Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid hasn’t left office yet, but one of his signature achievements — keeping the nation’s radioactive nuclear waste from being stored in his home state of Nevada — is already showing signs of decay.
A congressional delegation spent Thursday touring Yucca Mountain, suggesting there may be new life for the proposed nuclear-waste disposal facility located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a facility that was mothballed by President Obama in 2010 after being blocked for years by Mr. Reid.
The 75-year-old Mr. Reid announced March 27 that he would retire instead of seeking a sixth term in 2016. With Mr. Obama leaving office at the same time, those who support — or at least want to consider — building the underground storage bunker are taking advantage of the looming power vacuum.
“We are at an odd time because with Reid looking at riding off into the sunset, this will embolden people who want to push for Yucca,” said University of Nevada Reno political science professor Eric Herzik. “Most of them will be outside the state, but once Reid’s gone, this state has little political clout.”
Leading the Yucca insurrection is Rep. John Shimkus, the Illinois Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy. His state is home to six nuclear power plants housing 11 of the nation’s 109 nuclear reactors.
“Our nation desperately needs to advance our nuclear waste strategy and Yucca Mountain is a part of the solution,” Mr. Shimkus said in a statement.
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There are even signs of movement within Nevada’s traditionally anti-Yucca congressional delegation. Freshman Rep. Cresent Hardy set off political Geiger counters with a March 22 editorial in the Las Vegas Review-Journal saying that “we should at least be up for an honest conversation.”
Mr. Hardy was one of six members of Congress participating in the daylong tour, as was fellow Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, who said in a statement that, “I do not believe it is a ’dead’ issue and think it is more likely the repository will eventually come to fruition through a sound scientific process over time.”
Their views come in stark contrast to those of other Nevada lawmakers, both Democrat and Republican. Not only have Silver State officials staunchly opposed building the waste repository at Yucca Mountain, they’ve largely followed the lead of former Attorney General Brian McKay, who insisted 30 years ago that negotiating over Yucca was tantamount to accepting it.
Polls have consistently shown that most Nevadans disapprove of the project, although a PMI survey released earlier this month indicates public opinion may be shifting. The auto-dial poll found that 55 percent were “open to discussions,” while 45 percent said Nevada should remain opposed.
A Las Vegas Review-Journal online poll, which is not scientific, asked readers, “Should Nevada should negotiate with Washington to open Yucca Mountain?” Nearly two-thirds agreed that, “Yes, the money’s worth it,” while 32 percent said, “No, never.”
“So make us an offer we can’t refuse, Washington,” said the Review-Journal in a March 29 editorial. “Everyone has a price. No one knows that more than members of Congress. Just to remember to say, ’Pretty please.’ We can always say no.”
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The issue is all but guaranteed to become a hot potato in the Senate race. So far the top Democratic prospect is former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who’s been endorsed by Mr. Reid, while a half-dozen Republicans are considering bids.
The choice of national Republicans is Gov. Brian Sandoval, who enjoys an impressive 70 percent approval rating, but has shown little interest in running for the open Senate seat.
The project’s foes raise alarms about the health and safety issues surrounding burying radioactive waste in the Nevada desert. After Mr. Hardy’s article appeared, Mr. Reid fired off a statement declaring that the Republican is “living in a world that doesn’t exist.”
“Opening the door to a nuclear dump Nevada is not something I will ever accept. Yucca Mountain is not ’an issue that long ago lost its middle,’” Mr. Reid said.
But Mr. Reid’s opponents counter that without Yucca Mountain or another remote site, the nation’s estimated 70,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel waste will remain where it is now: Stored underground and above ground at nuclear power plants that serve heavily populated urban areas like Chicago and New York City.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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