Eureka County, Nevada is an affected unit of local government under Section 116 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended.

In letters to you dated May 21, 2001, and September 28, 2001, we requested a full hearing on site consideration to be held in Crescent Valley, Nevada.

We recently learned that the Department of Energy has scheduled 29 "public hearing sessions" including two in Crescent Valley. While we appreciate that DOE is willing to come to rural Nevada counties to collect input from the public on the Yucca Mountain project, we are shocked by the short notice provided.

You may be aware (we previously informed your contractor) that the Eureka County Board of Commissioners is meeting on Friday, October 5 at the county seat in Eureka, 124 miles away. Due to this conflict, and the short lead time for getting the word out, we do not anticipate a turnout at the October 5 field hearing, and our county officials will be unable to attend or participate. We expect to attend the October 10 meeting, and are encouraging Eureka County residents to participate at that hearing.

At the Draft EIS hearing, an overflow crowd turned out in Crescent Valley to comment on that document. Those residents are still waiting to read the Final EIS and the comment response document, to understand how DOE responded to their comments. Without the release of the Final EIS or the actual site recommendation, we believe these hearings are premature. After DOE issues the Final EIS and site recommendation if forthcoming, we request a full public hearing in Crescent Valley.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Leonard J. Fiorenzi
Program Director

cc: AULGs
Congressional delegation
Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office
Abby Johnson, Eureka County
Vicki Drenon, Crescent Valley Town Center