Yucca Mountain News Clips - Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Yucca Mountain News Clips
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
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Las Vegas SUN
October 19, 2004

Public Citizen blasts president

Report: Bush's ties to industries hurt security

By Benjamin Grove
<grove@lasvegassun.com>
Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's opposition to new terrorism security measures reflects his ties to five major industries -- nuclear power, hazardous materials transport, chemical manufacturing, ports and shipping, and water utilities, a public interest group said.

Bush's support for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is further evidence that Bush puts industry interests above security, Public Citizen said in its report "Homeland Unsecured," released Monday.

"We think this increases our vulnerability to terrorists," Public Citizen president Joan Claybrook said of the Yucca Mountain project.

Bush officials strongly denied the claim that Bush's national security decisions have been tainted by his relationship with industry leaders who resist new regulations.

Bush has done much to make the nation's infrastructure more secure from terrorist threats, Bush advocates say. The report and the timing of its release are cheap shots.

It's a "ludicrous charge" to suggest that Bush's ties to industry have hindered national security, Bush campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said.

Infrastructure improvements are the No. 1 priority of the Department of Homeland Security, she said.

"President Bush bases his decisions on sound policy, not politics," she said.

The report said 85 percent of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector. Business leaders in the five industries in the report raised at least $19.9 million for the Bush campaigns and Republican National Committee since the 2000 election cycle, the report said.

The Bush administration has opposed new regulations for industry, including new rules to ensure drinking water safety and rules to tighten security at chemical and nuclear plants and ports, the report said.

Thirty of the Bush "Rangers" and "Pioneers" -- campaign fund-raisers who raise $200,000 and $100,000 respectively -- come from the five industries, the report said.

The nuclear industry gave Bush nearly $8 million since 2000 and hazardous materials shippers gave about $2.9 million, the report said.

But nuclear industry officials say they have made significant security improvements on their own since Sept. 11.

Security forces were increased by one-third at 64 nuclear sites, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's top lobby group.

By the end of the year, the nuclear industry will have spent $1 billion for security upgrades at nuclear plants, Nuclear Energy Institute spokesman Mitch Singer said.

"This is simply a rehashing of security concerns that have already been discredited," Singer said of the report.

Yucca waste containers are not terrorist-proof, and thousands of shipments to Yucca over decades would be inviting targets, Claybrook said in an interview.

But the massive waste-shipping campaign to Yucca could be conducted safely, industry leaders have said. The likelihood of a terrorist attack is remote, they say.

Public Citizen was founded in 1971 by Ralph Nader, but Nader is no longer affiliated with the group. The Washington-based consumer advocacy group has been highly critical of Bush policies, but has not endorsed a candidate.

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Nevada Appeal
October 19, 2004

Bush daughters campaign in south state

Associated Press

HENDERSON - President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, opened a discussion about their father's leadership and the role women play in his administration during a campaign stop Monday in Southern Nevada.

"The key point was the trustworthiness of the president," said Nevada Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, a Republican who served as moderator for an hourlong "W Stands for Women" panel discussion.

The twins and President Bush's sister, Dorothy Bush Koch, were joined on the panel by the administration's domestic policy adviser, Margaret Spellings; Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey; and Nancy Brinker, former ambassador to Hungary.

"The president has proven himself," Hunt said. "He's consistent, steady and he doesn't deviate from his strategy and beliefs."

State Democratic party spokesman Jon Summers called the president "consistently wrong" on issues important to Nevada, including the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and health care.

Monday's event focusing on women's issues drew about 70 people to a recreation center in Henderson, said Tracey Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokeswoman.

After the stop, the panelists headed to Beaverton, Ore., for a similar event.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
October 18, 2004

Water, Yucca Mountain are issues in Assembly 36 race

Steve Timko

Nevada needs to conduct an inventory of the water it has available so it knows what level of population it can sustain, Assembly District 36 incumbent Roderick “Rod’ Sherer said.

“It´s vital for the economy to grow and to know that you have enough of it,’ said Sherer, R-Pahrump, who listed water as the No. 1 issue in the district that stretches from Nye and Lincoln counties into Mineral County.

Sherer, 40, proposes charging more to people who export water from one county to another.

“We want to raise the transfer tax from $6 per acre-foot to a minimum of $20 per acre-foot,’ he said. The money goes back to the county losing the water.

Challenger Jackie Holmgren of Hawthorne and the Independent American Party, said water and the nuclear waste dump planned for Yucca Mountain tied as the two most important issues in the assembly district.

“Nevada is about the worst state you could pick to have a nuclear repository because of the seismic activity,’ said Holmgren, 51, who has a geology degree from the University of Oregon. “However, they´re putting it here because Nevada is basically the garbage can of the United States of America.’

If Nevada does end up with the nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain, she said Nevada and her district in particular need more money to offset its impacts and there has to be more safeguards built in. Holmgren said her background as a geologist would give her more credibility in the Nevada Assembly to talk about its problems.

The thing that sets her apart from Sherer is that she has more independence on issues, Holmgren said.

“I am not controlled by the Republican machine,’ Holmgren said. “I do not have strings attached.’

Sherer said the thing that separates him is his commitment to communicating with his constituents.

During the last legislative session his email list was more than 1,300 people, Sherer said. He also conducted several town meetings in his district.

“I´m very easy to get to,’ Sherer said. “I´m easy to talk to. I answer all my emails. I answer all my questions. I spend time in the whole district.’

He learned the importance of keeping in touch with voters from previous assembly races, he said.

Voters “saw people when they ran but after that they never saw them again,’ Sherer said.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
October 18, 2004

Assembly Dist. 36 candidate Q & A

1. Should the state continue to fight the nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain? Should the state negotiate for benefits?

Jackie Holmgren: I think both, unfortunately. We need to continue to fight it, because by continuing to fight it we´ll probably get more out of our negotiations.

Rod Sherer: That´s a two phased question. Does it look like we´re going to get it? I would say yes. If that continues to be true, then we need to go after some of the funds to make sure it is a safe arrival. I want to make sure the tracks are not laid on top of mining claims or grazing allotments in the state to make sure we´re not jeopardizing their livelihood.

2.Do you support the initiative petition that would require the Legislature to fund the education budget first? Should the state be required to fund education at the national per-pupil average?

Holmgren: No on both.

Sherer: Yes to the fund education first. If you calculate what we spend to build schools, we´re already above the national average. There´s things we can do to improve education other than spending more money. We´re funding education 29th but we´re performing 50th. So I think there´s things we have to fix before we throw money on the wall.

3.What should be done to bring diversified businesses to the state? What should be done to improve the quality of jobs in the state?

Holmgren: The best thing this state could do would be to reduce regulations and get our government fiscally responsible themselves. The reason business was coming to Nevada was because we were somewhat unregulated compared to California. Now it seems we´re going down the same rat hole where you either put your business out of business or relocate it to some place else.

Sherer: When you´re looking at what can be done to bring diversified businesses, we did that last session by not putting in the gross receipts tax. We have three different businesses that are looking at putting their manufacturing facilities here in Pahrump, once we put the hospital in. It´s going to continue to grow if we keep the friendly climate that we have now.

4.Should the state provide more bilingual government assistance?

Holmgren: No. We have a language in the United States, which is English.

Sherer: I guess my stance on that is that I would say no. Coming into the country, there´s steps you have to take to be a U.S. Citizen.

5.Should government employees be allowed to serve in the Legislature?

Holmgren: No. Because there is no way you cannot be partisan towards the government. The government has enough power on its own without having government employees in the Legislature. One reason we got the huge tax increase this last legislative session is because the government employees voted as a bloc. I wish I could vote to fund ranching, but I want ranchers to make it as individuals.

Sherer: I would say no, because it´s a frustrating situation that they don´t recuse themselves from voting on raises.

6. Should casinos be allowed to expand into neighborhoods?

Holmgren: I don´t think I´m qualified to make an informed decision on this right at this moment.

Sherer: That is up to a neighborhood area. I think the citizens should have more of a say of whether they want it or not. I don´t think it should be a state issue.

7.Do you support property tax reform in response to increasing property assessments?

Holmgren: I don´t think we should tax people out of their property and that we need reform in that sense.

Sherer: Yes. Exactly, what tax cap number that is, I´m not sure.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
October 18, 2004

Kerry plans first Reno campaign stop Friday

Anjeanette Damon

With only 11 days until the election, U.S. Sen. John Kerry will make good on his promise to visit Reno before the end of his campaign, his brother Cam Kerry announced Monday.

In his first visit to the Biggest Little City, John Kerry will speak at a campaign rally Friday afternoon at Lawlor Events Center. Doors open at 3 p.m.

Reno has been a virtual mainstay on the campaign trail of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, both having visited twice.

Although Kerry´s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, his running-mate U.S. Sen. John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, have each campaigned in Reno, many local voters have been asking: “Where´s Kerry?’

“He´s coming here, that´s the important thing,’ said Cam Kerry at a small news conference on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

Local Democrats who have been waiting for months to see their candidate, said the timing is perfect. Kerry´s visit comes in the middle of the early voting, with both campaigns launching intensive efforts to get their voters to the polls.

“If there are any undecided voters out there, I hope they come see Sen. Kerry,’ said Chris Wicker, chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party. “We don´t restrict who can come and see our candidate. He would help them make up their minds.’

The Bush-Cheney campaign called Kerry´s visit “midnight-hour campaigning.’

“A stop from Kerry 11 days before the election doesn´t change the fact that his policies would devastate the local economy,’ said Tracey Schmitt, the Bush-Cheney Nevada spokeswoman.

“Our massive network of volunteers and supporters are organized, energized and determined to ensure President Bush carries Nevada.’

As a record number of people take advantage of early voting, the Kerry campaign is counting on his Reno visit to deliver more Democrats.

“People are voting in large numbers and we hope that Kerry´s visit will motivate people who haven´t voted to go out and vote,’ said Sean Smith, the Kerry campaign´s Nevada spokesman.

Speaking to a group of UNR journalism students Monday, Cam Kerry said one of his brother´s biggest challenges has been “breaking through the filter’ of the national media to show voters who he is. Cam Kerry accused the media of creating an image of his brother as being aloof and unfriendly.

“John doesn´t lend himself to seven second sound bites,’ Cam Kerry said. “People need to see more of him.

“What happens when you get to see him in a face-to-face way, people responded. They like him.’

Cam Kerry, who has been one of his brother´s closest advisers throughout his political career, described John Kerry as a man who has “an extraordinary ability to come from behind.’

He said the final days of the election will be focused on convincing voters that Bush´s policies have failed both on domestic issues and in Iraq.

“There are not that many undecided voters that are left,’ Cam Kerry said. “We´ll keep hammering away.’

Schmitt said Nevada´s economy proves Bush´s policies have been working.

“Talking down the economy in a county with 3.2 percent unemployment is nothing short of peculiar,’ Schmitt. “Talking down the President´s leadership in the war on terror when your candidate calls for a more sensitive approach shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the threat we face.’

Smith called Schmitt´s remarks scare tactics.

“John Kerry has got plans to create jobs in this country and this state and we certainly don´t need any lectures from the first president in 72 years who has lost jobs,’ he said.

Smith said Kerry likely will talk about terrorism, the war in Iraq and health care. And he said Kerry likely will go beyond his typical stump speech.

“When he comes to Nevada, he almost always talks about Yucca Mountain,’ Smith said. “This is one issue on which there is a clear distinction between the two candidates. John Kerry is against the nuclear waste dump and George Bush is for it.’

Kerry has been to Las Vegas five times this year.

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Reno Gazette-Journal
October 18, 2004

Taxes, education help shape Assembly Dist. 24 race

Susan Voyles

In the Assembly District 24 race in north Reno, Democrat David Love says he wants full-day kindergarten, more vocational schools and other expanded state programs.

But he has no concrete plan on how to pay for them.

Brooks Holcomb, his Republican opponent, says he would have joined the “Mean 15’ Assembly Republicans who fought to stave off a record increase in new state taxes, had he been in the Legislature last year.

“I would not have jumped ship and voted with the Democrats for the largest tax increase in Nevada´s history,’ Holcomb said.

But Holcomb said he also supports boosting state dollars for education if a performance audit indicates more money is needed. “We are throwing money at education. We don´t know how to improve performance,’ he said. “We need to come up with reforms and then make sure (they are) properly funded.’

But where would the state find more money for education? “Exactly. That´s the problem,’ he said.

Holcomb said he favors the “Contract with Neva-dans’ plan proposed by Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, in September.

It includes capping property taxes, the performance audit for education and no new taxes except for those approved by voters.

In the district where Democrat Vivian Freeman won every election from 1986 to 2000, Brooks said he would just as soon as not emphasize his ultraconservative ties.

As an Independent American, he ran against state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, in 1996. Now he says the campaign was a fluke and a mistake.

Other than three or four months for that race, Holcomb, who owns an insurance-related business, said he has been a lifelong Republican.

He said he had no idea that “We the People’ was a conservative political action group. It gave him two-thirds of his money for his run in the primary.

The group has ties with Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, who was part of the Mean 15 leadership. The group paid Ted Angle, her husband, $11,752 for miscellaneous expenses — about one fourth of the money it raised.

The PAC donated $4,800 to Holcomb´s campaign while he provided $2,225 of his own money.

Holcomb said it was enough to defeat freshman incumbent Republican Jason Geddes, who voted for the tax hikes in 2003. Holcomb said voters were mad at Geddes over the tax issue. “They were just angry,’ he said, even though most of the new taxes didn´t affect them directly.

Holcomb, who said he walked through his district, said he was just as surprised as everyone else that he defeated the incumbent.

“It shows the little guy who works hard and really connects with voters can win,’ he said.

Geddes had raised $70,000 before the primary and spent almost all of it. Love raised $2,065 before the primary.

Holcomb, whose wife Jill is a teacher, said education is a key to reducing the state´s prison population. He said 85 percent of the inmates are from Nevada, have an eighth-grade literacy rate and no marketable job skills.

“We need to focus on K-12,’ he said. “We´re 45th in funding education but almost bottom last in performance.’ He also wants high schools to encourage more students to enroll in vocational education programs, saying existing facilities in the school district and at Truckee Meadows Community College are adequate.

He said a student must have the permission of the school principal, his or her counselor and parents before they can enroll. And he said that´s too much.

“The big push to get everybody in to the university is wrong,’ he said. “It´s dead wrong. They may be pushing that down their throat when they may have other skills or interests.’

Love, a retired health professional and educator, said every county in Nevada needs more vocational education facilities, including a performing arts school. Rural counties could share performing arts theaters.

He said per-capita state funds could be used to run these expanded facilities.

He also wants kindergarten to be full time, saying the current two-hour program is a hardship for parents who have to work.

In Washoe County, Love said student interns from the University of Nevada, Reno could help in kindergarten classrooms to reduce the cost.

He said some casinos should be encouraged to partner with schools to help cover costs. And he said the state should mandate that casinos provide child-care centers on site.

Love said he is working on a bill draft to support a state lottery to help raise money for education and senior citizens.

But he said he does not want to raise taxes for four to six years.

Love and Holcomb support a cap on property taxes to protect residents from huge increases in their tax bills because of rising home values.

To help pay for these added programs, Love said the state should invite clean, safe industries to the state. And he said these businesses could be given a tax break for the first three years as an enticement.

That again raises the question of where the tax dollars will come.

“We are not going to give them a tax break forever. Besides, their employees are going to pay taxes,’ he said.

“When we train a good work force, we are going to have a lot of clean industry that would like to move to Nevada,’ he said. “That would increase our tax base.’

The candidates have slightly different views on Yucca Mountain, the long-planned site in Southern Nevada for storing nuclear waste from the nation´s nuclear power plants.

“Yucca is non-negotiable with me,’ said Love, who worked as a radiation safety officer for the Navy as a young man. “It´s 90 miles from Las Vegas. It could have an effect on the economy and tourism because people may not want to come. And it´s not very safe; we´d probably have two truck accidents per year.’

Holcomb said he considers himself an environmentalist and opposes Yucca Mountain. “But the question is this: Is it a done deal? If there is any way of stopping the government, we should continue the fight.

“If there is no possible way, then we need to sit down at the table and talk reparations. What I think they are doing is wrong, but we have to cut the best deal we can,’ he said.

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Elko Daily
October 19, 2004

Candidate's wife uses town hall meeting to address issues

By Dave Woodson
Staff Writer

ELKO - It was a down-home town hall meeting when Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, addressed an overflowing crowd in her own Southern way in the cramped Western Folklife Center on Sunday afternoon.

While rarely raising her voice, Edwards showed her ability to play hardball politics in the final weeks of a divisive campaign between Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry and Republican incumbent President George W. Bush.

Edwards' visit was part of a Sunday political blitz by the Democratic Party in an attempt to sway undecided voters in a battleground state with five electoral votes that may hold the key to the White House.

She said her reason for holding town hall meetings around the state was to show how there was a difference between the two candidates.

"It is enormously important that you understand where we stand," Edwards told the audience estimated at 311 by campaign officials. "We want someone who is fighting for us; who knows our concerns and goes into the Oval Office every day trying to make our lives better."

She said Kerry would fight for better health care, a better business environment, a better environment and jobs.

In response to questions from the audience, Edwards touched on a number of subjects.

Nevada issues

Edwards said she did not clearly understand the issues facing ranchers in Nevada, such as grazing allotments and concerns over a Kerry administration reverting to the policies of the Clinton administration.

"I have never heard anything about grazing," she said.

Edwards reassured the audience that if Kerry is elected he will honor his pledge to stop the shipment of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

"Nuclear waste will stay at the facilities where it is currently stored," she said.

Edwards said moving the waste to a central dumping ground would only create potential targets for terrorists.

International issues

"We need to get out," she said about American military involvement in Iraq.

Edwards elicited a burst of applause when she told the crowd, "There is a very big difference of what happened to us on Sept. 11 and Iraq."

Edwards said the sooner the everyday activity in Iraq are turned over the Iraqis the faster the country will become stable and Iraqis will develop pride in their country.

"In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a used car," she said. "It has to belong to them."

Edwards said Kerry has a "very different" plan for accomplishing that and removing U.S. troops from Iraq. "A much faster plan than this president."

She said the "cornerstone" of Kerry's plan was to quickly train a large Iraqi security force and the best possible approach is to do that out of the country in places like France and Russia.

Edwards took issue with the Bush administration claim that 125,000 Iraqi security forces are in place, claiming that the number is no more than 22,000.

"Make certain the police are trained," Edwards said.

She said to date that "no one" in Iraq has completed the 24-week training course for police officers.

Edwards said it was important that the Iraqis begin the rebuilding process and that it not be done entirely by out-of-country firms.

"We also need them to take over the reconstruction themselves," she said. "Make sure the Iraqis are involved."

Edwards said putting Iraqis to work would reduce the number of potential terrorists.

In response to a question, Edwards said it would not be the Kerry administration's policy to allow foreign countries to dictate our national security actions.

"We will always protect ourselves," she said. "That does not excuse us from trying to get the rest of the world involved."

Edwards acknowledged that both Iran and North Korea were in the process of developing nuclear weapons programs. She noted that in President Bush's State of the Union address after the 9-11 attacks, he had included all three countries in his Axis of Evil.

"We stopped the one that was not doing it," Edwards said about the invasion of Iraq.

She said the Bush administration's approach had been to continue not having diplomatic ties to Iran and North Korea and rather use a sanctions approach.

"That obviously hasn't worked," she said.

Edwards said other countries are putting pressure on Iran and North Korea to suspend its nuclear weapons programs.

"The U.S. needs to be a part of this," she suggested. "So they understand every option is on the table."

Domestic issues

Edwards said the No Child Left Behind legislation needs revamping.

"Adequate progress needs to be made as close to the classroom as possible," she said to loud applause.

Edwards also said that full funding needed to be provided to the program.

She said the Kerry administration's approach would be not to "punish" schools that don't make adequate yearly progress but rather to provide them with assistance to achieve that goal.

She said under Kerry there would a "partnership" between government and schools.

"This Department of Education is the most anti-teacher Department of Education in history," Edwards said.

She also said the Kerry administration would offer a $5,000 bonus to teachers willing to teach in schools that are underachieving.

"That would allow us to bring our best teachers to these schools," Edwards said.

She said another goal of a Kerry administration is affordable health care, with one possible plan being wrapping those individuals into the same insurance program that is provided to members of Congress.

"We need to make certain that policy is available," she said.

However, she noted there would be cost to the individuals. "I want to make it clear these are not a giveaway," Edwards said.

She also noted that the Indian Health Service was ill-funded.

"You are obviously getting short changed," she said.

Edwards said Kerry would explore the use of alternative energy and not rely entirely on gas and oil.

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Emediawire
October 19, 2004

Five Reasons Why Nevada Republicans Will Vote for Kerry/Edwards in 2004 Presidential Election

Nevada has been identified by many political punidts and analysts as a 'battleground' state in the U.S. 2004 presidential election. State specific issues, such as George W. Bush approving the Yucca Moutain nuclear waste dump in Nevada, will provide John Kerry a level of Republican support unlike any he will experience in any other state.

LAS VEGAS, NV (PRWEB) October 19, 2004 -- The State of Nevada is currently in the middle of a huge war of campaigns as Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards fight for Nevada's precious five (5) electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election. Nevada Republicans will generally support President Bush in 2004, but it should be expected that Republican support for John Kerry in Nevada will be very high as compared to other states in the 2004 election due to state specfic issues and culture. The five reasons for this is as follows:

First, Nevada Republicans generally despise George W. Bush for approving the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump (to be located in Nevada) over the strong objections of Nevada citizens and Nevada's Republican Governor. The Yucca Mountain site is only 90 miles northwest of Nevada's largest metro area, Las Vegas. The site is targeted to hold the nation's high-level nuclear waste and George W. Bush showed no interest in hearing from Nevada citizens on this issue.

Second, Nevada Republicans are fiscally conservative, and they are not happy about the national budget deficit being at a level close to $500 billion dollars. Many Republican residents in Nevada moved from other states, such as California, due to their disdain for taxes and out-of-control budgets.

Third, Nevada Republicans do not like the fact that for every dollar ($1) that Nevada citizens send to Washington DC, the state only receives approximately seventy cents ($.70). The fact is that Nevada does not receive nearly as much back from the federal government as other states do.

Fourth, Nevada Republicans are generally more conservative and are very aware of civil liberties. In fact, the Patriot Act has been the target of many Nevada Republicans and other groups within the state.

Fifth, Nevada Republicans have show a lower level of support for the war in Iraq than compared to Republicans in other states. This coincides with the fact that Nevada citizens, in general, do not like the government to place its hand in internal or external affairs.

Due to these above reasons, and many others, the Republican percentage of voters that vote for Kerry/Edwards in 2004 should be forecasted to be at higher levels than what other states can expect. It should also be expected that Nevada Republicans who vote for Kerry/Edwards will likely tip the balance of Nevada's five electoral votes towards the Kerry/Edwards ticket.

Notice: This notice does not indicate support for any political campaign or candidate. The views expressed in this notice do not reflect the view or opinions of any news or press distribution service.

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Boston Globe
October 19, 2004

Dueling Ideologies

On energy and environment, a vast divide

Beth Daley

Nothing highlights the ideological differences on energy and the environment between George W. Bush and John F. Kerry as starkly as the black coal that fuels more than 50 percent of the nation's electricity.

Coal, including millions of tons extracted from the swing states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, is poised to make a renaissance in America as natural gas and oil prices spike. The federal government estimates it will need more than 100 new coal-fired power plants by 2025 to keep up with electricity demand.

Bush is focused on boosting the use of coal and other domestic fossil fuels, emphasizing US production to limit dependence on foreign oil. He is against federal environmental regulations he considers too strict and wants more market-driven controls to help limit pollution from power plants. During his presidency, he has eased some pollution laws and refused to limit carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil fuel plants that contributes to global warming.

Kerry, who hails from New England, which suffers from wafting pollution from some of the country's biggest coal-fired plants, wants to limit demand for fossil fuels, reducing foreign dependence through a $30 billion, 10-year suite of renewable energy and conservation efforts. He favors stricter federal environmental rules, especially those that will limit carbon dioxide and other types of pollution from power plants.

Despite a multitude of polls that suggest voters care about environmental issues, only about 2 percent actually pick a candidate based on those beliefs, said Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor who specializes in public opinion. Mostly, these ''2 percent issues" are local ones being used in swing states to sway voters.

In Michigan, the two candidates are sparring over Great Lakes issues, with each candidate contending he will protect the waters. In Nevada, the debate has centered on the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility. And in coal country, Bush and Kerry are attacking each other over who would do the most to ensure that the coal industry thrives.

Kerry is the darling of the environmentalists, winning a 96 percent approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters when they endorsed him early this year, the highest any presidential candidate has ever received. Bush received an ''F" and environmentalists have accused him of being deceptive about his environmental record and working too closely with industry in crafting his energy blueprint for the future.

But Kerry too, has fielded criticism, with some alleging that he is running on his proenvironment Senate record rather than offering a bold, detailed vision for the future. Pieces of his platform are purposefully vague for an environmentally minded candidate, they say, with no clear commitment on some of the most important issues of the day -- such as signing an international agreement to slow global warming or pushing harder for fuel-efficiency standards on specific vehicles.

Kent Portney, a Tufts University professor of political science, said Kerry may be reticent to be specific about certain environmental subjects ''because there may not be [broad] public support for those issues." He added that it doesn't behoove Kerry to be specific on environmental matters, since ''he's going to get [environmental] votes anyway."

The soundbites sound similar: Both Kerry and Bush want to lower and stabilize gasoline prices -- and do it with the least harm to the environment.

But Bush is calling for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a 2000 campaign goal he has not been able to fulfill because of opposition from environmentalists. Kerry was and remains a leading opponent to drilling there, threatening to lead a filibuster to block it.

Bush wants nuclear power to make a comeback as a clean-burning fuel and supports a federal repository for nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. He has moved to open broad swaths of federal lands to oil and gas drilling and supports the construction of more liquefied natural gas terminals to receive super-chilled gas from abroad to meet America's growing energy demand.

Kerry, meanwhile, while supportive of nuclear power, is against using Yucca Mountain to store nuclear waste, pledging it won't be put there ''on my watch." He wants drilling to take place in noncontroversial areas already mapped out for extraction, such as the deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and wants to buy more oil from countries that are not members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Like Bush, he wants to increase liquefied natural gas imports, but he has supported more offshore terminals to address safety concerns.

Regarding renewables, Bush pledges to continue his $1.7 billion, five-year plan toward a ''hydrogen economy" that is designed to make cars and homes far more clean-burning, by making hydrogen fuel cell technology more reliable and affordable. Kerry, meanwhile, has set a goal of producing 20 percent of the nation's electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and biomass, by 2020. He says 500,000 jobs will be created over 10 years by investment in such cleaner technologies.

Even ardent environmentalists grudgingly applauded Bush earlier this year for strictly limiting emissions from off-road diesel engines such as tractors and forklifts. In all, harmful emission levels will be reduced by more than 90 percent from construction, agricultural, and industrial diesel-powered equipment, pollution that is blamed each year for thousands of premature deaths from asthma, respiratory ailments, and heart attacks.

But with transportation accounting for about 70 percent of America's oil consumption -- and a great deal of its pollution -- analysts say that Bush and Kerry should both be more hard-hitting in how they will make passenger cars and trucks more fuel efficient and clean-burning.

Bush has largely been opposed to increased fuel efficiency standards, siding with the automotive industry, which says the switch is too expensive and will cost jobs. Still, light trucks will soon have to get 1.5 miles per gallon better fuel efficiency.

Kerry cosponsored an energy bill amendment in 2002 that tried to raise the average fuel efficiency up to 36 miles per gallon, but it failed. Although he was calling for the same increase several months ago, he has since backed off mentioning any specific miles-per-gallon figure, although his platform and a spokeswoman stressed fuel efficiency was a cornerstone of his energy and environmental plan.

Bush and Kerry have called for tax credits for consumers of cleaner-burning cars, and both have pledged to increase the use of alternative fuels, such as corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel.

Kerry promises to have 20 percent of motor fuels from renewable or alternative sources by 2020 and wants to give carmakers $10 billion over 10 years to help reach those goals.

Meanwhile, Bush is promising to fulfill his commitment for $1.4 billion to make homes more energy-efficient. Kerry says he will cut the federal energy bill by 20 percent and expand weatherization programs for the poor to help insulate their homes.

It is on clean air, however, where Bush and Kerry differ the most, especially over carbon dioxide. Bush has come under heavy fire from environmentalists over his Clear Skies initiative -- now stalled in Congress -- as failing to clamp down on carbon dioxide coming from fossil fuel plants. The plan would allow cleaner-burning plants to sell credit to dirtier ones to limit overall emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.

Meanwhile, Bush pulled out of an international agreement called the Kyoto Protocol to limit carbon dioxide and has also been criticized for allowing old power plants to upgrade without using modern pollution controls.

Kerry has pledged to limit carbon dioxide. He has supported measures targeting air pollution during his time in the Senate and has pledged to strengthen air quality standards on smog and soot. Kerry is in favor of international talks to limit carbon dioxide, but he said he is and will remain opposed to the Kyoto Protocol until developing countries such as China, which are exempt, join.

In coal country, both Kerry and Bush have called for ''clean coal" technologies that will emit less pollution. Bush is continuing a $2 billion, 10-year ''clean coal" program that includes a public-private partnership to build a coal power plant that is emission free. Kerry, meanwhile, has promised an investment of $10 billion over 10 years.

Earlier installments of thisseries can be found atwww.boston.com/politics.Beth Daley can be reachedat bdaley@globe.com.

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Boston Globe
October 18, 2004

An unexpected battle in mountains for Bush

By Susan Milligan

MORRISON, Colo. -- On its craggy face, Colorado looks and sounds like Bush country. Local radio is dominated by Christian religious programs and conservative talk radio. The Christian group Focus on the Family is headquartered in Colorado Springs. Republicans hold most major political offices in the state, where a taxpayer Bill of Rights mandates tax refunds of surplus revenues.

Excited supporters of President Bush turned out in the thousands last week to cheer their candidate at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, whooping with the same enthusiasm as the music fans who attend rock concerts at the geologically stunning mountain arena. "I believe he is a man of conviction and faith," said Mary Ann Creque, 43, after watching Bush, surrounded by flag-waving supporters and local celebrity Mike Shanahan, coach of the Denver Broncos, deliver a scathing speech against Democratic foe John F. Kerry of Massachusetts. "I don't think [Kerry] understands the average American," Creque said.

There was only one problem for the GOP: Bush wasn't supposed to be here. Colorado, with its Republican governor, House and Senate, and two US senators, wasn't expected to entertain the idea of voting for the man Bush describes as the most liberal member of the Senate. But in the last weeks of the campaign, the Rocky Mountain State has emerged as a key battleground in the excruciatingly close presidential race.

A recent Gallup poll suggests the two men are running dead even in the state, which offers nine electoral votes (the votes may be divided if Colorado approves a referendum next month to award its electoral votes proportionally). And while Colorado has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate only once in the past half-century -- the last time in 1992, when the third-party candidacy of Ross Perot helped give Bill Clinton the state -- Democrats this year see Colorado as a potential new prize.

"John Kerry didn't think it was a battleground state. All of a sudden, the lights went on," said Federico Peña, former mayor of Denver and Transportation secretary during the Clinton administration. But now, Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been forced to come back to Colorado to shore up their base, Peña said. "That is what is driving the Bush campaign crazy. That never was supposed to happen."

Ted Halaby, Colorado's Republican Party state chairman, said he is confident Bush will capture Colorado, but acknowledged the battle is closer than officials in both parties thought it would be. "There's certainly no reason to be overconfident at this stage. But if we get out our voters, the president is going to win this state," Halaby said.

Republicans attribute Colorado's newfound status as a battleground to an aggressive Democratic media buy after Senator Ben Nighthorse-Campbell, a Republican, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection. Democrats were excited at the possibility of sending their party's only statewide elected official, Attorney General Ken Salazar, to the US Senate, and the heavy, often negative advertisements the two sides ran helped bring the state into play, Halaby said.

Democrats say voter anger over the war in Iraq and the economy have fueled support for Kerry. "He's done a lot of damage in the past four years, and a lot of people want Bush out," said Bill Vieregg, a 56-year-old retiree from Stapleton who plans to vote for Kerry.

But pollsters and political analysts say the shift in Colorado's political persuasion has much to do with demographics. Colorado is the fifth fastest-growing state in the nation, noted Colorado pollster Floyd Ciruli, and has attracted many new voters who have altered the state's political profile.

In the early 1990s, Colorado's new residents tended to come from conservative Southern California. "We cleaned out Orange County, and they became the fuel for the Republican resurgence," Ciruli said. But the new voters since then are more diverse, and include a fast-growing population of Latinos, who tend to favor Democrats, said Norman Provizer, a political science professor at Metro State College of Denver.

The population shift has put several states in the Rocky Mountain region and Southwest in play. Bush won Nevada, for example, by some 22,000 votes in 2000. But the state is growing at a breathtaking pace, adding residents in numbers many times Bush's margin of victory four years ago. Henry Cisneros, Housing and Urban Development secretary during the Clinton administration, estimated this summer that Nevada had 240,000 new voters since 2000 and that 60 percent of them were Hispanic, a trend Democrats believe favors Kerry.

Bush is also vulnerable because of his decision to allow nuclear waste storage at Nevada's Yucca Mountain site, acknowledged Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada. But he predicted that the president, who has enjoyed a slight lead in Nevada, will win the state.

New Mexico, a state Vice President Al Gore won by 366 votes in 2000, appears headed for another nail-biter of an election this year. Polls suggest the two candidates are in a statistical tie, and party officials say the contest will come down to which side gets out its base to vote.

Billy Sparks, spokesman for New Mexico's Democratic governor, Bill Richardson, said Richardson was encouraged by the registration of nearly 50,000 new Hispanic voters in the state. "It's definitely a dead heat, very close. So, the attention has turned to which side has the better ground game," said Sparks, adding that the campaign is "literally door-to-door" in the final stretch.

In Colorado, Republicans have enjoyed a registration boom, with a 180,000-voter advantage over Democrats. But the state's large bloc of Independents -- representing about a third of 2.7 million voters in the state, Provizer said -- puts any statewide race in flux. Further, an aggressive voter registration effort has brought many new voters into the mix; a Denver Post survey concluded the state has 300,000 new voters -- more than a third of the 883,748 votes Bush got in 2000.

Ralph Nader's presence on the ballot could also affect the outcome. In 2000, the then-Green Party candidate garnered 91,434 votes, about 5 percent of the total. But Gore barely competed then for the state, a mistake Democrats said they won't make this year. Kerry has been to the state five times since June 21; his running mate, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, courted voters at a town meeting in Commerce City last week. Bush held a rally in Colorado in September and came back for a two-day visit last week.

But while Kerry supporters are thrilled at the possibility the Democrat could score a coup in Colorado, they seem less excited about the candidate himself. Globe interviews with a variety of voters show a state divided between fervent Bush supporters and Kerry voters who are largely motivated by a desire to oust the Republican president.

"I'll vote for John Kerry and Ken Salazar and anybody who's not a Republican," said Eric Martinez, a 41-year-old computer repairman in Pueblo. "I think we were lied to by this guy [when] he took us to war. As a veteran, to see young boys out there dying for oil -- that's wrong."

Danny Elster, 30, and a musician in Adams County near Denver, said he is unhappy with Bush's record on healthcare and hopes Kerry will offer something better.

Christi Romero Roseth, a 37-year-old social worker in Denver, faulted Bush on education, which she said is critical to keeping families off welfare.

Kerry-Edwards signs abound in Denver, and anti-Bush displays -- such as a woman's pink slip attached to a sign saying "Pink-Slip Bush" -- are common in the city. But in rural areas and in conservative strongholds like Colorado Springs, Bush supporters are passionately devoted to their candidate, citing the president's strong faith and his approach to terrorism.

"I feel safer" with Bush, said Goldie Fishbein, 49, of Centennial. "I don't want to change midstream."

Matt Koen, 26, of Pueblo said he appreciated Bush's religiosity. "Who's going to live up to what God's purposes are and with what we believe?" he said.

Steve Haro, Kerry's Colorado spokesman, said the fact that Bush has to ask for votes in the Rocky Mountain State is a success for Democrats.

"In many ways, the Colorado campaign has already won, because we have forced Republicans to compete in a state they never anticipated," he said.

Previous articles in thisseries can be found at www.boston.com/politics.

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Grand Junction Sentinel
October 19, 2004

Promises and manipulation

Michael C. Bender

Daily Sentinel

President George Bush manipulates science to fit his political goals and promises “more of the same’ on failed domestic policy, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, told a Grand Junction crowd on Monday.

“It´s not just environmental issues, its a number of issues where they´ve manipulated the science,’ Edwards said. “They want to allow their friends to do whatever their friends want to do so they just change the science.’

Edwards, whose husband is a U.S. senator from North Carolina, said the Bush administration has ignored “sound science’ on environmental and medical issues and instead “manipulated science’ to allow for the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada and to suggest a link between abortions and breast cancer in women.

Edwards answered 13 questions during a 75-minute town hall meeting held Monday at Liff Auditorium at Mesa State College.

More than 500 people packed the auditorium, as about two-dozen Bush supporters demonstrated outside.

The questions for Edwards, a former attorney and mother of three, ranged from the war in Iraq to education, health care, same-sex marriage and advice on how to convince a Bush supporter to instead vote for Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

“In terms of security, the current administration has not taken the steps they need to take,’ Edwards said. “When I try to talk to people, though, who say their lives are better now that they were four years ago, they´re hard to convince.’

Edwards was interrupted six times by audience applause and several other times elicited laughs from the crowd.

“Thanks for trying,’ Edwards told a mother guiding two young girls out of the meeting after about 20 minutes. “I have a couple small children myself and I applaud you for even trying.’

Edwards, who left Grand Junction on Monday evening for a similar town hall meeting today in Florida, said her 21-year-old daughter was in Iowa on Monday campaigning while her husband was stumping in Pennslyvania.

“I grew up in a military family, so I´m used to having someone gone doing something important,’ she said. “And I´m concerned about military families today who have loved ones on long deployments in Iraq. So I just refuse to complain about (campaigning).’

After the meeting, Edwards told reporters she was troubled by the Republican backlash over comments made by her husband and Kerry about Mary Cheney´s sexual orientation.

“What´s disturbing is how this has distracts the American public from what´s important,’ she said. “If that´s the discussion, it means real issues are being glossed over. The focus should be on the issues.’

Michael C. Bender can be reached via e-mail at mbender@gjds.com.

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Las Vegas SUN
October 18, 2004

President's daughters make campaign stop in southern Nevada

Associated Press

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) - President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, opened a discussion about their father's leadership and the role women play in his administration during a campaign stop Monday in southern Nevada.

"The key point was the trustworthiness of the president," said Nevada Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, a Republican who served as moderator for an hour-long "W Stands for Women" panel.

The twins and President Bush's sister, Dorothy Bush Koch, were joined on the panel by the administration's domestic policy adviser, Margaret Spellings, Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey and Nancy Brinker, former ambassador to Hungary.

"The president has proven himself," Hunt said. "He's consistent, steady and he doesn't deviate from his strategy and beliefs."

State Democratic party spokesman Jon Summers called the president "consistently wrong" on issues important to Nevada, including the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and health care.

Monday's event focusing on women's issues drew about 70 people to a recreation center in Henderson, said Tracey Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokeswoman.

After the stop, the panelists headed to Beaverton, Ore., for a similar event.

On the Net:
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com
Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com

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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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