Yucca Mountain News Clips
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
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Las Vegas Review-Journal
October 20, 2004
Correction: An item in Sunday's This Week column contained an error. The Nevada Agency on Nuclear Projects meets at 11 a.m. Friday.
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Nevada Appeal
October 17, 2004
Bush better choice for president
Guy W. Farmer
Well, no one said it was going to be easy, and it isn't. But after following the major presidential candidates for several months and listening to their debates, I have decided to cast a very reluctant vote for President Bush; however, I hope he's learned some valuable lessons during his difficult reelection campaign against his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
I say "reluctant" because I strongly oppose the president's handling of the postwar situation in Iraq and his decision to turn our state into the nation's nuclear waste dump. If the Democrats had nominated a more moderate candidate, like Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut or even Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, I'd be voting against the president. But unfortunately, they chose an ultra-liberal U.S. senator whose public statements and 20-year Senate voting record define him as an unreconstructed 1960s anti-war pacifist - not the type of person who should be our commander-in-chief in the ongoing War On Terror, which trumps all other issues this year.
Sen. Kerry has contradicted himself so often on the campaign trail that it's virtually impossible to figure out where he stands on any given issue. His insistence that he has a single, consistent position on Iraq is a national joke. After all, this is a consistently inconsistent politician who supported the invasion of Iraq but opposed funding to pay for vital equipment our soldiers needed to fight that war. "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it." Remember that one? And even though Kerry has been talking tough as of late, he's still squishy soft on defense and national security issues, something we simply can't afford in a post-9/11 world when Islamic extremists are trying to kill as many American "infidels" as possible.
I give Kerry credit for his heroic service in Vietnam, but condemn his behavior after he returned home to accuse his fellow servicemen of torching villages and killing babies. On the other hand, President Bush's National Guard service was something less than stellar, and I hope he's smarter than he appeared to be in the debates. But he's been a strong and decisive commander-in-chief in the War on Terror, and that makes all the difference to me. If you're focused on domestic issues, however, you'll vote for Kerry, and I don't blame you. May the best man win on Nov. 2.
U.S. SENATE: Even though I don't buy our senior senator's depiction of himself as shy, modest Harry "Pinky" Reid from tiny Searchlight, Nev., I support him for reelection to the Senate, where he has represented us well and fought effectively against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. As the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, Reid is a powerful force in Washington. By contrast his opponent, Las Vegas Republican Richard Ziser, is best known for promoting an irrelevant initiative petition against same-sex marriage. The choice is clear.
CONGRESS: Rep. Jim Gibbons, a Reno Republican, is a strong congressional advocate for Northern Nevada with an admirable record on defense and national security issues. His Democratic opponent, Angie Cochran of Pahrump, didn't even bother to campaign and deserves to be ignored by the voters.
MAYOR: I'm not going to endorse either candidate because I can't in good conscience choose between incumbent Mayor Ray Masayko and ex-Mayor Marv Teixeira. I've known Teixeira since the mid-1960s, when we were rival Little League baseball coaches. He's an opinionated and decisive person who served two productive terms as mayor. For his part, Mayor Masayko is a conscientious, hard-working politician who serves his constituents well. Ex-Mayor Marv or Mayor Ray, take your pick. Again, may the best man win. For City Supervisor, incumbent Shelly Aldean deserves reelection over challenger Becky Beisenstein.
STATE ASSEMBLY, District 40: Although I like first-term Assemblyman Ron Knecht personally, I don't like his politics nearly as much. Was he a member of the Fearless 15, as he says, or the Mean 15? It depends upon your point of view. All things considered, I support former Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell, who proved to be a knowledgeable and independent voice for Carson City during her two terms in the State Legislature. In other statewide races, district judges Jim Hardesty of Reno and Ron Parraguirre of Las Vegas are my choices for vacant seats on the Nevada Supreme Court.
BALLOT INITIATIVES: If you love trial attorneys and want them to make more money, you'll vote "No" on Question 3 and "Yes" on Questions 4 and 5. If, however, you sympathize with doctors who are being driven out of Nevada by high malpractice insurance premiums, you'll join me in voting "Yes" on 3 and "No" on 4 and 5. On the education initiatives, I'm voting "Yes" on Question 1 - co-sponsored by Congressman Gibbons and his Assemblywoman/wife Dawn - which would fund education first, and "No" on Question 2, which would require Nevada to fund education at the national average. That's just bad public policy.
And there you have it. If you agree with me, fine, but if you don't I hope you'll go to the polls and cancel out my votes. After all, that's the American way of politics.
Guy W. Farmer, a semi-retired journalist and former U.S. diplomat, will be working the polls at the Carson Mall on Nov. 2. He hopes to see you there.
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Guardian
October 20, 2004
Surrogates Take to Airwaves for Kerry
Wednesday October 20, 2004 10:16 AM
By Liz Sidoti
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Sen. Harry Reid says in a TV ad in his state that ``Nevada needs John Kerry as president to protect all our families.'' In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell plugs the Democrat's candidacy in a commercial. In Florida, Sen. Bob Graham has vouched for Kerry in a spot in his home state.
In the campaign homestretch, and in some of the most competitive states in the presidential race, Massachusetts Sen. Kerry is turning to ads that feature high-profile hometown surrogates singing his praises.
Kerry used the same strategy during the Democratic primaries, and it is credited with helping him to come-from-behind victories in Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primary. Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, a popular personality there, and former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen vouched for Kerry in TV commercials in their states.
There's no research on the effectiveness of such endorsement ads, but the campaigns hope voters - especially the undecided ones - will follow the urgings of their favorite hometown sons or daughters.
Some political analysts say Kerry's testimonial ads could tip the race his way in close states because the appeal is more personal. Still, they warn that campaigns must carefully choose their surrogates since all are not well loved by everyone.
William Benoit, who analyzes political ads at the University of Missouri-Columbia, said he doesn't think such ads change the minds of the masses. But, he added: ``In a battleground state in a very close race, it's conceivable that it would do the trick.''
So, Kerry has been on the air with such ads in a couple of the most hotly contested states - Nevada, Pennsylvania and Florida, among others. His campaign is tailoring its ad strategy to a larger degree than President Bush's campaign, choosing where certain commercials run and creating others for specific states.
In Nevada, Reid couples words of praise for Kerry with criticism of Bush's handling of the local Yucca Mountain controversy. ``For 20 years I've been leading the fight to stop the nuclear waste dump. I know who stood with our state and I know that George Bush broke his word as president, pushing ahead with a nuclear dump that's a danger to Nevadans.''
Graham, in an ad aired in Florida, criticizes Bush on issues important to the state's large retiree population. ``While George Bush and the Republicans in Congress have been in control, Medicare premiums have gone up 56 percent,'' Graham says. He also says Kerry would allow prescription drugs to be imported from Canada.
Up north in Pennsylvania, Rendell holds up a copy of Kerry's plan and tells constituents ``I have a suggestion - read this book.'' The governor praises the Democrat's proposals for the middle class and claims: ``George Bush and the right-wing Republicans stand in the way.''
In an ad in West Virginia, Sen. Robert Byrd said: ``George Bush is no friend to West Virginia. Believe me. In the Bush White House, the working man is the forgotten man.''
But even the endorsement of a hero among West Virginia Democrats couldn't stop Kerry's sliding poll numbers there. The campaign has pulled its ads out of most media markets in the state. And even though the Democratic Party continues to advertise there, Kerry advisers privately acknowledge that their focus is elsewhere.
^---
On the Net:
Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com
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Lahontan Valley News
October 20, 2004
Reader doubts Bush will keep his promises
Editor:
George W. Bush recently promised that he will not reinstate the draft or weaken Social Security if he is re-elected. This sounds good, since these are extremely important issues, but he made a similar promise to all Nevadans regarding Yucca Mountain and promptly broke it as soon as he was elected in 2000.
His hand-picked Secretary of Energy, who made the recommendation to approve Yucca Mountain, is Spencer Abraham, the same man who wrote the original "Screw Nevada" bill. I devoutly hope that, if re-elected, Bush plans to keep his promises regarding the draft and Social Security, but I doubt he will any more than he has kept any of his other promises.
Jeanette Strong
Fallon
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Bradenton Herald
October 20, 2004
Growth in Nevada may help Democrats
Laura Kurtzman
Knight Ridder Newspapers
LAS VEGAS - In the four years since George W. Bush beat Al Gore by about 22,000 votes in Nevada, the state has added nearly 15 times that many people.
Many are thought to be blue-collar workers drawn by Las Vegas' thriving tourist industry, and as much as anything in this unsettled political season, these newcomers are keeping Nevada and its five electoral votes in play.
Bush won the state by 4 percentage points in 2000 and Republicans swept all six statewide offices two years later.
But as the nation's fastest-growing state, Nevada is beset by growth-related problems - from too few schools to inadequate health care - that could make the state ever more friendly to the Democrats.
Nevada grew by a phenomenal 70 percent from 1990 to 2000.
"Demographically, what you find is people who might be more likely to identify with the Democratic Party," said David Damore, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
But he cautioned that the boom would help the Democrats only if they succeed in turning out their voters, an area where Republicans have always done better. "At the same time," he added, "I've never seen a year like this."
With many different groups signing up voters, Democrats have seen a bonanza in registration numbers.
Although they began the year at a numeric disadvantage, the Democrats pulled even with Republicans by August and are now slightly ahead, according to officials with both parties. The number of Democratic voters in Clark County, where Las Vegas is and where about 1.6 million of the state's 2.4 million people live, increased by 25 percent.
Polls show the Nevada race remains tight. A Mason-Dixon poll for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Review-Journal.com done in mid-September found Bush leading Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry 50 percent to 45 percent among likely voters in the state. The margin of error was 4 percentage points. Four other polls, all done before the first debate between Bush and Kerry on Sept. 30, also had Bush in the lead, with margins ranging from 2 to 9 percentage points.
Some analysts are surprised to find that Bush needs to fight for the state. Nevada's booming economy, as evidenced by the construction cranes that rise above the Las Vegas strip, should be good news for the president.
But his decision to allow the nation's nuclear waste to be stored at an underground repository in Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, appears to have hurt him with some voters.
Republicans also are heartened by the presence of independent candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot, although he's barely registered in the polls.
Democrats, however, may have other reasons to hope for victory.
A ballot measure to raise the minimum wage and a hot race in the 3rd congressional district, which includes the southern portion of Las Vegas, are expected to bring Democrats to the polls.
An occasional series spotlighting key states in this year's election.
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Pittsburgh Post Gazette
October 20, 2004
Bush vs. Kerry: Energized over energy
Pocketbook issues in the presidential election
By Elwin Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One of President Bush's first initiatives upon assuming office nearly four years ago was the creation of a national energy policy. But a task force that was chaired by Vice President Dick Cheney, met behind closed doors and solicited input from major energy companies met with controversy, stalling action on an energy bill.
Now, with oil and gasoline prices soaring and natural gas prices following suit, energy is back on the front burner of this year's presidential race. And it is noteworthy that, all rhetoric aside, both the president and Democratic challenger John F. Kerry share some common ground.
Both tout energy independence and agree on some of the ways to achieve that; both want to build an Alaska natural gas pipeline; both want to provide tax credits for buying more fuel-efficient cars; and both want to foster greater use of clean-coal technology, building on government research that has focused on ways to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.
But when it comes to the dominant energy issue -- oil: how to get more of it, how to make better use of it and how to pay less for it -- the two sides' differences could not be clearer.
Bush wants to get more oil by drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a wilderness preserve in northeastern Alaska spanning 19,000,000 acres -- the approximate size of South Carolina. He says that the drilling could yield 1 million barrels of oil a day for 20 years, from a 2,000-acre site.
Kerry opposes the drilling, both on environmental grounds and on the grounds that it will be ineffective. He and his supporters say that it may take 10 years for the drilling to produce any oil, and that even then, the output would represent only a six-month supply. "There is no way for us to drill our way out of this crisis," Kerry has said. "We have to invent our way out of it."
Indeed, both candidates promote innovation to varying degrees when discussing energy ways to improve the efficiency of America's motor vehicles. Kerry emphasizes the need to develop new automotive energy sources, such as hydrogen.
"Hydrogen has the potential to power our cars without pollution," Kerry said in an interview with AAA. He said he would jump-start the marketplace by fueling 50,000 federal government cars and trucks with non-petroleum fuels by 2010.
Bush hasn't committed the federal fleet, but he does want to provide $1.7 billion over five years for the development of alternative fuel technologies, including hydrogen and fuel cells.
But while the country waits for alternative fuel sources, cars and light trucks continue to consume 40 percent of the oil used in the United States. Kerry has said that he would reduce that usage by raising the government's fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars to an average 36 miles per gallon combined city-highway by 2015, up from 27.5 mpg now.
But that would not affect the legion of sport utility vehicles on America's roads. They are classified as light trucks, and therefore have a less-stringent requirement -- 20.7 mpg. The Bush administration last year approved an increase to 22.2 mpg for light trucks by 2007, a change it estimates will save about 1 billion barrels of gasoline over a 10-year period.
Both Bush and Kerry favor construction of a pipeline to funnel natural gas from Alaska to the lower 48 states. While crude oil prices are nearly double their level when Bush first took office, from just below $28 to more than $54 at the end of last week, the price of natural gas has been spottier, plunging during the 2001 recession but spiking in 2003 and in recent months..
Regardless of who is elected, expect your heating bill to go up this winter. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that Americans will spend 15 percent this year on heating than they did last year.
The candidates also agree on the need for nuclear power, although Kerry has not been as vocal about is as Bush has. The administration has pushed China to consider Westinghouse Electric Co. technology as that country weighs adding more nuclear power to meet soaring energy needs.
The two differ greatly on what to do with nuclear waste. The Energy Department under Bush has recommended that the country begin storing waste from the nation's nuclear plants in an underground facility in Yucca Mountain, Nev., a site that is part of a former nuclear weapons testing area. Kerry has been vocal in his opposition to the move, in part because getting the waste to the Nevada site would require transport through many of the country's most densely populated areas.
(Elwin Green can be reached at egreen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1969.)
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Pahrump Valley Times
October 20, 2004
Anti-Yucca meeting Thursday
PVT
The grassroots environmental group Citizen Alert is hosting a series of town hall meetings in 25 Nevada communities as part of a "Back to Our Routes" tour. The presentations are a forum to remind Nevadans that the use of Yucca Mountain as a repository for nuclear waste can still be prevented. Attendees will receive up-to-date information and materials they can use to contest the Yucca Mountain project.
Citizen Alert will provide advocacy training, teaching attendees how to get involved and how to influence their elected officials.
Citizen Alert will be at the Bob Ruud Community Center from 6-8 p.m. Thursday.
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Pahrump Valley Times
October 20, 2004
Meet candidates Friday night inside Saddle West Showroom
PVT-Sponsored Election Event will Feature Candidates on National, State, Local Levels
By Doug McMurdo
PVT
With less than two weeks remaining until Election Day, Friday evening at the Saddle West Hotel and Casino might present the last best chance for voters to hear from candidates - ranging from the presidency of the United States to the Pahrump Town Board.
Sponsored by the Pahrump Valley Times and moderated by local icon Tim Hafen, the event will kick off at 6 p.m. in the casino showroom.
The format will be as follows: candidates or their representatives will be given two to three minutes to present their platforms to the audience. The number of speakers would determine the time allotted.
Out-of-town candidates - including representatives of President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican challenger Richard Ziser - will speak first so be certain to get there at the beginning, especially if your voting decisions are still up in the air.
Questions from the audience will be taken following each candidate's brief presentation.
Those who have questions for candidates will be asked to put them in writing during the event - or you can do so at home beforehand - and submit them to the nearest PVT staff member.
To give your question the best chance of being asked, be certain the topic it addresses is relevant to the office. In other words, don't ask Paul Adams of the Bush campaign why your road hasn't been paved or Reid why your property has been zoned as it has. Conversely, don't ask a town board candidate about the war in Iraq or the Yucca Mountain project; don't ask someone that seeks a seat on the county commission about school district policies.
Friday's event is open to any candidate, or his or her representative, for any office in which Nye County voters have a stake.
The newspaper will provide pens and pads to voters who wish to take notes.
Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet and hear from those that would lead this nation, this state, and the communities of Nye County in what has clearly become one of the most important elections - on many levels - in recent memory.
Expected candidates or their representatives include
President and vice presidency:
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, John Kerry and John Edwards;
United States Senate:
Harry Reid, Richard Ziser;
Representative in Congress, District Two:
Angie Cochran, Jim Gibbons;
State Central Senatorial District:
Kenneth Greenwell, Mike McGinness, Freddie L. Warman;
State Assembly, District 36:
Jackie Holmgren, Rod Sherer;
Nye County Commission, District I (Precincts 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 23, 35):
Midge Carver, Harley Kulkin;
Nye County Commission, District III (Precincts 9, 21, 25, 27:
Paula Elefante, Gary Hollis;
Supreme Court Justice, Seat A:
Jim Hardesty, Cynthia "Dianne" Steel;
Supreme Court Justice, Seat E:
John Mason, Ron Parraguirre;
Supreme Court Justice, Seat F:
Michael Douglas, Joel Frederick Hansen;
University Board of Regents:
Stan Alazzi, Dorothy Gallagher;
Nye County School trustee, Area IV:
John Espana, Tracie Ward;
Pahrump Town Board:
Ed Bishop, Jeff Bobeck, Laurayne Murray, and Chuck Patti.
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Public Citizen
Oct. 18, 2004
Bush Administration Fails to Effectively Fortify Nation´s Defenses Against Terrorism
Statement of Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook
Since the 9/11 attacks, President Bush has made protection of the American people from terrorism the rhetorical centerpiece of his presidency. He has continued to warn of terrorist attacks, and the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly raised the alert levels.
But are Americans safer today as a result of this administration´s efforts to fortify our key infrastructure against attacks? The answer is a resounding no. The White House says Americans are safer, but the rhetoric does not match the reality on the ground.
The polls show that this is an area Americans are deeply concerned about.
The fact is, while focusing most of its efforts on aviation security and overseas wars, this administration has failed to take the steps necessary to protect the public from potentially catastrophic attacks on chemical plants, nuclear reactors, seaports, hazardous materials transport and water systems. Prior to 9/11, these were highly vulnerable, high-impact targets – and they still are today.
Just 4 to 6 percent of the 8 million cargo containers that arrive at our ports every year are inspected. Millions of containers are loaded directly onto trucks and train cars that travel into our cities and into the heartland. Imagine the massive loss of life and the economic gridlock that would ensue if terrorists managed to smuggle a weapon of mass destruction into our ports. But this president – and his Republican Congress – have barely lifted a finger to secure the ports, which are $1 billion short of funding to make what the Coast Guard says are basic, needed improvements.
But the problem with this administration is much deeper than money.
Eighty-five percent of this country´s critical infrastructure lies in the hands of private business. Most corporations simply will not spend the money to secure the homeland unless the government creates standards and enforces those standards. This administration, which has filled the top levels of government with corporate CEOs, lobbyists and lawyers, simply does not want to regulate business – even when the safety and security of Americans is at stake.
Corporate lobbyists have worked to block new security initiatives needed to protect us from the gravest threats. These risks include toxic clouds from chemical plants that remain unsecured.
The administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission actually opposed legislation that would have required nuclear plants to withstand attacks comparable to 9/11, and the NRC is even proposing to weaken fire safety standards at nuclear reactors.
Security requirements for trucks that carry hazardous materials are ridiculously weak. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has conducted site visits with these carriers, it has hesitated to issue crucial standards, opposes electronic tracking systems, and has undermined the power of others to improve security.
In addition, the administration and Congress have failed to provide the funds needed just to assess the vulnerabilities of local drinking water systems.
This administration has worked hand-in-hand with corporate lobbyists. Maybe it´s because these industries we´re talking about have provided 30 of President Bush´s Rangers and Pioneers, his super fund-raisers. Maybe it´s because they have contributed almost $20 million to his campaigns, his inauguration committee and the Republican National Committee since the 2000 election cycle. Maybe it´s because they spent $200 million to lobby the White House and Congress.
Whether it is blind obedience to an anti-regulation ideology or simply cronyism with campaign financiers, or both – this president and this Congress are not getting the job done. The report we are releasing today outlines these failures and the money connections in great detail.
This tragic failure must be confronted if the United States is going to secure our highly vulnerable vital infrastructure against terrorism. Failure to do so will not only result in needless deaths and injuries but terrible disruption of our economy as well.
To read the report visit www.homelandunsecured.org.
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Environmental Media Services
OCTOBER 20, 2004
CONTACT: Jon Corsiglia, EWG Action Fund
(202) 667-6982, jon@ewg.org
Energy Dept. Records Show Wave of Nuclear Plant License Renewals
Ensures Decades of Storage at Reactor Sites
WASHINGTON - An Environmental Working Group Action Fund investigation of Department of Energy (DOE) records finds a surge in license renewals for nuclear reactors will add thousands of tons of high-level nuclear waste and prolong storage problems for decades at reactor dumpsites across the country.
Throughout the bitter 2002 debate over Congressional approval for the creation of a permanent storage site for the nation's vast accumulation of nuclear reactor waste, Energy Department officials and nuclear industry lobbyists repeatedly argued it was far better to consolidate lethal radioactive waste in one, permanent dumpsite in Nevada than to leave it stored at reactor dumpsites at more than 100 locations around the country.
In short, they said, communities could get rid of their waste.
According to DOE records, this claim now appears false, as the industry used the 2002 Senate approval as a license to expand. Yucca Mountain could not hold all the waste that will be generated under current operating licenses without significant expansion of its capacity. Even if expanded, the new waste will spend a decade cooling on-site before being shipped.
The EWG Action Fund report provides the only place communities can see the size of stockpiles that will be left near them whether or not the Yucca Mountain site is opened.
The investigation is embargoed until 6:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 20, 2004.
EWG Action Fund will be holding a briefing in Washington, DC for interested reporters and providing advance access to the report at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, October 20, 2004. Please contact EWG Action Fund (jon@ewg.org) for briefing details.
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NY Journal News
Underdogs challenge Engel
By Rebecca Baker Erwin
The Journal News
Matthew Brennan and Kevin Brawley face a tough fight against U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel.
The two underdogs are running in the 17th Congressional District, where Democrats outnumber all other parties by nearly 4 to 1 and where Engel, a Bronx Democrat, has won every race since 1988.
Engel also has raised $898,000 in contributions and spent more than $50,000 on mailings in the past three months, according to campaign-finance reports filed last week. Brennan, a New City Republican, and Brawley, a Bronx Conservative, have not raised the $5,000 minimum to file reports with the Federal Elections Commission.
But Brennan remains undaunted. The retired New York City police sergeant said he felt honored that his party chose him to take on the 16-year incumbent.
"I'm the better candidate," he said. "I'll bring integrity and common sense to Washington."
Brennan, 49, is a relative newcomer to politics — his first campaign was for Clarkstown Town Board last year. He is a security officer for Entergy, the company that owns the Indian Point nuclear power plants.
Brawley, 60, ran against Engel in 1992 and 1994 and ran for state Senate in 1996. He is a former securities troubleshooter on Wall Street. He could not be reached for comment.
Engel said if he were re-elected, he would continue to bring as much federal money as possible into the district, most of which is in the Bronx and Rockland. The district runs north along Westchester's southwestern riverbank and crosses the Hudson at the Tappan Zee Bridge to take in the southern half of Rockland County.
"We need to get our fiscal house in order and start moving toward a balance budget," he said. "We're sticking our kids and grandkids with the bill."
Engel, a member of the House health care subcommittee, said he would call for hearings on the shortage of the flu vaccine, which is mostly produced overseas.
"How did we end up outsourcing the flu vaccine?" he asked. Something is wrong. We need to get to the bottom of it."
Engel, a former New York City public school teacher and guidance counselor, said he would continue to fight for affordable prescription-drug coverage for senior citizens, health-care coverage for working-class families and increased funding for education and homeland security for New York.
Brennan, meanwhile, criticized Engel for not advocating the Yucca Mountain Project, a planned federal repository in Nevada for nuclear waste. The project would take spent nuclear fuel from about 100 nuclear plants around the country, including Indian Point.
Brennan said Engel had ignored the issue, even though he was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "In four years of press releases, he's said absolutely nothing," Brennan said.
Joe O'Brien, Engel's spokesman, said the Bush administration controlled the progress of Yucca Mountain, but said Engel had supported the Department of Energy's budget requests over the years.
Brennan said he would introduce legislation where volunteers of all ages would be eligible for the G.I. Bill if they served two years assisting U.S. border patrol or customs agents.
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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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