al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden mean the nation harm. Yet it was interesting to hear Bush frame U.S. decisions regarding Iraq as matters of this country´s national security.

Bush´s address would not have been complete without discussing important domestic issues, and he hit on sensitive Nevada concerns, including the Healthy Forest Initiative, Lake Tahoe restoration, medical liability reform and tax relief. It is arguable that anti-tax advocates think it´s impossible to stress tax relief too strongly. Their (and Bush´s) point is that tax cuts leave money in consumers´ hands, generate jobs and stimulate the economy.

There were some surprises. It was a refreshing approach to compare difficulties achieving peace in Iraq with those in Germany and Japan during WWII, predicting that a democratic Iraq eventually would sit at a global summit with other free nations.

Politicians generally are adept at staying away from topics that are problematic for them, of course, so Yucca Mountain and the 9/11 Commission were conspicuous for their omission. Another way to avoid sticky subjects is to talk around them with metaphors and analogies. We can only guess that “economic isolationism’ was a backhanded reference to outsourcing of jobs and balance-of-trade policies.

This self-styled compassionate conservative did not disappoint as he fanned the flames of patriotism, championed the cause of freedom and promised to confront problems, as a head of state should. This was a strong and articulate message, accomplishing what he says his opponent, John Kerry, fails to do: Speak clearly.

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Salt Lake Tribune
June 19, 2004

Senators back Bishop's play on waste

By Christopher Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune

WASHINGTON -- Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are working to add language to a defense spending bill that could provide an opening for Rep. Rob Bishop's legislation creating a new wilderness area and blocking rail access to a proposed high-level radioactive waste dump at Skull Valley.

The Republican senators are sponsoring a bare-bones amendment to the Senate version of the 2005 defense authorization bill that is expected to come to a final vote early next week after the Senate spent the past week working through a multitude of amendments.

The Hatch-Bennett amendment would legislate that the study of federal lands below the military airspace of the sprawling Utah Test and Training Range cannot hamper military overflights. In turn, the low-level passes by military jets on training missions in the west desert would not disqualify the wilderness study areas below from consideration for federal protection.

Bishop's legislation in the House has similar language but includes two crucial elements not found in the Hatch-Bennett bill: creating the 100,000-acre Cedar Mountain wilderness area beneath the airspace and prohibiting the Department of the Interior from granting a right of way across public lands to access the proposed temporary repository for spent nuclear plant fuel rods on the Goshute Indian Reservation, 60 miles west of Salt Lake City.

Although the Bishop bill unanimously cleared a House committee last month, it came too late to be included in the House version of the defense spending bill and has little hope of passing this year as stand-alone legislation.

But if the stripped-down version in the Hatch-Bennett amendment is included in the Senate version of the defense bill, it could serve as a "placeholder" for the additional Bishop language when a congressional conference committee convenes to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the spending bill.

"Anything they could get into the Senate bill would make it easier to have all the language from my bill put into the final authorization during conference," the 1st District Republican said. "Even as currently written, their amendment is significant for the Utah range because other training ranges have had time and flight path restrictions placed on them as a result of court rulings" from wilderness protection lawsuits.

The Hatch-Bennett amendment could come up on the Senate floor debate schedule as early as Monday, barring any procedural hurdles. According to congressional staff and lobbyists monitoring the issue, the outlook for its passage is mixed.

While Republicans in the closely divided Senate largely favor both the wilderness and Goshute rail line prohibition in the Bishop language, Democratic support for the latter component is less predictable because of potential opposition by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid, the assistant minority leader, may view the Bishop language's potential to scuttle the Utah waste dump as increasing the likelihood that the radioactive trash will go to Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Reid has recently pulled out all political stops to thwart the federal government's plan to make Yucca Mountain the nation's permanent nuclear waste repository, working to slice funding of the project and force confirmation of one of his former staffers to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Lobbying of senators to incorporate the Bishop language in the Hatch-Bennett amendment is being done by an unlikely political ally to a Western conservative Republican -- environmental groups.

"Congressman Bishop has done a good job carrying the water on this, and given the widespread support his bill enjoys in the House we certainly want Congress to pass that language," said Peter Downing, legislative director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance's Washington office. "Our position on the Hatch and Bennett bill is it would need substantial improvements so that it reflects the Bishop bill for it to gain our support."

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Las Vegas SUN
June 17, 2004

State prepares for case against Energy Department

By Suzanne Struglinski
<suzanne@lasvegassun.com>
Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Oral arguments in yet another legal challenge brought by the state against the Energy Department may come by the end of the year, based on a schedule released by a federal appeals court Tuesday.

Nevada sued the Energy Department in March, claiming the department shortchanged the state $4 million this fiscal year for the oversight of the nuclear waste storage site at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The state is spending the $1 million appropriated by Congress for 2004 to do additional research, pay lawyers and do general preparations to object to the license application the department aims to file with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December. However, the state can't do everything it wants to do with the limited budget. The state wants the $5 million it has received in past years and has requested $13 million for fiscal year 2005.

The department told the state earlier this month it would not get any additional money without approval from Congress.

But the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a schedule Tuesday that requires all the legal briefs for the case to be filed by Oct. 19.

Attorney Joe Egan, who represents Nevada on nuclear waste issues, said this is an accelerated schedule, which could get oral arguments started by the end of the year and a decision could come early next year. If the state wins, the department will have to make retroactive payments.

The state is still waiting for the outcome of six legal challenges against the project that it argued in the same court in January. Egan said even if the state won all those cases, this additional case would still be relevant as the state believes that the department owes it money.

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Las Vegas Review-Journal
June 18, 2004

Poll finds slight rise in acceptance of Yucca plans

Many see building of facility as inevitable

By Keith Rogers
Review-Journal

Nevadans since last year have warmed up slightly to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project, and a large majority of voters still feel a repository will be built, according to a new poll conducted for the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The poll's results, released Thursday, show that 33 percent of a random sampling of registered voters approved of the government's plans to put the nation's spent nuclear fuel and highly radioactive waste in the mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

That's up from 26 percent who approved of the project in a similar poll conducted last year for the institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear power industry.

Likewise, the percentage who disapproved of the project dropped to 64 percent, down from 71 percent in 2003.

The poll was criticized by opponents of the project.

Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency and a critic of the Department of Energy's plans for a repository, said the survey used "classic push-poll techniques" in which the answer is set forth in the question to obtained a desired answer.

For example, one question asks, "Given that the Yucca Mountain site has been deemed scientifically safe, do you support continued development?" The poll found that 35 percent supported development, down from 40 percent in 2003.

Loux was quick to note, "It has not been deemed scientifically safe by anybody, even the president and the Department of Energy. They don't even say it's been deemed safe. They say it's suitable for the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) to see if it's safe.

"This reminds me of the same sort of junk science DOE is using where you have the answer in mind that you know you want and you ask the questions to get it," he said.

But Robert List, a consultant for the institute, said the poll "tells us that Nevadans feel this project is upon us and ... we as a state and communities need to face the realities that it's going to happen.

"We need to meet it head-on and make sure it's done right and make sure we catch the benefits as they flow," said List, a Republican who was Nevada's governor from 1979 to 1982.

He estimated that the repository, which first must be licensed and then constructed to accept waste as early as 2010, will bring 2,000 jobs and a $200 million payroll to Nevada.

Like last year's poll conducted for the Nuclear Energy Institute, this year's found that most voters, 78 percent, think Nevada should start negotiating for federal money for hosting a repository at Yucca Mountain, up from 76 percent in 2003.

Similarly, a combined 89 percent believe a Yucca Mountain repository is either "inevitable" or "probably" will be built, a 1 percent increase in what the Nuclear Energy Institute poll found last year.

A poll conducted in 2002 for the Review-Journal by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. found that 83 percent of Nevada voters were opposed to building a repository at Yucca Mountain.

This year's Nuclear Energy Institute poll by MRCGroup was conducted by computer-assisted telephone interviews of 1,000 respondents from May 5 through May 12. The sample size leaves a plus-or-minus 3 percent margin of error.

Based on political parties, the survey included 37 percent Democrats and 47 percent Republicans.

The survey's executive summary states that the poll weighted the data to compensate for the political differences, which "produced no significant changes in conclusions or observations."

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Pahrump Valley Times
June 18, 2004

Nye will assist with flood control project

By Phillip Gomez
PVT

Water in the desert West: tempting as crystal meth to a recovering drug addict, but untamed as an annoyed wild animal.

The Nye County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to partner with the federal government 50-50 in sharing the costs of a $900,000 feasibility study for preventing flooding emanating from Wheeler Wash near Pahrump.

As late as last fall, widespread flood damage to roads and other structures in the alluvial fan of the wash resulted after heavy rains. The vote to proceed with the agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers came on the recommendation of Samson Yao, the county's director of public works. It requires Nye County to fund approximately $450,000 over the next two years, $320,000 in cash and 130,000 through in-kind support.

The study is to determine the extent of the federal interest in participating further in a flood control solution due to storm-water runoff in the area.

Yao introduced to the commissioners Grigor Grigorian, a 33-year veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers. Grigorian explained that a 1986 federal law requires heavier participation of local governments than previously for feasibility studies to be conducted.

The goal of the project, if completed, would be to prevent a "100-year flood" from devastating the built-up areas of Pahrump. Ideally, the potential force of such a flood would be held to 1 percent in any single year of a given century, Grigorian said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Yao is to be appointed to an executive committee to oversee the feasibility study until its completion, expected some 15 months after starting. Yao is to appoint a representative to serve on a study management team. Either party in the agreement can terminate it with 30 days notice.

The money for the project is expected to come from Payments Equal To Taxes - funds the government provides counties en lieu of taxes it would collect from Yucca Mountain, were they not owned by the federal government.

The government's cost-share formula for the succeeding phases of the project - preliminary engineering and actual construction of a flood control edifice - is 65 percent federal and 35 percent local.

The water war is heating up in Southern Nevada. Sleeping giant Nye County is looking to protect its long-term interests against wily water usurpers, other counties as well as those contemplating "inside jobs."

Concern has been expressed over the growing demand of Las Vegas and Clark County. Les Bradshaw, director of Nye County's Department of Natural Resources and Federal Facilities, and county consultant Tom Buqo, have recommended that the county become more active in protesting filing for water rights by outside parties. A water resources plan, yet to be adopted by the county, calls for identifying unappropriated water for future municipal uses.

County Manager Michael Maher advised the commissioners to formally protest all water rights filings for external and "internal" uses as well, in order to avoid the appearance of being unfriendly to economic development by outsiders. Maher wrote to the commissioners in preparation of their Tuesday meeting, fine-tuning the county's goals:

"I believe the board's primary focus and only policy regarding this matter should be to protest every point of diversion application that will potentially transport water from a basin within Nye County's borders (wholly or partly) to another location outside of Nye County."

The board on Tuesday voted 5-0 to do just that. It likewise acted in the case of Indian Springs.

Hidden Ridge LLC/Vidler Water Co. recently filed seven claims to water in Mercury, reportedly for agricultural purposes. It was also reported that the water company made the filing for an unnamed Pahrump client.

One week later, the Southern Nevada Water Authority filed six applications for a point of diversion of water rights owned by the authority some 20 miles southeast of Mercury in Clark County's Indian Springs basin.

Commission Chairman Henry Neth said, according to the report, it may be easier and less costly to pump water from Mercury in Nye County, to Indian Springs -- where the Southern Nevada Water Authority can pump it further south - than it would be to pump it to the client's hometown of Pahrump.

The speculation explains why the county wants to protect against "internal" as well as external water hogs.

Indian Springs basin lies partly in Nye County, and the part of the basin from which the water authority seeks to divert water is already over-appropriated. The county would thus appear to have justifiable cause for protest.

"I believe it is in Nye County's best interest to protest any point of diversion application that, if granted, would potentially take some of Nye County's water for another county's use," advised Maher.

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

Bush brings presidential campaign to Nevada

By Brendan Riley
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) - President Bush headed to Nevada on Friday on a western campaign swing, bringing a message to the battleground state of an improving economy and a steadfast position on the war in Iraq.

Bush, in his second visit to Nevada as president, planned an afternoon speech in Reno after appearances in the state of Washington.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has rebuffed overtures from John Kerry to be the Democrat's running mate, accompanied Bush to Fort Lewis, Wash., where the popular Republican senator praised Bush's efforts in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You will not yield and neither will he," McCain told troops just back from the battlefield.

Bush later met with wounded soldiers and families of others who died in recent combat.

In Nevada, Bush was expected to discuss economic recovery and job growth as a result of his policies.

Bush's appearance at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center was expected to be met by a coalition of demonstrators. Opponents of the war in Iraq and foes of the Patriot Act said they planned to join Democrats protesting the president's decision to locate the nation's nuclear waste dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

After promising in the 2000 presidential campaign to base his decision on Yucca Mountain on "sound science" and not politics, Bush in 2002 approved an Energy Department plan to store 77,000 tons of radioactive waste in Nevada.

"He lied to the citizens of Nevada and he did it for partisan political gain," Terry McAuliffe, Democratic National Committee chairman, said Friday.

Bush campaign chief Marc Racicot has said he doesn't know whether Bush's support for the nuclear waste dump will tighten a race already expected to be close.

After his speech, Bush is to fly back to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.

---

On the Net:

Bush-Cheney campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com

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Las Vegas Review-Journal
June 18, 2004

Democrats close voter gap

Bush to visit today in bid for re-election

By Sean Whaley
Review-Journal Capital Bureau

CARSON CITY -- As President Bush prepared to visit Nevada today to win support for his re-election campaign, the secretary of state's office reported that the battleground state with five electoral votes is getting more competitive between the major parties.

Secretary of State Dean Heller, in information released Thursday, showed that Democrats in May closed the gap with Republicans by 1,442 voters.

The gap now stands at 10,131, with 358,321 Republicans, 348,190 Democrats and 129,913 non-partisan voters.

Bush is expected to talk about the war in Iraq and the nation's economy when he delivers his remarks at 1:50 p.m. at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

He is expected to be introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Democrats started their protests of his visit early, holding a news conference outside the Veterans Administration's Lougaris Medical Center in Reno to criticize Bush on a range of topics from the Yucca Mountain Project to his funding of the Veterans Administration.

The main focus was Bush's 2002 approval of Yucca Mountain as the site for a high-level radioactive waste dump.

Bush said during his first election campaign in 2000 that he would base his decision on Yucca Mountain on "sound science," but Democrats criticized his decision as a political one.

"We think President Bush has a whole lot to answer for over the last four years," said Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party. "President Bush came to Nevada four years ago, and he lied. What he told Nevada is that he would allow sound science to determine whether or not to support Yucca Mountain in Nevada."

John Kerry, who is the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, opposes the repository, Wicker said.

Nevada's top Republican political leaders, including Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Brian Sandoval, who is the state chairman for the Bush-Cheney re-election effort, also oppose the Yucca Mountain repository.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said Democrats are focusing on Yucca Mountain in Nevada because Kerry has no vision for the country and nothing to offer Nevada voters.

Kerry's campaign is all about "doom and gloom," and he continually talks down the economy, he said.

Bush's policies are working and Nevada's economy is doing very well, Schmidt said.

"The two big issues facing the country are winning the war on terror and growing the economy to create jobs and opportunity," Schmidt said. "That will be the focus for voters."

The Democratic protest of Bush's visit will continue today, with at least 200 demonstrators expected at the convention center.

And Northern Nevada residents who tune into the radio will hear an ad on several stations highly critical of Bush because of his Yucca Mountain decision.

Paid for by the Democratic-leaning group the Media Fund, the ad features Nevadan Judy Treichel, who has spent years fighting the Yucca Mountain repository with the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force.

In the ad, which will run in the morning only, Treichel says, "Mr. Bush, your plan for Yucca Mountain is wrong. The science is wrong. The site is wrong. And the way you lied to us is wrong. Four years ago, you told us sound science would decide Yucca Mountain."

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Reno Gazette-Journal
June 18, 2004

Nevadans want to hear about Yucca Mountain

Anjeanette Damon

When President Bush addresses a crowd of 6,500 supporters in Reno today, Republicans and Democrats alike want to hear him talk about the one issue that has topped the campaign lists of Nevada politicians for decades: Yucca Mountain.

Democrats hope Bush´s approval to store the nation´s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Southern Nevada is the key to his defeat in the Silver State.

And while most of the state´s top-ranking Republicans remain steadfastly opposed to the dump, a growing contingent of GOP voters and politicians are convinced the project is inevitable and safe. They want to see Nevada start benefiting from the project and want to hear Bush say how that will happen.

The fact Bush approved the site at all makes a convenient platform for Democrats and they plan to take advantage of it. When Democrats begin swinging at Bush, one of the first punches thrown is on Yucca Mountain.

“He lied,’ said Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party. “He lied to every single person in Nevada.’

During Bush´s 2000 campaign, he wrote a letter to Gov. Kenny Guinn promising to base his decision on where to send the nation´s nuclear waste on science, not politics.

“As president, I would not sign legislation that would send nuclear waste to any proposed site unless it´s been deemed scientifically safe,’ Bush´s letter said. “I also believe the federal government must work with the local and state governments that will be affected to address safety and transportation issues.’

Two years later, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommended and Bush approved Yucca Mountain as the site for the nation´s nuclear waste repository. An estimated 77,000 tons of the nation´s most radioactive waste would be stored deep inside the mountain about 90 miles north of Las Vegas under the plan.

Guinn vetoed the president´s decision, but Congress overrode the veto.

In an interview last week, Karl Rove, Bush´s top political adviser, said the president based his decision on more than 20 years of research.

“It was not a decision he made lightly,’ Rove said. “He based his decision on what he thought was right. He came to a sober, reasoned, thoughtful conclusion.’

But critics contend scientific questions abound about the safety of the canisters and the site itself.

“There is not a single independent scientific organization or body that supports the Department of Energy´s position on Yucca Mountain,’ said Bob Loux, Nevada´s director of nuclear projects.

“President Bush took less than a day to review thousands of pages of documents and thousands of pages of scientific studies and literally did it overnight. That is what is causing a lot of people to question this is based in sound science.’

The question of whether Yucca Mountain is relevant to this campaign is moot.

The state is in the middle of a massive federal lawsuit to stop the project. Congress is debating how to make sure the project gets enough funding to succeed. How the waste will be transported through the state tops the list of issues Reno Mayor Bob Cashell wants to discuss with Bush.

And most importantly, a sitting president has the power to stop it.

The Department of Energy is preparing to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will review millions of documents to determine whether the site meets health and safety requirements.

“Any president could direct the department not to submit a license application,’ Loux said. “It would be a very easy thing for Bush or a new president to do.’

Bush´s presumed Democratic rival, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, has opposed Yucca Mountain in his congressional voting record and in campaign speeches in Las Vegas.

Bob List, a consultant for the Nuclear Energy Institute, which supports Yucca Mountain, said it is unfair to blame Bush for the dump.

“This project has been advanced over a period of 20 years, by four presidents,’ he said. “At the time (Bush) made his decision, $6 billion had been spent to understand the science.’

Many of Nevada´s highest ranking elected Republicans, including Guinn, U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Reno, and Attorney General Brian Sandoval oppose the nuclear waste dump and are fighting in court to stop it.

Guinn and Sandoval, ironically, co-chair Bush´s campaign in Nevada. They said they and the president have “agreed to disagree’ on the Yucca Mountain issue.

Other Republicans are beginning to lobby for a different approach.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, toured the Yucca Mountain facility last month. When he returned, he announced the state should begin negotiations for benefits.

“I´m absolutely convinced there is no significant risk,’ he said last month. “And we aren´t going to convince anyone there is a significant risk. Therefore we´re going to get it.

“If we don´t do something soon to negotiate for it, we´ll get nothing.’

At the Republican State Convention, the party adopted a platform that urged the state to negotiate with federal officials to mitigate activities on federally-controlled land in the state.

Bill Brainard, a 69-year-old retired lawyer who is active in Republican politics, said he favors building the repository in Nevada, saying the state could benefit from it.

“For people who are reasonable, it is only a question of when it happens, not whether it is going to happen,’ he said. “In my judgment, we are hurting our chances of making the best deal for Nevada possible.’

Brainard said he doesn´t expect Bush to change his mind about Yucca Mountain, but he hopes to hear the president tell Nevadans today what the government will do to compensate them.

And many Democrats admit they wouldn´t vote for Bush, even if he changed his mind about Yucca Mountain. Instead, they say it is more of an indication about his integrity and reliability.

“This is the seminal issue of this election,’ said U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas. “It has as much to do with credibility and veracity and honesty and truth as it does with the substantive part of the issue, which is fundamentally important to the people in Nevada.’

But Eric Herzik, political analyst and political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said the issue doesn´t have the power to sway the presidential election in Nevada.

“The people for whom Yucca Mountain is important wouldn´t vote for Bush anyway,’ he said. “And while a majority of Nevadans oppose Yucca Mountain, it is not one of their key decision issues.’

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Las Vegas SUN
June 18, 2004

Northern Nevada Democrats accuse president of lying on Yucca Mountain

Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) - On the eve of George W. Bush's first visit to northern Nevada, Democrats again accused the Republican president of lying about a southern Nevada issue - Yucca Mountain.

"President Bush came to Nevada four years ago and he lied," Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party said at a news conference on Thursday.

"He said it was based on sound science and he lied."

A handful of Democrats spoke out to reporters and television crews a day before Bush was scheduled to tout a booming economy and national security at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

The Democrats, along with opponents of the war in Iraq and foes of the Patriot Act said they planned to be on hand outside Friday's visit by the president.

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Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
June 18, 2004

Nuclear waste issue shadows Bush in Nevada

Associated Press

CARSON CITY, Nev. – President Bush is expected to promote a booming economy and national security during a campaign visit today to Nevada, where controversy lingers over a high-level nuclear waste dump the president has supported and Democratic rival John Kerry has opposed.

Bush, in his second visit to Nevada as president, plans to deliver an afternoon speech in Reno after appearances in the state of Washington. His campaign chairman, Marc Racicot, said he didn´t know whether Bush´s support for the nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain will tighten a race he already expects to be close.

In 2002 the Bush administration and Congress approved a plan to store at Yucca Mountain 77,000 tons of radioactive waste held in 39 states.

Nevada is challenging the project in the courts, and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has opposed financing funding for the project.

Racicot said Nevada residents know that the president has been “entirely honest’ about the Yucca Mountain plan. During the 2000 campaign, Bush pledged to base a decision on science instead of politics, which Racicot said the president has done. The Bush-Cheney campaign hopes Nevada voters will understand “their obligations and duties’ in helping resolve a strategic problem on disposal of nuclear waste from across the nation, Racicot said.

Sean Smith, Kerry´s Nevada communications director, questioned Bush´s position on the plan to send nuclear waste to the state.

“I´m amazed that guy is showing his face in this state,’ Smith said.

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The State
June 18, 2004

SRS waste must be housed in safe, permanent site

These United States are best served by taking a national view on certain issues — by looking at the 50 states and their people as a whole, and determining what is best for the health, strength and security of our nation. Certainly, the national defense is paramount among those issues. We have long believed that Aiken´s Savannah River Site plays a key role in that defense. We see the potential for new missions at SRS, including the possibility of reprocessing excess defense stores into energy. However, whatever happens on the munitions and energy front, one thing cannot be denied. A national, long-term examination leads to the inescapable conclusion that Savannah River Site is not the best long-term repository for any of our nation´s high-level radioactive waste.

SRS is dangerously close to natural resources that make it a poor choice for permanent waste storage. It is near important water sources, the Tuscaloosa aquifer and the Savannah River. The site sits at the edge of a seismic fault, and the threat of future earthquakes along this fault is real. Populated areas, including Aiken and Augusta, are nearby. Meanwhile, 37 million gallons of high-level radioactive waste remain housed in aging tanks at SRS.

For more than 20 years, national law has specified that the waste will be solidified and moved to a permanent, deep geologic repository. However, politics, the high cost and some interest group objections have blocked the opening of such a facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. These delays are short-sighted national policy, as they leave high-level waste in temporary, more ecologically fragile storage. Moving forward with this cleanup process must be a top national priority.

Recently, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered a measure that he says will help. The provision in a defense spending bill allows for removal of 99 percent of the waste at SRS to begin. Sen. Graham says the plan — which was approved in the Senate by the narrowest possible margin — moves cleanup efforts ahead by 23 years and saves taxpayers $16 million. We believe Sen. Graham is sincere in his desire to break the logjam that has put cleanup efforts at SRS at a standstill. He is to be commended for his efforts to move the process forward.

Nonetheless, we share the concerns of those such as U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., and former President Jimmy Carter, who object to part of the Graham provision. That would allow the remaining 1 percent of the high-level radioactive waste to remain at SRS permanently. The material would stay at the bottom of those aging tanks, covered by grout. By volume, the radioactivity in the material which would remain is more potent than that which would be taken away. And, there is simply no way to safely predict the long-term security of material treated and left behind in this fashion.

We call upon the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy to move ahead with the funding and authorizations necessary to begin the process of solidifying and moving high-level radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain. The truth is that they can do that anytime they muster the will to do so, with or without a provision leaving some waste at SRS forever. It is long past time, for the good of our entire nation, to get moving on the process of constructing and operating a permanent, national disposal site.

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Charleston Post
June 18, 2004

Full funding for Yucca Mountain

Funding for the federal government's nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is in jeopardy this year, in part because Congress has yet to accept restrictions on how it uses a trust fund for the project. Failure to keep the repository in Nevada on track violates a federal promise for a waste disposal site, and further delay will only fuel political opposition to the project.

Indeed, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry recently promised to end the project if elected, according to the Las Vegas Sun. While that position should play well with critics of the repository, it doesn't answer the need to deal responsibly with commercial and defense nuclear waste.

The byproducts of commercial reactors and defense operations are currently stored at various sites across the nation. Savannah River Site, for example, holds 34 million gallons of high-level waste that is expected to be converted into glass logs and shipped to the central repository for long-term storage.

Meanwhile, 50 nuclear power companies have filed breach-of-contract lawsuits against the federal government for failing to provide for long-term disposal of commercial waste as promised. Initially, the Yucca Mountain facility was expected to open in 1998. Now, the Department of Energy estimates that the earliest opening date will be 2010. Scana Corp. and Santee Cooper are among the utilities that have filed suit, seeking federal payments to cover the cost of storing waste on site.

The Associated Press reports that a House budget subcommittee has approved $131 million for the program next fiscal year, or $749 million less than the Department of Energy requested. The administration's funding request for the project is linked to congressional restrictions on the nuclear waste trust fund, provided by utility payments. Congress has diverted $15 billion from the fund, mainly for deficit reduction, according to the AP.

The opposition of Nevada to the project is understandable from a parochial point of view. But the necessity of eliminating scattered interim waste storage around the nation is an overarching national concern. Congress recognized that when it promised to provide a secure, central site for waste storage. Providing the funds for its creation is a prerequisite for completing the preparations for Yucca Mountain, and eliminating further delays.

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Charleston Post
June 18, 2004

Bush fires back as Kerry faults state of economy

Associated Press

Facing criticism about more than a million jobs lost on his watch, President Bush took a sarcastic shot Thursday at Democratic presidential rival John Kerry.

"We used to hear it said that America had a jobless recovery," Bush said. He paused, then uttered his punch line: "That term seems to have fallen out of use lately."

Laughter broke out in the Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom where Bush told members of the National Federation of Independent Business about how nearly 1 million jobs have been added to the economy. Democrats weren't amused.

Kerry is on the campaign trail this week and next talking about the financial problems American families are facing, even though the economy is on the rebound.

Kerry argued this week in Cincinnati that middle-income families are being saddled with debt and deficits and rising health care, tuition and gasoline costs while the wealthy are getting richer through tax cuts.

"It's ironic that a president who has overseen record deficits and the biggest increase in spending since World War II is criticizing a candidate who plans to cut the deficit in half and restore fiscal discipline," Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer said after Bush's speech.

The economy, which struggled after the 2001 recession and terrorist attacks, staged a material rebound in the second half of last year and has grown at a healthy rate since. But job creation has lagged. Employers didn't start hiring in significant numbers until March. Since then, almost 950,000 jobs have been added.

After the speech, Bush headed to Spokane, Wash., where he attended a fund-raiser for Republican Rep. George Nethercutt, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. Today, Bush is to address troops at Fort Lewis, Wash., and attend a campaign rally in Reno, Nev.

His campaign chairman, Marc Racicot, said he didn't know whether Bush's support for the controversial nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain will tighten a race expected to be close.

Racicot said Nevada residents know the president has been "entirely honest" about the Yucca Mountain plan. During the 2000 campaign, Bush pledged to base a decision on science instead of politics, which Racicot said the president has done.

The Bush campaign hopes Nevada voters will understand "their obligations and duties" in helping resolve a strategic problem on disposal of nuclear waste, Racicot said.

Sean Smith, Kerry's Nevada communications director, questioned Bush's position on the plan.

"I'm amazed that guy is showing his face in this state," Smith said. "The first words out of his mouth when he's here should be an apology for lying to us about Yucca Mountain."

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Portland Maine Press Herald
June 18, 2004

Nevada storage for nuclear waste not expected soon

By Dennis Hoey
Portland Press Herald Writer

WISCASSET — It looks as though Maine will be stuck with high level nuclear waste for at least another 20 years. Susan A. Smith, a senior policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Energy, told the Community Advisory Panel on Decommissioning Thursday night that the federal government wants Yucca Mountain in Nevada to begin accepting nuclear waste in 2010.

But Smith was unable to give any assurances that the waste from the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant, which is stored in Wiscasset, would be given disposal priority or that the Yucca Mountain facility would actually be operating in six years. Maine Yankee Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Michael Meisner, said 2023 is a more likely date than 2010.

The project faces financial and legal hurdles. The state of Nevada is suing the DOE, claiming the site is ill-suited for such a use. And Maine Yankee is one of 65 utility companies nationwide suing the DOE for breach of contract over delays in accepting nuclear waste - the target date was January 1998.

Maine Yankee, which is being joined in the legal action by Yankee Rowe and Connecticut Yankee, is seeking $160 million in damages, according to spokesman Eric Howes. The so-called "Yankees suit," which will be heard by the U.S. Federal Court of Claims, is scheduled to begin next month.

"We're going to have to keep the nuclear waste here and that means having a great security concern for years to come," said Maria Holt, a nuclear activist from Bath, who was unable to attend Thursday's presentation.

Howes said Smith's visit was the first time a high-ranking DOE official has met with the 15-member panel, which was formed to monitor the decommissioning of Maine Yankee. The panel includes state legislators, private citizens, nuclear activists and environmentalists. The decommissioning will be completed next year.

Maine Yankee officials also gave a presentation Thursday on the dome, the last remnant of the state's only nuclear power plant. The 15-story dome, which contained the nuclear reactor, will be demolished around Labor Day, according to William Henries, Maine Yankee's director of engineering. Explosives will be used to blow out the dome's foundation, causing it to collapse.

"When it hits the ground it is going to go bang," Henries said.

Smith, the DOE official, said her agency plans to file a construction application for Yucca Mountain with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December. The NRC is expected to take about three years to review the application before authorizing the DOE to proceed with construction.

In the meantime, the DOE is developing plans for a 300-mile-long railroad in Nevada that will allow high level nuclear waste to be transported to the Yucca Mountain site, where the materials will be buried 1,000 feet under ground.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 725-8795 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com

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Portland Maine Press Herald
June 18, 2004

Reactor containment dome to come down around Labor Day

Associated Press

WISCASSET, Maine — Maine Yankee´s most visible landmark, its 15-story reactor containment dome, is slated for demolition around Labor Day.

Explosives will be used to blow out the dome´s foundation, causing it to collapse, William Henries, Maine Yankee´s director of engineering, told the Community Advisory Panel on Decommissioning on Thursday night.

"When it hits the ground it is going to go bang," Henries said.

Maine Yankee will take steps to ensure that the resulting aftershock will not knock out vibration sensitive relays at a nearby Central Maine Power switching station, Henries said.

The company plans to evacuate a nearby office building because the impact from the 20 million pound dome could shatter windows.

The advisory panel also heard from a U.S. Department of Energy official, who provided an update on plans for storage of high-level nuclear waste.

Senior policy analyst Susan Smith said the government would like to see Yucca Mountain in Nevada begin accepting nuclear waste in 2010.

But Smith was unable to provide assurances that Maine Yankee waste now stored in Wiscasset would be given priority at the site or that the Yucca Mountain facility would actually be operating in six years.

A more likely date, according to Maine Yankee Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Meisner, is 2023.

The project faces financial and legal hurdles. The state of Nevada is suing the DOE, claiming the site is ill suited for such a use. And Maine Yankee is one of 65 utility companies nationwide suing the DOE for breach of contract over delays in accepting nuclear waste. The target date had been January 1998.

Maine Yankee, which is being joined in the legal action by Yankee Rowe and Connecticut Yankee, is seeking $160 million in damages, spokesman Eric Howes said. The so-called "Yankees suit" is scheduled to begin next month in the U.S. Court of Claims.

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WLBZ-TV
June 18, 2004

Maine Yankee Says Decommissioning on Schedule

Officials at Maine Yankee showed members of its community advisory panel just how far the plant has come since it started its decommissioning process in 1997.

According to project managers, Maine Yankee has finished 90 percent of the work. The plant's remaining buildings are expected to be torn down by next summer.

Maine Yankee will have to keep spent nuclear fuel rods on site until at least 2010. That's when the Department of Energy expects it can start taking some of the waste to Yucca Mountain in Nevada. In the meantime, Maine Yankee's president says the spent fuel will not cause a risk to the community.

After the tour, the community advisory panel held a meeting to update the public on its progress.

Maine Yankee is selling 430 acres of its property to the town of Wiscasset for development and another 200 acres to the Chewonki organization. As long as the spent fuel rods are housed on Bailey Point peninsula, that piece of land will not be for sale.

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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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