January
January 31, 2002 -- -- Yucca stigma will hit economy -- Las Vegas' economy will be hobbled almost immediately if the federal government designates Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository, according to a study released Wednesday -- Las Vegas Sun (Another Story - NWTRB)
January 30, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Scientists hear state's objections -- Site's geology is unsuitable, consultant says -- PAHRUMP -- Speaking before a panel that last week criticized some of the science used in the Yucca Mountain Project, a state consultant said Tuesday that Nevada disapproves of burying nuclear waste in the mountain because the site alone will not isolate it - Las Vegas Review Journal (Related Story)
January 29, 2002 -- Letter to Congress RE: A Report by the Department of Energy’s Inspector General, which exposes apparent conflicts of interest within the Yucca Mountain Project -- Public Citizen
January 29, 2002 -- Nevada lawmakers weigh in on Yucca Mountain nuclear dump -- CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A legislative panel studying a proposed federal dump for nuclear waste voted 7-1 Tuesday to back Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to veto the Nevada site. Panel members also said federal Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham used scare tactics by raising the specter of terrorism in recommending Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the dump site.
January 29, 2002 -- Mayor reports mixed success on anti-Yucca efforts
Goodman says he did raise interest when he talked about real estate values along routes -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Monday he had mixed success in convincing his fellow mayors to oppose the shipment of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, but vowed to continue his high-decibel attacks on the project - Las Vegas Review Journal
January 28, 2002 -- Four-year experiment on Yucca Mountain rock temperatures concludes Government scientists this month switched off the electric rods they had used for more than four years to heat up rock deep inside Yucca Mountain to temperatures hot enough to cook a pizza -- Las Vegas Review Journal
January 27, 2002 -- Letter: State will exhaust all legal avenues -- including constitutional ones -- I must take serious exception to your Jan. 13 editorial, "The dog that hasn't barked," which suggests Nevada politicians are not pursuing every legal avenue available to defeat the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The editorial asks why Nevada's leadership has not, as yet, initiated a 10th Amendment lawsuit against the proposed dump - By FRANKIE SUE DEL PAPA, Attorney General, State of Nevada (The Letter was published in the Las Vegas Review Journal)
January 24, 2001 -- Letter to Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham from Governor Guinn re: Intent to recommend to President Bush approval of Yucca Mountain -- State of Nevada
January 24, 2002 -- Goodman files Yucca petition in Washington -- WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's recommendation to build a high-level nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain will cause "immediate and irreparable harm" to Las Vegas, the city charged in a court documents filed in federal court today. (Related Story) (Another Related Story) (And Another Related Story)
January 22, 2002 -- Yucca tops lawmakers' agenda WASHINGTON - Perhaps no single issue has dominated the attention of Nevada lawmakers in Congress in the past 20 years more than Yucca Mountain -- By Benjamin Grove (Las Vegas Sun)
January 22, 2002 -- Alaska GOP rep wary of nuclear traffic Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said Monday that he is concerned about using the rails and roads to bring the waste to the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas -- By Launce Rake (Las Vegas Sun)
January 22, 2002 -- GOP congressman to rethink Yucca stance The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure told state officials Monday he will reconsider his support of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository -- By Michael Squires (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 19, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain: Ex-parliamentarian hired Robert Dove to provide advice on nuclear issues -- By Tony Batt (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 19, 2002 -- Report critical of groundwater monitoring plan Environmental group says public won't get adequate warning of pollution from test site -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 18, 2002 -- Abraham: Bush yet to decide on dump Energy secretary says he will continue to work with Nevada's elected officials -- By Tony Batt (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 18, 2002 -- Analysis: Partisan politics could hurt efforts to halt Yucca Democratic and Republican elected leaders may stand united on the surface in their opposition to Yucca Mountain, but a growing partisan undercurrent in the fight threatens to disrupt that harmony and cause embarrassment to some of those leading the charge -- By Jeff German (Las Vegas Sun)
January 18, 2002 -- Study attacks DOE monitoring of radioactive water The Department of Energy is failing to monitor ground water contaminated with radiation as a result of underground nuclear experiments, according to a study released Thursday -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 18, 2002 -- Abraham asked to recuse himself Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, is urging Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to recuse himself from a decision on a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain because the secretary has taken campaign contributions from the nuclear industry -- Las Vegas Sun
January 17, 2002 -- Berkley urges anti-Yucca campaign Berkley on Wednesday posted on her Web site a sample letter to President Bush and urged Nevadans to make use of it in a letter-writing campaign opposing the proposed nuclear waste repository -- Las Vegas Review-Journal
January 17, 2002 -- Councilman says Nevadans have paid their nuclear dues Las Vegas Councilman Gary Reese offered a unique perspective to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's decision to recommend Yucca Mountain as the burial ground for 77,000 tons of the nation's nuclear waste -- By Diana Sahagun (Las Vegas Sun)
January 16, 2002 -- Reid pushes nuke waste option Technology may offer alternative to Yucca project -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 15, 2002 -- What Nevadans Think: Poll: Press Yucca fight Nevada's opposition to a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is as strong in 2002 as it was in 1990, three years after Congress singled out the state as the only site to study placement of the nation's highest-level nuclear waste, a new poll shows -- By Jane Ann Morrison (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 15, 2002 -- State is geared for years of opposition Nevada leaders plan delaying tactics, suits over the long haul -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 15, 2002 -- Local officials clash with Sununu on Yucca Top local officials and a leading nuclear industry lobbyist are clashing over the effect of Yucca Mountain on national security -- By Jeff German (Las Vegas Sun)
January 15, 2002 -- Reid, Ensign reiterate bipartisan opposition Sununu reacts to criticism from senators -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 15, 2002 -- Herrera backs Guinn, raps Porter on dump issue Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera on Monday rejected suggestions by Nevada Democratic officials that Gov. Kenny Guinn has been ineffective in the fight against storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, and said he doesn't think the issue should become a partisan one -- By Jan Moller (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 15, 2002 -- Berkley: Terrorism used to justify dump WASHINGTON - Terrorism is being used as an excuse by the Bush administration to justify placing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Rep. Shelley Berkley said Monday -- By Tony Batt (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 15, 2002 -- Federal study OKs nuclear waste dump in Utah SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a final environmental study that sanctions a plan to store highly radioactive nuclear waste in Utah's Skull Valley -- Associated Press (Las Vegas Sun)
January 14, 2002 -- Nevada lacks clout to stop dump WASHINGTON - If President Bush endorses the plan to bury nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and Gov. Kenny Guinn files an official objection as expected, both the House and Senate likely would have the votes to override the Nevada objection -- By Benjamin Grove (Las Vegas Sun)
January 14, 2002 -- Sununu says he is not calling for boycott Yucca Mountain lobbyist warns Nevada that tourism might suffer -- By Benjamin Grove and Jeff German (Las Vegas Sun)
January 14, 2002 -- Letter urges Bush to bounce Yucca Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera were sending a letter today to President Bush urging him to reject Yucca Mountain as the site of the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump -- By Jeff German (Las Vegas Sun)
January 13, 2002 -- Yucca decision attracts attention In Illinois, Idaho and South Carolina, news that the nation was one step closer to placing its nuclear waste in Nevada was received with a sense of salvation -- By Jane Ann Morrison (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 12, 2002 -- Inside Yucca Mountain: Time is necessary tool for researchers, but a precious commodity for the state YUCCA MOUNTAIN — Scientists working in Alcove Five deep inside this sagebrush covered ridge in the southern Nevada desert will finish on Monday the first half of an eight-year experiment to see how rocks and water react to temperature changes -- By Don Cox (Reno Gazette-Journal)
January 12, 2002 -- Dump opposition spurs diverse groups to join forces An unprecedented coalition of Indian tribes, business groups, environmental activists and consumer advocates is preparing to fight the Yucca Mountain nuclear dump plan with lobbyists, lawsuits, demonstrations, and public education -- By Frank X. Mullen Jr. (Reno Gazette-Journal)
January 12, 2002 -- Yucca opposition to focus on legal challenges, education State spending millions to fight repository -- By Sean Whaley (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 12, 2001 -- North-South battle looms Debate over whether to send tons of radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain through Reno or Las Vegas could divide and weaken Nevada in its battle against becoming the nation’s nuclear dumpsite, a state consultant said Friday -- By Lenita Powers (Reno Gazette-Journal)
January 12, 2002 -- Yucca Debate: Sununu: Nation is watching Nevada would be wise to remember that other states have a major stake in the Yucca Mountain debate, a pro-repository lobbyist warned Friday -- By Dave Berns (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 11, 2002 -- NUCLEAR WASTE: ABRAHAM BACKS DUMP Guinn says fight to stop repository will proceed -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 11, 2002 -- It's Yuck-a: Nevadans upset, plan fight against Abraham decision Nevada political, business, labor and community leaders expressed dismay Thursday at Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's recommendation to make Yucca Mountain the site of the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump, and are mobilizing to fight the decision -- By Jeff German (Las Vegas Sun)
January 11, 2002 -- Nuke companies have a lot to gain WASHINGTON - Nuclear power companies may see noticeable long-term stock gains after Thursday's announcement by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham that Yucca Mountain is "scientifically sound and suitable" for a national nuclear waste dump, analysts said -- By Benjamin Grove (Las Vegas Sun)
January 11, 2002 -- Environmentalists are ready to battle Environmental groups say they will launch attacks on a number of fronts in their fight against a proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 11, 2002 -- A Community Divided Amargosa Valley residents split on Yucca decision -- By J.M. Kalil (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 11, 2002 -- Yucca neighbors say lawsuits coming over nuclear dump decision LAS VEGAS — The farmers and ranchers who can see Yucca Mountain from their fields in Amargosa Valley said Thursday they will keep fighting plans to store nuclear waste there -- Don Cox (Reno Gazette-Journal)
January 11, 2002 -- Nevada Site Urged for Nuclear Dump WASHINGTON — After spending 14 years and $4.5 billion on studies, the Energy Department said today that it would recommend that Yucca Mountain, a barren volcanic structure about 90 miles from Las Vegas, be used to bury thousands of tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste from power plants and nuclear weapons factories -- By Matthew L. Wald (New York Times)
January 11, 2002 -- Battle looms over Nevada N-dump Yucca Mountain was singled out in 1987 The US Energy Department has given the go-ahead for a controversial nuclear waste dump in the Nevada desert -- BBC News
January 10, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain Chronology A chronology on development of a national nuclear waste repository -- Las Vegas Sun
January 10, 2002 -- Energy Secretary recommends Nevada for nuclear waste dump Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommended Yucca Mountain today as "scientifically sound and suitable" as a place to bury 77,000 tons of nuclear waste, the first official step toward a national repository -- By Mary Manning and Benjamin Grove (Las Vegas Sun)
January 10, 2002 -- Nevadans brace for Yucca decision Nevada officials are bracing for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to tell them that he will recommend to President Bush that Yucca Mountain is a suitable place to bury nuclear waste -- By Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 10, 2002 -- Nevada Picked for Nuclear Waste Site WASHINGTON - Addressing the most troubling issue facing the nuclear industry, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on Thursday chose Yucca Mountain in Nevada to be the nation's burial site for thousands of tons of nuclear waste -- Las Vegas Sun
January 10, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain: Decision on dump imminent Nevada officials were preparing Wednesday for the possibility Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham would reveal today that he favors turning Yucca Mountain into the nation's nuclear waste repository, but acknowledged they had no first-hand information he would do so -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 10, 2002 -- Web site announces nuke dump decision A pro-nuclear dump Web site reported Wednesday that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham was ready to recommend Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the site for a high-level nuclear waste repository -- by staff and wire reports (Nevada Appeal)
January 10, 2002 -- Yucca to Get Green Light After two decades of study and years of political infighting, the federal government appears ready, as soon as Thursday, to give the green light to opening the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility in Nevada, sources tell Tech Central Station -- By Duane D. Freese (Tech Central Station)
January 10, 2002 -- Yucca managers getting ready for next phase WASHINGTON - Yucca Mountain Project managers are forming a new strategy to guide finances, schedules and research in the event the Bush administration recommends the Nevada site for a nuclear waste repository, an executive said Wednesday at a nuclear industry conference -- By Steve Tetreault (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 09, 2002 -- Las Vegas prepared to sue if waste set for Yucca The city of Las Vegas stands ready to file a racketeering lawsuit against the federal government if Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommends Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository -- By Diana Sahagun (Las Vegas Sun)
January 09, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain questions won't affect site decision Unanswered scientific questions about plans to entomb nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain won't affect a decision by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on recommending the site for a repository, a Department of Energy official said Tuesday -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 09, 2002 -- Yucca seen as a key to avert terror Task force proposes plans in preparing for future attacks -- By Laura Meckler, Associated Press (Las Vegas Sun)
January 08, 2002 -- Guinn told decision on Yucca near Gov. Kenny Guinn said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told him Monday that a decision was "imminent" on whether to recommend Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository, but Abraham said he had not set a deadline -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, center, climbs to the peak of Yucca Mountain along with Lake Barrett, left, director of DOE's OCRWM, Monday in Mercury, Nev. (AP photo)
January 08, 2002 -- Nuclear Issues: Abraham completes promised tour Energy secretary set to decide on Yucca Mountain waste repository -- By Keith Rogers and Jane Ann Morrison (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 07, 2002 -- ,Energy secretary says he’s ready to decide on nuclear dump Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham emerged from the tunnel at a proposed national nuclear waste dump Monday, declaring himself ready to make a decision about whether radioactive waste can be stored there safely -- Associated Press (Reno Gazette-Journal)
January 07, 2002 -- Nevada officials brace for Abraham visit Energy secretary making his first trip to Yucca Mountain -- By Mary Manning (Las Vegas Sun)
January 07, 2002 -- Reports dispute test site safety Two newly released views call DOE's plan for monitoring of groundwater inadequate -- By Keith Rogers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 05, 2002 -- Abraham to witness mock attack, experiments WASHINGTON - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham will witness a mock terrorist attack at the Nevada Test Site and examine experiments being conducted at Yucca Mountain during a visit Monday to the two energy facilities in Nevada -- By Steve Tetreault (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
January 04, 2002 -- Ridge, Abraham won't get similar treatment in visits WASHINGTON - Nevada officials plan to warmly welcome Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge next week for a tour of the Nevada Test Site, but they will turn a cold shoulder to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham -- By Benjamin Grove (Las Vegas Sun)
January 04, 2002 -- Nevada senators steer clear of Abraham visit WASHINGTON - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham plans to inspect Yucca Mountain on Monday as part of a visit to Nevada that is shaping up differently from when it was announced last month -- Las Vegas Review-Journal
January 03, 2002 -- Neveda Focus: No consensus in town near proposed nuclear dump AMARGOSA VALLEY, Nev. (AP) - They've argued for almost two decades on the farms, at the post office and at the VFW-American Legion post about the federal government's proposal to bury radioactive waste 15 miles up the road -- Associated Press (Las Vegas Sun)
February
February 28, 2002 -- DOE official tainted by bias, Berkley says -- WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., is joining critics who say a top Energy Department official has a conflict of interest with two corporations where he used to work. DOE Undersecretary Robert Card's former firms, CH2M Hill Corp. and Kaiser-Hill Corp., both have contracts with the department for radioactive waste cleanup projects in Colorado and Washington -- Las Vegas Sun.
February 28, 2002 -- Hydrologist says Nevada needs more water in exchange for dump --
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A hydrologist who has studied water issues at the Nevada Test Site and Yucca Mountain for more than two decades says the federal government owes the state more of what some consider the most valuable commodity in the West: water.
February 28, 2002 -- Yucca water rights at issue Sides expected to battle over permits -- "Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over," or so goes the quote widely attributed to 19th century author Mark Twain. Nevada officials would agree. They expect the Department of Energy to file a lawsuit when the state tries to shut off the wells that would allow the construction of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository -- Las Vegas Review Jouranl  -- The Department of Energy constructed this water tank 20 miles from Yucca Mountain in anticipation that the state will try and cut off water to the site when a permit expires on April 9.
February 27, 2002 -- Utah ready to officially join fight against nuke dump -- The eyes of the world just left Utah, but Nevada officials are hoping Congress takes notice of an anti-Yucca Mountain resolution moving through that state's Legislature.
A resolution -- which could pass the state Senate today -- urges the U.S. Congress to reject the Bush administration's recommendation to store the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sun
February 25, 2002 -- Guinn predicts more governors will oppose Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is alone among the nation's governors in his opposition to Yucca Mountain, Guinn said today at the National Governors Association's winter meeting - Las Vegas Sun
February 25, 2002 -- Governor sees little chance of stopping dump in Congress --  WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn on Sunday said Nevada's best chance of stopping nuclear waste from coming to Yucca Mountain might rest in the courts instead of Congress. Guinn, who is in the nation's capital to attend the annual conference of the National Governors Association, said he would veto "probably within the next 45 days" President Bush's Feb. 15 approval of Yucca Mountain as a repository for 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste -- By Tony Batt - Stephens Washington Bureau
February 24, 2002 -- Nevada undertakes effort to kill Yucca project in Congress -- Reid, Ensign analyze law, Senate rules for any advantage they can find in uphill battle -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials are scouring federal law and House and Senate rules, looking for cards to play in their efforts to kill the Yucca Mountain program when it reaches Congress later this year -- By Steve Tetreault Stephens Washington Bureau
February 24, 2002 -- Nuclear waste dump foes try to gather support from California cities -- SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Opponents of a proposed nuclear waste dump are trying to gather support from communities in California and 44 other states in the path of trucks and trains hauling radioactive materials to the site - AP
February 22, 2002 -- Poll cites nuclear waste as top concern -- Voters rate economy second most crucial issue -- Clark County voters cite nuclear waste as the most critical issue facing them, according to a new poll tied to the launch of a subscription news service. The poll of 550 registered voters was conducted by Downey Research for political strategist Terry Murphy's new endeavor, The Insighter. The Insighter is a twice-a-month newsletter and website aimed at the business community. When asked to rank the top issue, 26.8 percent selected nuclear waste. The economy was picked by 16 percent, growth by 14 percent and education by 10 percent -- Las Vegas Sun
February 22, 2002 -- Utah to consider resolution on Yucca -- The Utah Legislature will consider a joint resolution Monday opposing a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The resolution was introduced Feb. 4, before Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and President Bush approved the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas for the burial of 77,000 tons of commercial spent fuel and defense wastes. The resolution makes it clear that Congress should reject the president's recommendation -- Las Vegas Sun
February 20, 2002 -- 'Dump the Dump' campaign considered enlisting Clinton -- Former President Bill Clinton was one of several high-profile political figures recently considered by Nevada gaming bosses to serve as a well-paid lobbyist in the fight against a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Review Journal (Related Story -- Casinos to launch Yucca blitz -- Las Vegas Sun
February 19, 2002 -- Resort association to escalate anti-Yucca effort -- The casino industry's Carson City lobbying arm is set today to announce plans to significantly escalate its anti-Yucca Mountain political effort, four days after President Bush approved the opening of a nuclear waste repository at the isolated Southern Nevada site - Las Vegas Review Journal
February 18, 2002 -- Yucca strategy: Sue, stall --
State hopes legal battles will slow or kill project --Now that President Bush has approved a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nevada officials plan to stuff the courts with lawsuits, tying up the issue for as long as possible.
Although the state's ultimate goal is to block the repository, attorneys and officials admit that with the federal government's deeppockets and their own questionable legal grounds, Nevada's real court strategy is delay -- Las Vegas Sun (Related Story - Legislature has few options in 2003)
February 16, 2002  Sen. Harry Reid slams Bush for Yucca decision -- Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
 Bush OKs Yucca for nuke waste dump
Gov. Guinn will veto Bush's Yucca Mountain decision
Statement from Senator Ensign
February 16, 2002 -- Bury the Nation's Nuclear Waste in Nevada, Bush Says -- New York Times
February 16, 2002 --Nuclear Waste Repository: Bush backs Yucca plan -- Las Vegas Review Journal
February 15, 2002 -- Bush OKs Yucca for nuke waste dump --  President Bush approved Friday Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's strongly worded recommendation that a national nuclear waste dump be constructed at Yucca Mountain. Gov. Kenny Guinn vowed to veto the president's order and continue fighting the proposed repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "We are in the fight for our life," Guinn said. -- Las Vegas Sun
Presidential Letter to Congress
Statement by the Press Secretary
DOE Issues Final Yucca Mountain EIS
Transportation Plan -- Graphic
February 15, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Decision on waste goes to Bush -- Energy secretary tells president location 'technically suitable --  WASHINGTON -- Nevada's prospects to become the nation's burial ground for nuclear waste were placed in the hands of President Bush on Thursday when Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham transmitted a packet to the White House recommending that Bush approve a Yucca Mountain repository. . . . I've called him a blockhead before, I've called him a fathead before. It's too good for him. That's it. Any questions?" -- [Oscar] Goodman [Mayor of Las Vegas] said a decision to move nuclear waste to Nevada might lead to civil disobedience -- Las Vegas Review Journal (Related Story - AP)
February 15, 2002 -- Pro-dump lobbyists tour Yucca Mountain -- On the day Nevada lawmakers joined environmental groups in Washington, D.C., to urge President Bush and Congress to turn back the Yucca Mountain Project, two backers of the nuclear waste repository, John Sununu and Geraldine Ferraro, toured the site Thursday -- Las Vegas Review Journal
February 2002 -- A Mountain of Trouble: A Nation at Risk -- The State's Yucca Mountain Impact Report is now availble on the Agency For Nuclear Projects website. It's a very large pdf file (3.7 MB). Hard copies are being printed and should be available soon. The body of the report is 192 pages, not including the executive summary. With appendices, the entire report totals about 1,500 pages in 3 volumes. Request a hard copy of the report
February 14, 2002 -- Nuclear industry counters state effort -- Mayors get video on safety of waste transport -- WASHINGTON -- At the same time Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was lobbying fellow mayors last month against Yucca Mountain at a Washington conference, the nuclear energy industry was giving to every mayor a videotape touting the safety of nuclear waste transport. Besides being given to city leaders, the video was sent to 1,500 local chambers of commerce and 222 television stations, several of which have run footage, a strategist for the Nuclear Energy Institute said this week -- Las Vegas Review Journal
February 13, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Dump recommendation delayed
Backers still seeking action within week -- WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham met with President Bush on Tuesday to discuss nuclear waste but held off on making his recommendation that Yucca Mountain be authorized as the nation's permanent site for storage of the nation's most lethal radioactive materials -- Las Vegas Review Journal
February 13, 2002 -- Who lied about Yucca Mountain? -- Jon Ralston, Reno Gazette-Journal
February 12, 2002 -- Bush hears from energy secretary on why dump should proceed -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Energy Secretary Spence Abraham briefed President Bush on Tuesday about why a nuclear waste dump should be built at Yucca Mountain despite widespread opposition within Nevada.
February 12, 2002 -- Nuke cask strength decried --
Nevada leaders say tape shows high risk of transporting waste --
WASHINGTON -- Nuclear industry and federal tests show that a missile could blow a hole in a nuclear-waste transportation cask, potentially sending radiation into the environment, industry experts told the Sun - Las Vegas Sun
February 12, 2002 -- Dump proponents targeting senators -- WASHINGTON -- Proponents of storing nuclear waste in Nevada estimate 46 senators are ready to vote for a repository at Yucca Mountain, meaning only a handful more need to be persuaded before Congress sets to vote on the issue later this year, state utility officials were told at a conference on Monday - Las Vegas Review Journal
February 11, 2002 -- Court battle looms on Yucca water shutdown -- CARSON CITY -- State Engineer Hugh Ricci says he will probably have to go to court to shut down the wells being used by the federal government at the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Sun
February 11, 2002 -- Abraham's recommendation expected today -- Bush may decide on Yucca Mountain by Wednesday -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham was expected today to recommend Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear repository, setting the White House on course for a political collision with Nevada's leadership - Las Vegas Sun
February 11, 2002 -- Nuke casks can be damaged In Army test, missile explosion blew hole in high-level waste transport container -- WASHINGTON -- As Nevada officials mull their next strike in an intensifying battle against the Yucca Mountain project, a videotape may be their new weapon - Las Vegas Sun
February 11, 2002 -- Perkins: Yucca a homeland security issue -- Ridge appears receptive to speaker's opinion -- Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins has urged Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to consider the transportation of nuclear waste as a homeland security issue - Las Vegas Review Journal
February 10, 2002 -- Ex-governor says waste dump would be good business -- Nevada’s nuclear shopping list is long and growing -- If Yucca Mountain, a ridge of volcanic rock rising from the desert northwest of Las Vegas, becomes the country’s dump for high-level radioactive waste, there are those who want the state to make the best economic deal possible - By Don Cox, Reno Gazette-Journal (Related Story -- Ex-mining town wants jobs, training from dump project)
February 10, 2002 -- Nevada dump would mean decades of radioactive shipments across U.S. -- WASHINGTON — If the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository opens in Nevada in 2010 as planned, tens of
thousands of highly radioactive shipments will roll through communities large and small for the next 38 years - Forrest Hartman & Faith Bremner, Gannett News Service
February 09, 2002 -- Nevadans urged to weigh in with Bush -- Anticipating a quick verdict from President Bush on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, three local officials on Friday urged Nevadans to voice their opposition to the project with faxes, e-mails and phone calls to the White House - Las Vegas Review Journal
February 09, 2002 -- NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENTS: Report: Department not fully prepared -- WASHINGTON -- The Department of Transportation is preparing to designate an administrator as a focal point for nuclear waste after auditors warned the department is not prepared for forecasted shipments to a planned repository in Nevada -- Las Vegas Review Journal
February 09, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain: Opposing camps remain sharply dividedA volatile mix of science, politics, anger and fear makes a plan to entomb the nation’s high-level nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain perhaps the most explosive public policy issue in Nevada history -- By Don Cox, Reno Gazette-Journal
February 09, 2002 -- DOE, state scientists reach opposing conclusions -- Richard Craun, an engineer, and Steve Frishman, a geologist, are the yin and yang of Yucca Mountain issue, representing opposite sides of the heated debate about the site’s suitability as a storage facility for nuclear waste. --
Craun, who lives in Las Vegas, is a senior policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy. He gives the DOE’s position that
scientific evidence shows Yucca Mountain will work safely. Frishman, who lives in Mason Valley near Yerington, is technical policy coordinator for Nevada. He gives the state’s position that Yucca Mountain is flawed and science hasn’t been able to prove otherswise - Reno Gazette-Journal
February 08, 2002 -- Tape shows flaws in casks -- Nevada lawmakers rebut nuke industry's 'secret' safety video -- WASHINGTON -- As Nevada officials mull their otions in an intensifying battle against the Yucca Mountain project, could a secret videotape be their next weapon? -- Las Vegas Sun 
February 08, 2002 -- State moves on Yucca fight -- Las Vegas Sun
February 08, 2002 -- Nevada moves to shut off water to proposed federal nuclear dump -- LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada again wants to shut off water to the site where the federal government wants to bury the nation's radioactive waste. State Engineer Hugh Ricci has notified the Energy Department that he will not extend for five years a permit letting the federal agency draw water for the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository site. The current permit expires April 9.
February 08, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Guinn makes case against dump -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada's top leaders took their campaign against the Yucca Mountain Project directly to the White House on Thursday, but they said their face-to-face appeal to President Bush yielded no clues on his plans - Las Vegas Review Journal (Related Story - Las Vegas Sun)
February 07, 2002 -- Nevada officials ask Bush to withhold OK on Yucca Mountain site -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Gov. Kenny Guinn and Nevada's two senators made a last-minute plea Thursday trying to dissuade President Bush from moving forward with a nuclear waste site in the state until all safety issues are resolved.
February 07, 2002 -- Scientists enter cooling phase of hot test at Yucca Mountain -- Government scientists have switched off an experiment that for four years turned tunnels inside a proposed Nevada nuclear
waste repository as hot as a pizza oven - AP
February 06, 2002 -- Guinn will press Bush on dump -- Gov. Kenny Guinn will fly to Washington on Thursday to personally ask President Bush not to support plans to place a nuclear waste repository in Nevada - Las Vegas Review Journal -- (More Coverage, Las Vegas Sun)
February 06, 2002 -- Test Site cleanup efforts lose funds in Bush budget -- The budget President Bush presented to Congress reduces proposed funding for environmental cleanup at the Nevada Test Site by about $26 million - Las Vegas Sun
February 05, 2002 -- DOE plans 'temporary' nuke dump at Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department wants to construct an above-ground nuclear waste storage area near Yucca Mountain as part of its effort to start shipping 77,000 tons of waste to Nevada by 2010 -- By Benjamin Grove, Las Vegas Sun
February 06, 2002 -- Report lists Yucca impact -- Commission reviews study warning of nuclear dump's negative effects -- Clark County commissioners Tuesday forwarded to the state a report that outlines the negative effects the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository would have on tourism, property values and public services - Las Vegas Review Journal
February 04, 2002 -- More money sought to meet Yucca deadline -- WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is asking Congress for a $152 million increase for Yucca Mountain to push the site forward as the nation's nuclear waste dump - Las Vegas Sun (More on this story - Las Vegas Review Journal)
February 04, 2002 -- Fluoride could lead to corrosion at Yucca, report says --
The Energy Department has discovered levels of fluoride in water and rock at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository that could cause early corrosion of containers and titanium shields designed to protect buried nuclear waste - Las Vegas Sun
March
March 30, 2002 -- Safety of shipping nuclear waste debated --
Nev. officials cite catastrophic accidents WASHINGTON — The Energy Department estimates the worst accident in transporting nuclear waste across the country would result in five deaths from radiation leaks. Officials in Nevada, where the waste would come to a proposed national nuclear waste dump, say the agency is low-balling the
number and not taking into account real-world rail and truck wrecks - By Doug Abrahms - Reno Gazette-Journal
March 29, 2002 -- Governor faces Yucca battle --  Political, legal hurdles stand in way of more money In his effort to boost Nevada's efforts to fight Yucca Mountain, Gov. Kenny Guinn faces major political and legal hurdles to find money the state's senators say they will need to stop the nuclear waste dump - Las Vegas Sun
March 29, 2002 -- AG files motion on Yucca water -- CARSON CITY -- The state Attorney General's Office today moved on two fronts to stop the U.S. Department of Energy from using water at Yucca Mountain for a proposed nuclear waste repository - By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas sun
March 29, 2002 -- Wing' plot to feature nuke waste road wreck
-- WASHINGTON -- The nation's awareness of the potential dangers of transporting nuclear waste is about to take a huge jump. On next Wednesday's episode of "The West Wing," President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet and his staff will confront another crisis: a report that a truck carrying uranium fuel rods has crashed in a tunnel in Idaho. Nevada leaders, who are battling the federal government's effort to store the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, welcomed the free publicity - Las Vegas Review Journal (More Coverage)
March 28, 2002 -- Guinn seeks alternative to session -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said he is looking for an "off-budget" alternative to convening a special session to find $10 million for the state's campaign against the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. In a press conference Wednesday with U.S. Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., and local leaders, Guinn said he is committed to trying to find the money to boost Nevada's fight -- Las Vegas Sun
March 28, 2002 -- Nuclear industry pays for Las Vegas junkets --  WASHINGTON -- For a few hours trudging through the Nevada mountain where the government wants to store nuclear waste, dozens of congressional aides and a few of their bosses got two or three days in Las Vegas, at the nuclear industry's expense - Las Vegas Review-Journal
March 28, 2002 -- Poll: Little known about Yucca Mountain -- CARSON CITY -- Yucca Mountain may be big news in Nevada, but most folks around the country don't know much about the place. Fifty-three percent of 1,000 Americans polled by Ipsos Public Affairs said they know so little about Yucca Mountain that they cannot give an opinion - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 27, 2002 -- Nevada officials say $10 million needed to block nuclear waste -- LAS VEGAS — When even the president wants nuclear waste stored in Nevada, the odds don’t look good for the state to stop it. But this is the gambling capital, and Nevada is doing what gamblers do when they’re down — upping the ante - Reno Gazette Journal
March 27, 2002 -- 68% support special session --
Most locals favor increased funding in Yucca campaign -- Southern Nevada residents overwhelmingly support funding last-ditch efforts to block Yucca Mountain from becoming the
nation's nuclear waste repository, according to a poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Sun. A telephone survey of 435 Clark County residents found 68 percent in support of a special session of the Legislature to appropriate $10 million to aid in the state's anti-Yucca Mountain lobbying efforts. The survey found 26 percent against a special session and 6 percent uncommitted -- Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
March 27, 2002 -- NRC plans hearings on Yucca -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold three public meetings next month in Nevada to discuss safety and licensing issues with the Department of Energy's plans to build and operate a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The meetings are April 8 at the Beatty Senior Center in Beatty; April 9 at the Tonopah Convention Center in Tonopah; and April 10 at the Prospector Inn in Ely. Each meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. The meetings will focus on the NRC's responsibilities in evaluating a potential license application for the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 27, 2002 -- Acid will speed corrosion of nuke waste casks -- Acidic residue left on metal tubes that will hold more than half the spent nuclear fuel destined for the planned Yucca Mountain repository could accelerate corrosion of waste packages, causing them to fail long before the 10,000 years they're supposed to hold up, a Nevada official said Tuesday - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 27, 2002 -- Yucca foes accused of using 'scare tactics -- WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on Tuesday accused critics of the Yucca Mountain Project of using "scare tactics" to raise alarms about nuclear waste transportation (Related Story) -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 26, 2002 -- Poll says Americans are evenly divided on Yucca issue -- WASHINGTON -- Americans are evenly split in their opinion of Yucca Mountain, according to a new poll that Nevada officials believe will bolster their position in the fight against Yucca Mountain. A nationwide survey of 1,000 people found 47 percent supporting the nuclear waste project and 47 percent opposing it, but the poll showed the public has concern over the transportation of nuclear waste -- Las Vegas Sun
March 26, 2002 -- Environmental groups form anti-Yucca lobby -- Many of the nation's leading environmental groups are standing as one lobbying force to Congress urging lawmakers not to approve a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.
March 25, 2002 -- Nevada's anti-Yucca fight gets boost in Congress -- State leaders have long said a key to their anti-Yucca Mountain strategy is to publicize risks associated with transporting waste, especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes. Now a powerful ally in Washington has given the state a forum to tell the rest of the nation of those dangers -- and possibly sway some senators -- with a congressional hearing on transportation concerns. U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said Friday he has scheduled a May 9 hearing before his 75-member Transportation Committee, based on concerns he has repeatedly heard from U.S. Reps. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. -- Las Vegas Sun
March 22, 2002 -- State could tap 'rainy day' fund -- $10 million sought for Yucca fight -- Nevada officials are considering declaring an emergency to shift $10 million from the state's "rainy day" fund to the fight against a proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. On Thursday Gov. Kenny Guinn said he is deciding whether to call a special session of the state Legislature to ask for the money from the $136 million fund. "These are tough times, but I still think it's worth looking at," Guinn said. "We need to look at all the ramifications" -- Las Vegas Sun (Related Story) (More Press)
March 22, 2002 -- Hearings set on risks of shipping waste -- WASHINGTON -- The House Transportation Committee will hold hearings on the risks of shipping nuclear waste to Nevada's Yucca Mountain, Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, was expected to announce today in Las Vegas. Young reportedly is concerned about whether the nation's highly radioactive waste could safely be transported by truck and train through 43 states to Yucca Mountain. If Congress and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ultimately approve the nuclear waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the site could become a permanent burial ground for 77,000 tons of waste by the end of the decade - Las Vegas Sun
March 22, 2002 -- Experts shrug off leftover questions --
Advisers say Yucca Mountain licensing will advance despite remaining science issues -- WASHINGTON -- Remaining science questions should not hamper the Energy Department's progress toward readying a license application to operate a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, advisers told members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week . . . Among items requiring more work are questions about the ability of corrosion resistant canisters and titanium drip shields to contain radioactivity from decaying nuclear waste for 10,000 years, said Bob Loux, chief of the state's nuclear projects office -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 21, 2002 -- Guinn mulls special session -- Nevada leaders see need for more money in anti-Yucca fight -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is considering calling the Legislature into a special session to approve more money for the high-stakes battle against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. Guinn told the Sun this morning that he supports the idea of calling a special session to earmark another $10 million in state funds for the Yucca Mountain fight -- Las Vegas Sun (More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal)
March 21, 2002 -- Anti-Yucca resolution OK'd --
The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution opposing the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. The ordinance, which mirrors similar measures introduced by other city councils throughout the state, reaffirms the council's long-standing opposition to the federal government's plan to store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste on public land 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The city is also fighting the project in federal court -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 20, 2002 -- Guinn: More money needed -- With 26 days left to veto President Bush's Yucca Mountain decision, Gov. Kenny Guinn is worried the state doesn't have enough money to fight the proposed nuclear waste dump.
On Tuesday, Guinn asked the private sector to "step up to the plate" to help fund the now-$6 million Nevada Protection Fund, which already has more than half of its donations spoken for. "Truthfully, $6 million is wonderful, but we could spend millions more," Guinn said. "The nuclear energy industry has earmarked $30 million to lobby" for the dump - Las Vegas Sun
March 20, 2002 -- Daschle Yucca stance changes Democratic leader less certain of success --  WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said Tuesday he plans to help Nevada fight Yucca Mountain in Congress but he was less certain of success than when he declared last year that the nuclear waste project was "dead" as long as Democrats controlled the Senate -- Las Vegas Review Journalnbsp; (More Coverage - March 22, 2002 - Las Vegas Review Journal)
March 20, 2002 -- NUCLEAR WASTE: Guinn: Yucca fight everywhere Governor receives $70,000 in contributions
With fresh donations for fighting plans to bury nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Gov. Kenny Guinn said Tuesday the battleground to sway opinion against the project is "every place where there's a United States senator." "That's where our fight is," Guinn said at a news briefing at the Sawyer Building, where he accepted a combined $70,000 from a Nevada commercial development firm and a Realtors association. That brings to more than $6 million the amount the state has to pay lobbyists, lawyers, consultants and a publicity firm - Las Vegas Review Journal.
March 19, 2002 -- Nevadans: Barge plan could hurt Yucca support -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials say the proposal to use barges as part of a massive effort to transport the nation's nuclear waste to Nevada could make it tougher for lawmakers in Congress to support the Yucca Mountain project. "It is inherently dangerous to transport nuclear waste -- period," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. "When are people going to wake up and realize this is an absurd proposal?" -- Las Vegas Sun
March 19, 2002 -- Domenici, Reid plan to fund alternatives to Yucca -- Two U.S. senators on Monday said they plan to fund alternatives to burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Sun
March 19, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Video shows damage to nuclear waste cask -- WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley on Monday made public a videotape of an anti-tank missile blasting a hole in a nuclear waste shipping cask, the latest effort by Nevada officials to call attention to potential dangers of transporting radioactive spent nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 19, 2002 -- Lawsuits over radiation standards advance -- WASHINGTON -- A federal court has agreed to hear challenges to the government's radiation safety standards at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. In a March 12 order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit set a schedule for briefs to be submitted in lawsuits that were filed last year against the Environmental Protection Agency by the state of Nevada, environmental groups and the Nuclear Energy Institute -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 18, 2002 -- DOE files petition to keep water on at Yucca -- CARSON CITY -- The U.S. Energy Department has gone to court to stop the state from cutting off water at the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain on April 9. In a petition filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas last week, the department said state Engineer Hugh Ricci's decision to refuse to extend temporary water permits contradicts state law -- By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun, Capital Bureau
March 16, 2002 -- Reid may cut nuclear waste disposal budget -- WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid said Friday he will consider cutting the budget for Yucca Mountain again this year, a move that could slow the government's work on the nuclear waste program even after its endorsement by President Bush . . . Reid, who was highly critical of the president's backing of Yucca Mountain when it was announced last month, said Friday that Bush "doesn't run the (appropriations) committee, he runs the White House. And we do our best to run things up here" in Congress. - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 15, 2002 -- Bush to dump nuclear waste in earthquake zone
-- From the air, or from the lonely wastes of Highway 95 in the middle of the Mojave desert, it looks the remotest place on earth. Yucca Mountain is no more than a long ridge surrounded by dust, sand and little else for dozens of miles. And yet it could be the source of the next big scandal to hit the American administration -- Independent News co uk.
March 15, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Senior manager set to retire -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's senior manager for Yucca Mountain confirmed Thursday he plans to retire from the government later this spring. Lake Barrett, 56, has been deputy director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management since 1993, and three times served as acting director for extended periods, most recently for the past 14 months -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 15, 2002 -- Pro-Yucca groups' political giving criticized Opponents -- $29 million given to parties over 10 years -- Groups opposed to the federal government's plans for burying highly radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain said Wednesday that nuclear power industry backers funneled more than $29 million over 10 years to political parties in hopes of gaining support for the project. "It amounts to legalized bribery and we've got to change that," said Paul Brown, a director for one of the groups, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. -- Las Vegas Review Journal
March 15, 2002 -- Shoshone to testify against measure -- Leaders: Money could open door for nuke waste dump -- Western Shoshone National Council officials said Thursday they will testify next week against a measure before a U.S. Senate committee that calls for distributing $129 million from a trust fund among an estimated 10,000 tribal members -- Las Vegas Review Journla
March 14, 2002 -- Nuke industry donated $30 million to lawmakers -- Nuclear industry companies gave nearly $30 million to congressional lawmakers in the last decade, according to a new public interest group report -- Las Vegas Sun
March 13, 2002 -- Heavyweight GOP lobbyist joins Nevada team -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers have enlisted GOP heavyweight lobbyist Ken Duberstein to help them drum up
opposition in Congress to the Yucca Mountain project - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
March 10, 2002 -- NWTRB Corespondnace -- Letter from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) to Lake Barrett, OCRWM -- re: Three Principal Recommendations -- NWTRB
March 9, 2002 -- Disposing of Nuclear Wastes -- The Bush administration is moving forward with plans to bury highly radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear power plants and bomb-making facilities at Yucca Mountain, a remote desert site in Nevada -- New York Times
March 2002 -- Energy Department Okays Yucca Mountain -- Popular Mechanics
March 08, 2002 -- Welcom to the Yucca Lemon -- Imagine you're buying a car. You ask: Does it have an air bag? The salesman hems and haws--and then offers to sell you a titanium crash helmet, a flame-retardant racing suit and a comprehensive health insurance plan -- Would you buy that car? -- Would you buy it if George W. Bush himself was doing the selling? Welcome to Yucca Mountain!! (Editorial, The Nation)
March 07, 2002 -- New Mexico woman named to key DOE radioactive waste post
-- A New Mexican woman has been appointed to a key U.S. Department of Energy position overseeing radioactive waste. Margaret Chu was nominated by a unanimous Senate vote Wednesday to be director of the DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, said news releases from Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. -- Las Vegas Sun
March 05, 2002 -- Former Clinton aide joins state's anti-Yucca team
-- John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff for President Bill Clinton, has been hired to help Nevada leaders lobby Congress against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project. Podesta, part of the Washington lobbying firm of Podesta Mattoon, will work primarily with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to rally support for the state's position among Democrats in the Senate, where the next battle over Yucca Mountain is unfolding.
March 05, 2002 -- 38 of 293 questions on Yucca resolved
-- NRC members discuss repository's licensing --
WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department has ample time to resolve 293 technical issues regarding nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain before submitting a license application in December 2004, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said Monday. But Martin Virgilio, director of the NRC's office of nuclear materials safety and safeguards, said new technical issues still could arise - Las Vegas Review Journal
March 04, 2002 -- Yucca fight to target nation's counties
-- Herrera to outline project to educate leaders on hazards of shipping waste
-- WASHINGTON -- Clark County should bombard leaders of other counties nationwide with its anti-Yucca Mountain message, Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera said today. Herrera this week intends to outline a plan to launch an information campaign aimed at other county managers. Herrera specifically wants to target officials in counties along the transportation routes that likely would be used to haul nuclear waste to Nevada if the Yucca plan is approved - Las Vegas Sun.
March 04, 2002 DOE challenged over disposal plan
Environmentalists target storage of waste from military reactors -- WASHINGTON -- As the Energy Department marches ahead with its plan to bury waste from civilian nuclear reactors at Yucca Mountain, it is disposing of waste from its own military reactors in three far shallower sites around the country where it once produced weapons material -- New York Times News Service
March 04, 2002 -- Gephardt stumps against moving nuclear waste, cites safety -- WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. (AP) - House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt has urged a St. Louis suburb to help challenge any government plans to ship nuclear waste through Missouri, calling such a move bad for the country and Missouri.
March 02, 2002 Nuclear Energy Institute . . . Howard, Nuclear Energy Institute executive vice president, is one of a platoon of industry-backed lobbyists answering lawmakers' questions about Yucca Mountain and trying to secure Congress' support for the proposed nuclear waste dump. . . . As the most vocal supporter of Yucca Mountain, the institute has a budget of about $28 million, a staff of 130 and a handful of lobbying firms on its payroll . . . . The nuclear power industry has very deep pockets and they are mounting a full-court press," said Richard Bryan, a former Nevada governor and U.S.senator who battled 8-year-old NEI and its predecessors for years. "(It is) extremely powerful, with unlimited amounts of money to retain lobbyists and initiate PR campaigns." -- Las Vegas Sun
March 02, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain water rights issue heats up -- It's crunch time for water at Yucca Mountain -- Saying there is only enough left for the next five weeks, a government lawyer urged a federal judge Friday to act quickly on a case involving permits for water needed to build and operate a nuclear waste repository in the mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sun
March 02, 2002 -- County Commission chairman tries to interest other states in Nevada's fight -- WASHINGTON -- Dario Herrera on Friday became the latest Nevada elected official to tell a national group that the state does not want to store the nation's nuclear waste - Las Vegas Review Jouranl
April
April 29, 2002 -- Clinton tells Las Vegas crowd that Yucca Mountain not justified -- LAS VEGAS (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton told a packed crowd at UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center on Monday that he hasn't seen scientific evidence that Yucca Mountain is safe to store the nation's nuclear waste.
April 29, 2002 -- TVA says delays in storing waste may cost it $120 million -- TVA says delays in storing waste may cost it $120 million KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Valley Authority officials estimate federal delays in accepting and storing radioactive waste from nuclear power plants might cost it more than $120 million for extra storage - Printed in the Las Vegas Sun
April 2002 - State of Nevada: Testimony Before The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcomittees on Railroads and Transportation and Hazardous Materials:
Statement of Kenny C. Guinn Governor
Written Testimony of Dr. Marvin Resnikoff
Testimony of Robert J. Halstead
Written Testimony of Professor James David Ballard
April 28, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain Survey: Project has big support -- Those in favor of dump have lead in Senate -- WASHINGTON -- Those who want to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain hold a commanding lead in the U.S. Senate, a Review-Journal survey of senators shows -- By TONY BATT, Stephens Washington Bureau
April 27, 2002 -- Nevada lauds article on Yucca science -- State leaders found surprising allies in their fight against Yucca Mountain in two pro-nuclear scientists who wrote in an article published today that the decision to put the dump in Nevada is being pushed by policy concerns, not science - Las Vegas Sun
April 26, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: House committee endorses project State leaders level new accusation against DOE -- WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday moved closer to approving the Yucca Mountain Project, while Nevada leaders again sought to discredit the work of the Energy Department -- Stephens Washington Bureau
April 26, 2002 -- Guinn says better reaction from Congress this time -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says he was much happier with the reaction from members of Congress this time than the last time he testified against Yucca Mountain -- by Geoff Dornan, Nevada Appeal
April 26, 2002 -- Impoverished Utah desert tribe sees salvation in nuclear waste; Utah officials are aghast -- For 150 years, the Goshute Indians have scratched a poor living in Utah's West Desert while watching their ancient homeland overrun by white encroachment and industrialization -- AP.
April 25, 2002 -- Former Governor List pitches Yucca endorsement -- One day after a House panel rubber-stamped a federal plan to send nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, former Nevada Gov. Bob List explained his endorsement of the project to a room of skeptical Northern Nevada business people -
By Jim Scripps, Nevada Appeal
April 25, 2002 -- Committee OKs Yucca site 41 - 6 : Full House vote is expected in 2 weeks -- WASHINGTON -- The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository cleared another hurdle today when the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the site on a 41-6 vote. The next step: a full House vote. The proposed repository continued its march through the House with the overwhelming vote and several lawmakers spoke highly of the plan to ship 77,000 tons of high-level waste to Nevada - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
April 25, 2002 -- NEVADA OFFICIALS WATCHFUL: Nuclear waste panel to change State hopes new members will continue critical approach to Yucca repository
WASHINGTON -- President Bush is weighing nominees to fill five seats on the prestigious science board that watchdogs nuclear waste repository efforts at Yucca Mountain.
Terms expired Friday for five members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, including its chairman, Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 25, 2002 -- Study says politics override science in review of Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- A decision on Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste dump should be postponed until more is known about its geology and how man-made barriers will perform over thousands of years, an independent study of the proposed site says - AP
April 24, 2002 -- House panel votes for Yucca -- Lawmakers back nuke disposal site WASHINGTON -- The drive to override Gov. Kenny Guinn's nuclear waste veto began with a lopsided House subcommittee vote Tuesday in favor of the Yucca Mountain Project. The House energy and air quality subcommittee voted 24-2 to approve the Nevada site for a repository that will store about 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story - Guinn to return to Washington)
April 23, 2002 -- Reno OKs loan, bond sale for trench --By a one-vote margin, the Reno City Council approved most of the financing for the downtown train trench on Tuesday, flouting a successful citizen initiative petition that will put the contentious project to a citywide vote in September. Mayor Jeff Griffin joined council members Pierre Hascheff, Dave Aiazzi and Sherrie Doyle in authorizing city staff to proceed with selling $115 million in bonds and finalize a $50.5 million federal loan -- Reno Gazette Journal
April 23, 2002 -- Bankers exhorted to fight Yucca -- Las Vegas real estate and media executive Brian Greenspun was asked this morning to give a sales pitch on U.S. savings bonds to a group of about 50 local bankers and business people. But Greenspun had a fight against a federal project on his mind -- the fight to block the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. And he exhorted the city's bankers to join that fight. "It is our lives, our businesses and our investments that will pay the price," Greenspun said at the U.S. Treasury Department's local annual Savings Bond promotion breakfast. "Why is the banking community among the largest non-contributors to the fight against the dump?" -- Las Vegas Sun
April 23, 2002 -- House Yucca vote likely to mirror panel's --
Dump advocates hope lopsided result will sway senators WASHINGTON -- The expected approval of a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump by a House subcommittee today likely will set up an overwhelming vote of support for the project by the full House, congressional sources said. In a vote as early as next week, as many as 300 lawmakers in the 435-member House could support the proposal to dump the nation's nuclear waste in Nevada, several sources said -- Las Vegas Sun
April 23, 2002 -- Guinn won't lie on highway to stop nuke waste -- Although sympathetic, he doesn't intend to take same stance as South Carolina governor CARSON CITY -- Unlike his counterpart in South Carolina, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn has no plans to lie on a highway to prevent trucks hauling nuclear waste from entering the Silver State. South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges vowed Monday to do "whatever it takes" -- including lying down on the highway in an act of gubernatorial civil disobedience -- to block shipments of plutonium from entering his state. He even ordered about three dozen state troopers and transport police officers to conduct a blockade practice drill Monday - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 22, 2002 -- Yucca lobby group pushes TV ads -- WASHINGTON -- As America celebrates Earth Day -- and as Congress prepares to vote on a Yucca Mountain repository -- the nuclear power industry has launched a national campaign to tout the clean-air benefits of nuclear-generated electricity -Las Vegas Sun
April 21, 2002 -- COLUMN: Thomas Mitchell -- Some rays of reason for Congress --
New York Times columnist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman notes there are two kinds of columnists, those who work for the heating company and those who work for the lighting company. He prefers to bring light.
April 20, 2002 -- South Carolina plutonium dispute might aid Yucca foes -- Debate over transporting radioactive waste helps Nevada's position WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials see a dispute between South Carolina and the Energy Department over plutonium shipments as a possible opening in the battle to win Senate votes against a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Review Journal
April 19, 2002 -- Yucca hearing flows against Nevada -- WASHINGTON -- A familiar pattern of point and counterpoint arguments emerged Thursday during the first congressional hearing on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Nevada lawmakers said Yucca Mountain was a geologically unsuitable site to bury waste. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham disagreed - Las Vegas Sun.
April 19, 2002 -- Yucca director plans visit -- The new Energy Department director in charge of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is scheduled to visit with local
officials in Las Vegas, a spokesman said - Las Vegas Sun
April 17, 2002 -- Yucca foes rally on Capitol Hill -- Ads begin airing to sway senators -- WASHINGTON -- Environmental activists fanned out to lobby senators on Tuesday after embracing Nevada's fight against the Yucca Mountain Project at a U.S. Capitol rally where they chanted "Safety Yes, Yucca No!" The state opened another front with a television commercial, airing in Vermont, that raises questions about the safety of nuclear shipments -- Stephens Washington Bureau (Related Stories)
April 16, 2002 -- Commission OKs $1.5 million for fight -- Clark County commissioners voted 5-2 this morning to approve giving $1.5 million to the state to help with legal fees associated with the fight to keep nuclear waste from being stored at Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Sun
April 16, 2002 -- Anti-Yucca Mountain appeals get rolling with lucky $77,777 -- CARSON CITY -- Nevada residents have contributed a jackpot-like $77,777 to the drive to prevent nuclear waste from coming to Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 16, 2002 -- State files motion on Yucca water -- CARSON CITY -- The attorney general's office said today that as of now the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain is dead because of the veto of Gov. Kenny Guinn earlier this month.
April 16, 2002 -- Yucca case goes to Vermont -- State takes its argument public with TV advertisement -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada's effort to rally public opinion against a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain kicks off in earnest tonight with the premiere of a television ad in Vermont -- The state's first anti-dump commercial tells viewers that the nuclear power industry plans to drive waste "right through the towns we live in -- Las Vegas Sun
April 15, 2002 -- Environmental lobby set to turn up heat -- WASHINGTON -- Local, state and national environmental groups that have helped muster support against shipping nuclear waste in Congress face their toughest battle with Yucca Mountain.
The environmental lobby, which plans to gather at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to pressure lawmakers to oppose the proposed nuclear waste dump, has a record of helping rally their friends in Congress on several key votes to defeat the measures - Las Vegas Sun (More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal)
April 15, 2002 -- UNLV could see Yucca boon -- While UNLV President Carol Harter doesn't like the idea of a nuclear waste dump coming to Nevada, as an academic she sees the opportunity it holds for her university -- Las Vegas Sun
April 14, 2002 -- The Road to Yucca -- Nevada leaders are pinning their hopes on one issue above all others in their effort to prevent Yucca Mountain from becoming the nation's nuclear waste burial ground: transportation -- By Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review Journal
April 13, 2002 -- New debate erupts over volcanic threat at Yucca Mountain -- TONOPAH — At one time, they spewed ash and lava. Now, they slumber in the southern Nevada desert where President
Bush wants to build the nation’s nuclear waste dump -- AP
April 13, 2002 -- Official: Lawmakers ill-informed on Yucca --
Effect of shipments on legislators' districts not being made clear, consultant for Nevada says WAINGTON -- Representatives for House lawmakers were told Friday that their bosses are about to vote on sending nuclear waste to Nevada without adequate information about how shipments of the radioactive material may affect their districts -- By Steve Tetreault Stephens Washington Bureau
April 12, 2002 Nevada's anti-Yucca fight turns green -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada leaders are counting on what may be an unprecedented swell of support from the environmental
community -- including a few green-minded celebrities -- as the Yucca Mountain project faces a decision in Congress . . . We have started a full-court press," said Daniel Becker, director of global and energy programs at the Sierra Club. The 750,000-nationwide member parent group sent e-mails this week to its 63 chapters in all 50 states with Yucca updates, urging locals to pressure their lawmakers, he said. "It's a tough battle, but it's a winnable battle." - Las Vegas Sun
April 11, 2002 -- Scientists plan nuke waste transmutation experiment --
A process to convert highly radioactive waste into less dangerous substances, which has been touted as an alternative to dumping nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, may get on a fast track - Las Vegas Sun
April 11, 2002 -- Freshman senator now at center of Nevada's lobbying campaign --
WASHINGTON -- As the behind-the-scenes lobbying on both sides of the Yucca Mountain issue intensifies on Capitol Hill, many eyes are on Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. Ensign is key, arguably the most important person at the moment, in Nevada's effort to stop plans to bury radioactive waste at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas -- Las Vegas Sun
April 11, 2002 -- Nevada files lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission --
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada is challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing rule for making Yucca Mountain the nation's nuclear waste dump.
The state attorney general's office filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday against the regulatory commission's November ruling. That ruling established health and safety regulations for storing 77,000 tons of the nation's high-level nuclear waste 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
April 11, 2002 -- Interim Finance approves $3 million for anti-Yucca Mountain campaign --
Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday boosted by $3 million the state's fund to pay for an advertising and lobbying campaign aimed at stopping nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain. Gov. Kenny Guinn told legislators the money will be used to help sway key senators by building pressure on them from their home states. It will pay for newspaper and television coverage to tell residents in those states about the dangers of transporting radioactive waste through their towns on the way to the dump site 75 miles north of Las Vegas - By Geoff Dornan, Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau (Related Story) (More Coverage - Las Vegas Sun) (More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal)
April 10, 2002 Lott says Yucca will pass -- Republican senator says he can get enough votes WASHINGTON -- Senate Republican leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., confidently predicted Tuesday that Democratic attempts to block a vote on a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository would surely fail and that "at least 60 senators" would vote to approve it. Lott's comments fell on the first day of a 90-day period in which Congress is required by law to vote on the controversial project - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story -- Las Vegas Review Journal)
April 10, 2002 -- Dueling ads kick off media blitz on Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- The debate over Yucca Mountain began on the pages of the Washington Post today in advertisements from the state of Nevada and the Nuclear Energy Institute. For the state, it's the first ad in the what officials hope will be a campaign to drum up opposition to the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Sun
April 10, 2002 -- DOE turns to tank as state cuts off Yucca water supply --
Stockpiled reserves expected to last for several months -- Water for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project was reduced to a trickle Tuesday as the Department of Energy's temporary permits to withdraw 140 million gallons per year from five Nye County wells expired at midnight -- Las Vegas Review Journal
April 10, 2002 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Case taken to nation --
Guinn, congressional delegation challenge safety of waste transport
WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn kicked off a widening campaign against the Yucca Mountain Project on Tuesday by warning millions of Americans that transporting nuclear waste to Nevada poses a direct threat to their health and safety -- Las Vegas Review Journal
April 09, 2002 -- Guinn takes case to D.C. -- Nevadans highlight risk of shipping nuclear waste -- WASHINGTON --  The Yucca Mountain project is riddled with flawed scientific research, broken laws and centers on bad public policy, Gov. Kenny Guinn said today in the glaring spotlight of the national media outside the Capitol. (More Coverage -- Now that Guinn has acted, the state believes the Yucca Mountain project is "legally dead" until revived by an act of Congress) -- Las Vegas Sun
April 09, 2002 -- Ad agencies prepare anti-Yucca campaign Hauling dangers will be emphasized -- CARSON CITY -- Advertising agencies hope Nevada-sponsored television announcements critical of the Yucca Mountain Project will scare Easterners off their sofas and persuade federal lawmakers to sustain Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of the nuclear waste repository - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 09, 2002 -- Herrera halves request for anti-Yucca money -- Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera on Monday cut in half his request for $3 million to fight Yucca Mountain after county administrators reported that the fiscal outlook isn't as rosy as it's been in the past -- Las Vegas Review Journal
April 09, 2002 -- Hearings begin on nuclear waste proposal -- SALT LAKE CITY -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's atomic safety and licensing board began a series of hearings Monday on a proposal to store spent nuclear fuel on the Goshute Indian reservation -- AP
April 08, 2002 -- Guinn vetoes Yucca dump -- Beneath the state's Battle Born flag, Gov. Kenny Guinn vetoed the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump this morning, declaring that the dump "is not inevitable" and saying he would press the fight to "expose the Department of Energy's dirty little secrets about Yucca Mountain." Becoming the first governor to veto a president, Guinn took a hard line against negotiating over Yucca Mountain and said the health, safety and welfare of Nevada's citizens are at risk if the government goes ahead with plans to ship 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste to the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas -- Las Vegas Sun (More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal)
April 08, 2002 -- Anti-Yucca drive heads to Congress -- WASHINGTON — Opponents of burying nuclear waste in Nevada will give Americans a crash course in the dangers of hauling radioactive materials across the country — part of a longshot lobbying campaign to kill the plan in Congress (More Coverage - San Francisco Chronicle)
 April 05, 2002 -- Reid Told No Safety Tests Have Ever Been Done On Full Size Nuclear Transportation Containers -- WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has learned that no government tests have been conducted on full size containers intended to transport high level radioactive waste across America’s roads, railways and waterways. Senator Reid has also learned that testing for damage caused by fire has been largely preformed and analyzed by computer simulation alone -- Press Release, Senator Reid (More Coverage -- AP)
April 05, 2002 -- Too bad George cut class on Yucca Geology 101 -- I went to class on Thursday, but I didn't see George or Spencer there. The class was on the geology of Yucca Mountain, taught by Professor Winnie Kortemeier at Western Nevada Community College as part of a series on environmental issues in Nevada -- By Barry Smith, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
April 05, 2002 -- Goodman hopes city will add to fund -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is looking for support from his colleagues to help fund the campaign against Yucca Mountain. Goodman has asked City Manager Virginia Valentine to poll the six council members to see if they want to contribute additional funds toward the fight. The city has already provided $100,000 to the state's fund - Las Vegas Sun
 April 04, 2002 -- Nevadans say show helps Yucca fight -- Nevada leaders wanted a bit more out of Wednesday's episode of "The West Wing," but admit that anytime a national audience gets even a glimpse of what could occur if Yucca Mountain is approved as the nation's nuclear waste repository, the outcome is beneficial -- Las Vegas Sun. (More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal)
April 03, 2002 -- Yucca funding debate bogs down -- Territorial politics crept into the state's fight against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository as Clark County commissioners Tuesday withheld a decision to contribute an additional $3 million to fund the campaign against the dump - By Adrienne Packer - Las Vegas Sun
April 03, 2002 -- Guinn to address Yucca veto -- Gov. Kenny Guinn will address Nevadans on Monday about his plans to veto President Bush's recommendation that Yucca Mountain be developed as the nation's nuclear waste repository. The public address will begin at 9 a.m. at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Tam Alumni Center - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 03, 2002 -- County puts off proposal to fund Yucca fight -- After calling on state lawmakers to "put their money where their mouth is," the Clark County Commission on Tuesday put off contributing $3 million to the state's campaign against the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Moments after approving $33 million to cover cost overruns at two construction projects, commissioners said they want to review the budget and see whether state lawmakers contribute more money before spending any more than the $1 million the county chipped in last year - Las Vegas Review Journal
April 02, 2002 -- Guinn decides against seeking special session --
Governor will ask committee to provide $3 million for anti-Yucca campaign CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said Monday he will not convene a special legislative session, but instead will go to the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee meeting April 10 to seek money for an anti-Yucca Mountain campaign. He will ask legislators at that meeting to use $3 million in contingency funds to pay for a national television advertising and public relations campaign . . . Las Vegas Reiview-Journal
April 02, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Millions spent to push dump -- Nuclear industry representative defends right to lobby lawmakers -- WASHINGTON -- The nuclear power industry spent more than $25 million to lobby Congress in 2000, the last time lawmakers debated nuclear waste storage in Nevada, according to a report released Monday -- Las Vegas Review-Journal (More Coverage - Las Vegas Sun)
April 01, 2002 -- Lawmakers unconvinced on Yucca money -- Guinn hopes state could add funds to fight -- Looking for ways to fund the fight against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, Gov. Kenny Guinn believes it will be easier to get a 21-member legislative committee to agree to spend money than convene a special session of the entire
63-member Legislature - Las Vegas Sun
May
May 31, 2002 -- Board Support Nye's YMP stance -- Phrump Valley Times
May 31, 2002 --Hearing set on nuke water case -- CARSON CITY -- U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt has set June 11 for a hearing on the suits U.S. Department of Energy to gain temporary and permanent water rights for the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
May 30, 2002 -- Entertainer Lewis says he'll leave if Yucca OK'd -- Comedian Jerry Lewis, who has lived in Las Vegas for more than 20 years, says if nuclear waste is stored in Nevada he will move his family to San Diego -- Las Vegas Sun
May 30, 2002 -- Musicians sound off on Yucca Mountain perils -- WASHINGTON -- Veteran musician David Crosby has been an anti-nuclear activist dating to the nuclear energy industry's early days in the 1960s. So he has watched with interest as the government developed its proposal to bury waste from nuclear plants in the Nevada desert -- Las Vegas Sun
May 30, 2002 -- Yucca advertising war heats up -- WASHINGTON -- The advertising war over Yucca Mountain continues this week with a pro-Yucca Mountain advertising blitz in newspapers in four key states and new television commercials in Wyoming -- Las Vegas Sun
May 28, 2002 -- Nevada, Utah politicians unite against nuclear waste --
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a self-described betting man, said on Tuesday he doesn't like the odds for transporting nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain in Nevada . . . . "I don't know that you could do anything 96,000 times and not have something go wrong," Goodman said, referring to the number of nuclear shipments expected to reach Nevada -- Las Vegas Sun
May 27, 2002 -- NUCLEAR REPOSITORY: Nye County has its own Yucca plan --
Commission lobbies Congress for economic benefits if state loses its battle against dump -- WASHINGTON -- Nothing steams Jeff Taguchi more than when Yucca Mountain is described as being 100 miles from Las Vegas. He says that description overlooks the fact that Yucca Mountain, the proposed repository for tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste, is in Nye County - Las Vegas Review Journal
May 24, 2002 -- NRC official: Surface storage of waste a different ballgame -- Even if Congress approves Yucca Mountain as a permanent nuclear waste repository, temporary storage of nuclear waste at the surface is prohibited under current law, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said - Las Vegas Sun
May 24. 2002 -- NRC promises full testing for shipments to Yucca Mountain -- WASHINGTON — An Energy Department official defended plans Thursday to ship nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, saying his agency has moved 800 loads of low-level nuclear materials to New Mexico without incident -- Reno Gazette Journal.
May 23, 2002 -- State to file sixth lawsuit against Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- The state of Nevada on June 4 plans to file its sixth lawsuit designed to kill Yucca Mountain, Nevada sources said. The lawsuit will challenge the Department of Energy's final environmental impact statement, or EIS, for Yucca, said Joe Egan, the Washington-area lawyer hired by the state to mount legal challenges to the proposed nuclear waste repository -- Las Vegas Sun
May 23, 2002 -- Herrera leads anti-Yucca speakers at public hearing -- More than 25 residents Wednesday used a Nuclear Regulatory Commission public hearing designed to explain the process to license a high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain to express their opposition to the plan. (Related Story)
May 22, 2002 -- United States Senate -- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources -- Testimony befor the Committee by Robert J. Halstead, Transportation Advisor -- Agency for Nuclear Projects, State of Nevada -- The testimony was given on on S.J.Res. 34, a joint resolution approving the site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the development of a repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982; Thirteen pages [48KB] Adobe PDF File
More Testimony
- Testimony of Dr. James David Ballard Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 22, 2002
Testimony of Dr. Victor Gilinsky Before The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - May 22, 2002
May 2002 -- NUCLEAR WASTE: Yucca Mountain -- - By Rodney C. Ewing and Allison Macfarlane (Artical Published in Science Magazine)
May 22, 2002 -- At hearing, experts rip safety of waste transport --
WASHINGTON -- Nevada assembled six experts who testified in the Senate today against a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, mostly arguing that the plan posed grave transportation risks -- Las Vegas Sun. (More Coverage)
May 21, 2002 -- Experts to bolster Nevada's push against Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators plan to present authorities on transportation, terrorism and health when they present their case in Congress this week against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository -- Las Vegas Review Journal
May 21, 2002 -- Ex-NTSB chair: Senate needs transport plan before Yucca vote -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall says the Senate should not vote on the Yucca Mountain project until the government provides a detailed plan for transporting highly radioactive waste to Nevada. "In light of September 11th, this lack of a comprehensive, well-thought-out plan is, in a word, appalling," Hall wrote in a letter to each senator Tuesday. (More Coverage)
May 20, 2002 -- Citizen Alert chief faces 'intense' time -- Anti-Yucca effort atop agenda of new executive director -- With political savvy from fighting poverty and running campaigns in Washington state, Peggy Maze Johnson says she's ready to take on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project as the new chief of the Nevada environmental group Citizen Alert -- Las Vegas Review Journal
May 17, 2002 Profit is the motive behind push for Yucca -- Deregulation increases profitability of nuclear plants, prompting expansion plans and push for Yucca Listening to nuclear-power proponents, you might believe the industry could be the solution to America's energy problems . . . . ."The big push to get Yucca Mountain open is really just about getting the waste away from the reactor sites so they can build more reactors in the future," said Bob Loux, Nevada Nuclear Waste Project director -- Las Vegas Sun
Letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) From the Eureka County Commission -- This letter transmits general comments for the Yucca Mountain Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Download/Print as Adobe PDF file
Eureka County Specific Comments -- Final Environmental Impact Statement for Yucca Mountain Download/Print as Adobe PDF file
Letter from Eureka County to the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) -- The Letter presents several questions to the CEQ regarding DOE's complience with the National Environmental Policy Act per DOE's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Yucca Mountain High Level Waste Repository Download/Print as Adobe PDF file
May 16, 2002 -- Ensign, Reid grill Abraham on Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada's senators faced off against Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham this morning in a Senate hearing, peppering the Cabinet member with questions about the need to move forward on a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump (Related Story) -- Las Vegas Sun. (Related Story - Reno Gazette Journal)
May 16, 2002 Statement of the Honorable Spencer Abraham Secretary of Energy-- before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee United States Senate
May 16, 2002 -- Senate committee sets June vote on Yucca Mountain --
Full Senate has until late July to override Guinn veto of dump plan WASHINGTON -- A resolution that would finalize Yucca Mountain for a nuclear waste repository could begin moving in the U.S. Senate on June 5, when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a meeting to vote on the measure - Las Vegas Review Journal
May 15, 2002 -- $5.5 mil. released for fight against Yucca --
CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Examiners Tuesday released up to $5.5 million to continue the television and media fight against a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain -- By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun
May 15, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain hearing reset --
WASHINGTON -- A Senate hearing on the Yucca Mountain Project originally scheduled for today has been rescheduled for May 22. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has invited Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn to explain his reasons for vetoing President Bush's designation of Yucca Mountain, northwest of Las Vegas, for a nuclear waste repository. The Senate is preparing to vote on whether to override Guinn's veto and approve the Nevada site -- Las Vegas Review Journal
May 15, 2002 -- Nevada still has lots of bullets in Yucca fight -- Editorial by Bob Loux - Published in the Nevada Appeal -- Hindsight, as the saying goes, is always 20-20. That was certainly demonstrated in Kirk Caraway's opinion piece ("Yucca Mountain fight was lost two years ago"). What Mr. Caraway failed to grasp is the fact that the political fight over locating a nuclear waste repository in Nevada is only the opening skirmish in a much larger battle.
May 14, 2002 -- PUBLIC CITIZEN: Nuclear PACs give millions, watchdog says --
WASHINGTON -- Political committees with ties to nuclear power have contributed $5.2 million to senators over the past five years, an indication of the industry's Capitol Hill clout on issues such as the Yucca Mountain project, a watchdog group said Monday - Las Vegas Review Journal
May 13, 2002 -- Public meetings set on NRC's Yucca plan -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled three public meetings in Nevada this month to explain to residents how it would use a draft plan to review an application to build a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Sun
May 13, 2002 -- Democrats to hold GOP accountable for Yucca --
Yucca Mountain, which supposedly unified state politicians in opposition, has become one of the top political issues for Democrats trying to pick up seats in this fall's election - Las Vegas Sun
May 11, 2002 -- Anti-Yucca drive takes in $257,000 -- CARSON CITY -- Nevadans have contributed $257,000 to the campaign to induce Congress to oppose President Bush's plan to put a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. Bob Loux, administrator of the Agency for Nuclear Projects, said Friday that more than 1,000 people have contributed to the anti-Yucca drive. Gov. Kenny Guinn asked each Nevadan on April 10 to give at least a dollar to the anti-Yucca movement - Las Vegas Review Journal
May 10, 2002 -- Columnist Benjamin Grove: Historic vote on Yucca full of drama -- WASHINGTON -- Debate on the Yucca Mountain project has always been marked by moments of high drama, and the historic House vote last week did not disappoint - Las Vegas Sun.
May 10, 2002 -- Anti-Yucca message spreads to Oregon, Utah --
WASHINGTON -- An Australian rock band playing a gig in Oregon and a television commercial running in Utah urged senators in the two states to vote against Yucca Mountain . . . "We want everybody to understand that this is an issue of national significance, and is not just limited to Nevada," said Bob Loux, executive director of the Neavda Nuclear Projects Agency, the state's Yucca watchdog. - Las Vegas Sun
May 09, 2002 -- Nevada isn’t only state hurt by vote --
Editorial - RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL -- Wednesday’s vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to overturn Gov. Kenny Guinn’s veto of plans for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain came as no surprise, of course. The victory for the president’s plan to open the waste site had been long predicted, and Nevadans’ hopes for defeating the project have rested largely in the Senate.
May 09, 2002 -- State's Yucca fight shifts to Senate -- Despite House vote, Reid is 'cautiously optimistic' -- WASHINGTON -- Now that the House has given the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository its approval with a 306-117 vote Wednesday, the project could move quickly through the Senate, where Nevada leaders hope to derail it - Las Vegas Sun (Yucca Chronology) (Who they are and how they voted on Yucca)
May 08, 2002 -- House approves Yucca plan -- WASHINGTON -- The House today overwhelmingly approved a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, marking a significant milestone in the long history of the project. The 306-117 vote sets up action by the Senate -- which will hold three hearings on the matter this month and is expected to vote on the repository by the end of July - Las Vegas Sun
(More Coverage - Las Vegas Review Journal - The Senate Energy Committee announced Yucca Mountain hearings for next Tuesday, and May 16 and 23. Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., plans to have the committee vote on the issue after senators return from a Memorial Day recess early in June, a spokesman said)
May 08, 2002 -- State says EPA's rules on Yucca fail to protect public -- CARSON CITY -- The Environmental Protection Agency has failed to protect the public in setting the standards for containing radiation at the proposed nuclear dump site in Nevada, the state attorney general's office says -- Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun
May 08, 2002 -- League of Women Voters opposes Yucca --
The League of Women Voters of the United States is opposing a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Sun
May 08, 2002 -- DOE proposes science lab at Yucca Mountain -- Official says tens of millions might be needed each year for studies in geology, hydrology, other fields -- WASHINGTON -- With Yucca Mountain seemingly close to being finalized for a nuclear waste repository, top Energy Department officials on Tuesday outlined an added focus for the Nevada site in the years ahead: as a science laboratory.
May 07, 2002 -- Before big vote, board reviewing Yucca questions -- WASHINGTON -- On the eve of an expected House vote on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, an independent board created by Congress continued its ongoing discussion about project safety. The 11-member Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board began a two-day meeting this morning to talk over a variety of issues that Nevada officials hope will bolster their case against Yucca - Las Vegas Sun
May 07, 2002 -- Administration to ask for long-term research into reducing both nuclear waste and cost of its disposal -- WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration plans to ask Congress to expand long-term research into reducing the amount of nuclear waste produced by the U.S. nuclear energy and reduce the cost of disposal, the Energy Department said Tuesday.
May 05, 2002 -- Utah next market for anti-Yucca ads --
Commercial tells Utahns majority of radioactive shipments to pass through their state WASHINGTON -- Nevada leaders have targeted neighboring Utah for the next round of television commercials aimed at building opposition to the Yucca Mountain Project, sources said.
May 02, 2002 -- SHIPMENT SAFETY: Yucca Mountain foes spotlight rail incident -- Two escapees jumped aboard train hauling nuclear waste WASHINGTON -- Two teen-agers looking to escape from a North Carolina work camp chose the wrong train to ride out of town: The train was carrying high-level nuclear waste and an armed security detail - Stephens Washington Bureau
May 02, 2002 -- Nuke waste chief making first official LV trip -- Margaret Chu, the nation's Civilian Radioactive Waste Management chief, will meet today with representatives from local governments and special interest groups affected by federal plans to put spent nuclear fuel in Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Review Journal
May 01, 2002 -- DOE seeks control of Yucca water --
The Energy Department has the authority and duty to maintain the Yucca Mountain site and needs water from the state of
Nevada to do so, according to a brief asking a federal judge to stop the state from cutting off water -- Las Vegas Sun (More Coverage) (Related Story)
May 01, 2002 -- LV council OKs another $50,000 for Yucca fight -- The Las Vegas City Council voted this morning to send an additional $50,000 toward the state's fight to keep high-level nuclear waste from coming to Nevada - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
June
June 28, 2002 -- Defense spending bill includes Yucca funds -- WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Thursday approved a bill that maps out a defense spending policy for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 that includes money for Yucca Mountain. On a 97-2 vote, the Senate approved a $393 billion blueprint for military spending programs for the Pentagon and other agencies that deal with defense issues, including the Energy Department, which manages the Yucca nuclear waste dump project - Las Vegas Sun
June 27, 2002 -- Nevadans rap 1998 Abraham letter -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers say a 4-year-old letter written by then-Sen. Spencer Abraham unveils a hypocritical attitude about nuclear waste transportation.
June 27, 2002 -- Nuclear waste crash could kill 1,200 in Chicago -- WASHINGTON -- As many as 1,228 people in Chicago could die of cancer within one year of a nuclear waste shipment accident, according to a new report that analyzed an accident scenario in 20 cities. . . The report was compiled using Energy Department models and released today by the Environmental Working Group, the Washington-based research organization that launched a nuclear waste shipment website earlier this month -- Las Vegas Sun
June 26, 2002 -- Cost of state's Yucca fight reaches $7.1 mil. -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada's anti-Yucca Mountain effort, which features a pile of lawsuits and a broad-ranging media campaign, has cost nearly $7.1 million so far, according to state records.
Most of the money is committed to legal costs. About $2 million has been spent on a public relations war aimed at raising public awareness about Yucca Mountain, and ultimately persuading senators in an effort to derail the project -- Las Vegas Sun (Related Story)
June 26, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN BATTLE: GOP pushes Daschle for Senate vote Showdown over nuclear waste dump expected soon -- WASHINGTON -- Republican senators increased pressure Tuesday on Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. to schedule votes on the Yucca Mountain Project -- By Steve Tetreault
Stephens Washington Bureau
June 26, 2002 -- Report details rail, roads to Yucca Mountain -- Report details rail, roads to Yucca Mountain -- In hopes of bolstering out-of-state opposition to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project, a Nevada environmental group and several national affiliates released a report Tuesday that shows where trucks and trains hauling spent reactor fuel will pass through neighborhoods across the country - Las Vegas Sun
June 26, 2002 -- Yucca investigator felt pressure -- Ex-EPA official said Yucca probe led to clash -- WASHINGTON -- A former Environmental Protection Agency investigator said Tuesday he was pressured to stop when he began looking into EPA involvement in the Yucca Mountain Project a year ago -- By Steve Tetreault Stephens Washington Bureau
June 25, 2002 -- Feds still studying how to get nuclear waste to Yucca safely -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Every year the Navy and a few utilities ship about 60 loads of highly radioactive used reactor fuel from submarines and atomic power plants over short distances, usually by rail, without public notice or protest. The national numbers will soar as shipments start moving by rail or truck through all but a handful of states if a nuclear waste dump is put 90 miles from Las Vegas, as President Bush hopes to do -- Las Vegas Sun
June 24, 2002 -- Post: Delay vote on Yucca dump -- This is the Denver Post's editorial that ran Sunday -- The U.S. Senate should not approve the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project unless the Department of Energy first answers some hard questions that the Bush administration has sidestepped -- Reprint - Las Vegas Sun (Related Story - Matching $1.5 million now available for nuke campaign)
June 24, 2002 -- Few legislators contribute to Yucca fight fund -- CARSON CITY -- The Legislature gave $7 million in taxpayer funds to a public relations and legal fight against a proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, but few lawmakers dipped into their own pockets to contribute -- Las Vegas Sun
June 24, 2002 -- NRC extends comment period on draft plan --
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended for another 45 days the period of time the public can comment on its Yucca Mountain review draft plan . . . The draft plan guides the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff on evaluating a potential license application for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The Energy Department has said it plans to submit a proposed license application to the commission by December 2004 - Las Vegas Sun
June 21, 2002 -- Goodman criticizes use of anti-Yucca money -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman criticized the anti-Yucca Mountain advertising campaign on Thursday, saying that if the city's $150,000 contribution went toward television commercials, it could have been better spent - Las Vegas Sun
June 21, 2002 -- Reid seeks to cut budget for dump -- Defense bill in Senate chops request for Yucca Mountain by $100 million -- WASHINGTON -- While Congress publicly debates the Yucca Mountain Project, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., quietly is trying once again to gut its budget. A 2003 defense bill being formed in the Senate cuts $100 million from the proposed Nevada nuclear waste repository. If Congress follows through, the Bush administration's budget for nuclear waste disposal next year would be cut by 19 percent - Las Vegas Review Journal
June 19, 2002 -- NRC to examine testing of casks used to haul waste -- ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Under pressure from Nevada officials and other Yucca Mountain critics, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is examining how new tests will be conducted on the steel containers used to haul high-level nuclear waste. Nevada officials have long said the NRC should conduct full-scale stress tests on modern casks used to transport the waste on trucks and trains. They say such tests should be conducted before any final Yucca approvals are granted -- including by Congress - Las Vegas Sun
June 19, 2002 -- Yucca ad campaign takes hit -- CARSON CITY -- Nevada's fight against Yucca Mountain took an unexpected hit Tuesday when a state legislative committee was told it could release only $434,000 to the campaign against the proposed nuclear repository -- By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun, Capital Bureau
June 19, 2002 -- Senate Republicans call on Daschle to open Yucca debate -- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate began to sharpen its focus on Yucca Mountain on Tuesday as supporters of the proposed nuclear waste repository initiated a strategy that soon will lead to a showdown with Nevada's senators over the project - Las Vegas Review Journal
June 18, 2002 -- NRC to hear update on transportation studies -- WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today is scheduled to hear an update on "current and future" nuclear waste transportation safety studies, including research by the Sandia National Laboratories. Nevada officials have made the issue of waste shipping a central point in their broader argument against Yucca Mountain . . . Las Vegas Sun
June 18, 2002 -- Senator sees easy Yucca approval -- WASHINGTON -- A leading Senate advocate for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain today predicted the project would pass relatively easily with 58 to 62 senators voting for it. But Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said a procedural vote that would determine whether to hold a final vote on the proposed repository in Nevada should pass, but by a narrower margin -- Las Vegas Sun
June 18, 2002 -- Five to be nominated for review board -- Five scientists with track records in the study of safe handling of hazardous materials or in the study of how materials corrode are in line to be appointed to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. President Bush announced Monday that he intends to nominate the five to the board that independently evaluates the research on a proposed high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain - Las Vegas Sun
June 18, 2002 -- Mayors OK resolution on Yucca shipments -- By hammering on  the dangers of transportation, Nevada leaders were able to sway more than 200 U.S. mayors to approve a resolution that asks Congress to prohibit shipments of high-level nuclear waste unless funding, training and equipment are given to cities along the route -- Las Vegas Sun (View Resolution)
June 17, 2002 -- State official sees long Yucca fight -- RENO -- A state official on nuclear waste says the legal fight to stop Yucca Mountain could go on for up to eight years and will probably end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Joseph Strolin of the Agency for Nuclear Projects told the state Board of Health Friday that if Congress overrides the veto of Gov. Kenny Guinn, the "fight has just begun." The state has "strong legal and technical" arguments to stop Yucca Mountain from being used as a repository for the nation's high-level nuclear waste, he said - Las Vegas Sun
June 14, 2002 -- 4.4 earthquake hits near Yucca -- A magnitude 4.4 earthquake this morning outside the Amargosa Valley rattled the fears of Yucca Mountain opponents, who argue that the site of the nation's proposed nuclear waste repository is unsafe. The earthquake hit about 5:40 this morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, in an area about 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Seismologists said the temblor hit Little Skull Mountain on the Nevada Test Site, about 12 1/2 miles southeast of
Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Sun
June 14, 2002 -- Yucca price tag estimated $58 billion -- WASHINGTON — The proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain will cost several times what America spent to build the Hoover Dam, World Trade Center and even the Panama Canal in equivalent dollars.
Yucca Mountain’s estimated price tag of $58 billion rivals the world’s costliest construction projects — the Three Gorges Dam in China, which will hold back the Yangtze River, and the International Space Station -- By Doug Abrahms, Reno Gazette-Journal
June 14, 2002 -- NRC official talks of options if Yucca dies in Congress -- WASHINGTON -- If the U.S. Senate were to kill the Yucca Mountain Project, nuclear waste could remain safely stored at power plants for the "decades" it would take to find a replacement repository, according to the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- Las Vegas Review Journal
June 14, 2002 -- Yucca price tag estimated $58 billion -- WASHINGTON — The proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain will cost several times what America spent to build the Hoover Dam, World Trade Center and even the Panama Canal in equivalent dollars.
Yucca Mountain’s estimated price tag of $58 billion rivals the world’s costliest construction projects — the Three Gorges Dam in China, which will hold back the Yangtze River, and the International Space Station -- By Doug Abrahms, Reno Gazette-Journal
June 13, 2002 -- Ensign urges colleagues to block Yucca vote -- WASHINGTON -- With his battle to persuade Republican senators to oppose Yucca Mountain all but lost, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., has shifted strategies and is now trying to rally them behind an effort to block a Yucca vote from happening at all. A Senate vote on Yucca is expected this month or next, and a majority -- including all but two of the Senate's 49 Republicans -- is expected to approve Yucca - Las Vegas Sun
June 13, 2002 -- Nevada mayors to lobby against Yucca at conference -- Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will join Reno's mayor in Madison, Wis., at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors to help lobby for a resolution urging the Senate to postpone a decision on Yucca Mountain. The resolution, sponsored by Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, is scheduled to be heard by a 14-member committee of mayors this weekend -- Las Vegas Sun
June 12, 2002 -- State hopes site boosts Yucca fight -- Data puts issue in many Americans' back yards -- WASHINGTON -- Nearly 39 percent of the nation lives within five miles of proposed truck and train routes that could be used to haul high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, according to a research organization website launched Tuesday -- Las Vegas Sun
June 11, 2002 -- Judge refuses to force Nevada to give water to Yucca Mountain --LAS VEGAS — A federal judge refused Tuesday to turn on the water at the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
repository site, saying the federal government has sufficient water reserves to last until Congress makes a final decision on the
project - AP
June 11, 2002 -- Nevada fails to reach funding goal -- CARSON CITY -- Nevada has fallen short of raising $3 million in state matching funds to fight Senate approval of the Yucca
Mountain nuclear waste dump, officials said.
The state has raised $1.9 million in private donations so far, but hasn't been able to raise the rest - Las Vegas Sun
June 11, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Internet site tracks paths to repository
Group draws upon DOE information about proposed transportation routes -- WASHINGTON -- An environmental group unveils a tool on the Internet today that allows people to learn how close nuclear waste might pass by their neighborhoods and schools if it were to be shipped to a repository in Nevada. The www.mapscience.org Web site was built by the Environmental Working Group. The Washington, D.C.-based organization is challenging the Department of Energy's plan to transport 77,000 tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel along railways and highways to Yucca Mountain 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas beginning in 2010 - By Steve Tetreault
Stephens Washington Bureau
June 09, 2002 -- NUCLEAR WASTE: Parallels seen in states' battles -- But South Carolina no ally of Nevada when it comes to Yucca Mountain AIKEN, S.C. -- The nuclear dramas playing out in Nevada and South Carolina have more parallels than you can shake a spent fuel rod at -- By TONY BATT
Stephens Washington Bureau
June 07, 2002 -- Yucca fight in Senate looking grim -- Reid, Ensign still lobbying for votes -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign are not throwing in the towel in their effort in the Senate to kill making Yucca Mountain a nuclear waste repository, despite signs this week that at least 51 senators intend to vote for the project. After the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the project on a 13-10 vote Wednesday, Ensign, a Republican, and Reid, a Democrat, acknowledged that Yucca was likely to pass unless they could prevent a vote with procedural maneuvers. The Senate is expected to vote before July 25 -- Las Vegas Sun
June 06, 2002 -- Nevada to challenge DOE in lawsuit -- Injunction sought to stop Yucca project -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials planned to file their most sweeping lawsuit to date today challenging environmental studies that led President Bush to select Yucca Mountain for a nuclear waste repository. The lawsuit charges the Department of Energy violated major environmental and nuclear policy laws when it put together a final impact statement on the proposed Nevada storage site -- Las Vegas Review Journal View/Print Lawsuit (53 Pages)
June 06, 2002 Reid, Ensign doubt they can stop Yucca if Senate votes on it -- WASHINGTON (AP) - After a defeat on a key committee vote, Nevada's two senators acknowledged Wednesday there's little chance of stopping the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project if it comes up for a direct vote in the Senate
June 06, 2002 -- Senate (committee) panel passes Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- A key Senate panel approved Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository today, leaving one final congressional hurdle for the project: the full Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the controversial plan, 13-10, sending the measure to the full Senate for a vote by the end of July. The 23-member committee voted mostly along party lines to approve Yucca Mountain as the permanent burial site of the nation's nuclear waste - Las Vegas Sun (Related Information - Summary of Testimony at the Congressional hearing)
June 05 -- County officials head to D.C. for YMP vote -- Override of governor's veto expected to be voted out of Senate committee this morning -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote this morning on a joint resolution that would clear the way for the burial of 77,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, and Nye County Commission Chairman Jeff Taguchi plans to be there -- Pharump Valley Times
June 4, 2002 -- Actor and Activist Mike Farrell Delivers Letter from Celebrities Opposing Dangerous Nuclear Dumps -- Celebrities Urge Senate to Reject Yucca Mountain and Skull Valley Projects -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mike Farrell, well known for his lead role on M*A*S*H and for his long-time commitment to human rights and environmental issues, delivered a letter to Congress today signed by more than 50 celebrities urging the U.S. Senate to reject two nuclear dump proposals -- Public Citizen
June 03, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain isn’t only place to store nuclear waste, some of its foes say -- WASHINGTON -- An alternative to building a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain does exist, Nevada representatives say, but the Department of Energy doesn’t want to talk about it. In 2000 the department signed an agreement with Peco Energy of Philadelphia that will turn over control of the utility’s nuclear waste at its Peach Bottom power plant in Pennsylvania to the federal government. Peco would store its nuclear waste on-site in casks and manage the facility, but the Energy Department takes ownership of the radioactive material -- -- Reno Gazette Journal.
June 03, 2002 -- Reid wants ethics investigation of Energy Department official -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is calling for an ethics investigation into whether an Energy Department official improperly helped two nuclear waste companies that once employed him . . . Reid, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, said Undersecretary of Energy Robert Card, who runs the department's nuclear waste cleanup programs, appears to have worked on issues involving his former companies _ Kaiser-Hill Co. and CH2M Hill _ in violation of Bush administration conflict-of-interest rules and federal statutes. In a letter sent last week, Reid asked the Office of Government Ethics to investigate - AP
June 03, 2002 -- Nuclear power plants running out of storage space --
WASHINGTON -- From New York to Arizona, nuclear power plants are running out of room in the spent-fuel pool -- By 2004, about 30 power plants across the nation will run out of storage space in the ponds used to cool and store used nuclear fuel, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry trade group. And the vast majority of the nation’s 104 commercial atomic reactors will hit this same problem by 2010 — the earliest date that the proposed nuclear waste facility could open at Yucca Mountain near Las Vegas -- By Doug Abrahms, Reno Gaxette-Journal
July
July 31, 2002 -- New study warns of volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain --
WASHINGTON — A volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain could do more damage than previously thought, possibly forcing radioactive waste from its burial site to the surface, according to a new study. If long-dormant volcanoes near the prospective high-level nuclear waste dump sprang back to life, molten rock moving at up to 600 mph could fill the repository deep beneath the Nevada desert within hours, said an article in the July issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union -- AP
July 30, 2002 -- Feds work feverishly on Yucca project -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department plans to "jump start" plans for transporting high-level nuclear waste to Nevada in order to open Yucca Mountain by 2010, the project's top administrator said today. (More Coverage - Reno Gazette-Journal)
July 30, 2002 -- Scientists to report on ground water flow from Yucca --Seattle scientists are scheduled to report in September on a study to determine the direction of ground water flow from a planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository -- Las Vegas Sun
July 26, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT: State-funded survey: Majority wants fight
Poll's credibility questioned since it was conducted before Senate vote -- Declaring that "the battle has just begun," Nuclear Projects Commission Chairman Brian McKay said Thursday he is encouraged by Nevada's legal strategy for defeating the Yucca Mountain Project - Las Vegas Review Journal
July 26, 2002 -- DOE expected to seek more Yucca Mountain money $94 million supplemental budget pending -- WASHINGTON -- Seeking to capitalize on its recent victory in Congress, the Department of Energy is preparing to ask lawmakers for additional money this year to speed work on the Yucca Mountain Project, sources confirmed Thursday -- Las Vegas Review Journal
July 25, 2002 -- Lawyer confident Yucca project will fail -- State's legal strategy for fighting nuclear waste repository laid out at briefing -- The lawyer leading Nevada's effort to thwart the Yucca Mountain Project claimed Wednesday that federal agencies have left a paper trail that shows scientists knew in 1995 the ridge can't isolate the nation's spent nuclear fuel -- Las Vegas Review Journal
July 23, 2002 -- Bush Clears Way for Yucca Nuclear Waste Dump -- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brushing aside state safety concerns and objections from Nevada lawmakers, President Bush ( news - web sites) signed a resolution on Tuesday clearing the way for the burial of nuclear waste from across the nation in Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
July 23, 2002 -- Reid takes bite out of Energy Department spending --
Nevada Democrat's committee unveils plan to cut nuclear waste disposal budget by 36 percent -- -- WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid took a fresh swipe Monday at the Yucca Mountain Project, proposing to cut the Energy Department's budget for nuclear waste disposal by more than a third. The Nevada Democrat, chairman of a Senate energy and water subcommittee, unveiled a 2003 spending plan with $336 million for the department to continue preparing a license application for the nuclear waste repository.
July 18, 2002 -- Routes to Yucca Mountain discussed -- Energy Department official says rail most likely choice but decision won't be made for years -- STATELINE -- An Energy Department official told members of a legislative conference Wednesday that railroads are the most likely choice for nuclear waste shipments to a repository at Yucca Mountain, and that the material can be transported safely -- Las Vegas Review Journal
July 14, 2002 -- OPINION -- Nevada prepared to fight in court -- Frankie Sue Del Papa, Attorney General, State of Nevada -- Published in the Nevada Appeal (Carson City) (Related artical - Reno Gazette Journal)
July 14, 2002 -- Yucca loss could boost Reid, Ensign, Guinn -- Nevada's top three politicians were trounced last week in perhaps the biggest battle of their careers when the U.S. Senate voted 60-39 in favor of Yucca Mountain -- By Benjamin Grove and Erin Neff, Las Vegas Sun
July 12, 2002 -- Nevada urges stricter safety rules for nuke dump -- LAS VEGAS — Nevada opened a new front Friday in its attempt to block the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump,
petitioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for stricter safety standards at the site. The administrative appeal to the NRC comes three days after Congress gave final legislative approval to President Bush’s selection of Yucca Mountain as the site to entomb the nation’s spent nuclear fuel - AP
July 12, 2002 -- State's cost for lawsuits over Yucca climbing -- CARSON CITY -- Nevada has invested about $2 million over the past 18 months to pursue a variety of lawsuits designed to stop the Yucca Mountain Project - Las Vegas Review Journal
July 11, 2002 -- Goodman isn't optimistic about winning Yucca fight -- Las Vegas mayor returns from 'two brutal days' in D.C. -- Although he spent more than three decades as a criminal defense attorney, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he is not optimistic that Nevada will win its fight against the Yucca Mountain project in the courts . . . Nevada has several lawsuits pending in federal court designed to kill the project but after Tuesday's vote, Goodman said the issue is purely political rather than based on science -- Las Vegas Sun
July 11, 2002 -- Senators who led in nuke money voted for Yucca -- WASHINGTON -- The senators who have received the most money from the nuclear industry voted for Yucca Mountain,according to a campaign money watchdog group. The 45 Republicans who voted for the nuclear waste dump project on Tuesday received an average $50,585 between 1997 and 2002 from companies that operate nuclear power plants, nuclear trade groups, and companies that develop nuclear
technology -- Las Vegas Sun
July 11, 2002 -- Yucca foes shift focus to NRC -- Activists aim to poke holes in licensing application -- WASHINGTON -- Anti-Yucca Mountain activists said they plan to sustain their effort to derail the project, despite a crushing blow to their cause in the Senate this week -- Las Vegas Sun
July 09, 2002 SENATE APPROVES YUCCA NUCLEAR WASTE SITE -- Bush plan: 77,000 tons of waste beneath mountain -- WASHINGTON (AP) --The Senate voted Tuesday to entomb thousands of tons of  radioactive waste inside Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert, rejecting the state's fervent protests and ending years of political debate over nuclear waste disposal. The Senate action came despite the refusal of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, to bring up the matter, forcing Republican senators to use a provision of a 1982 waste law that allow any senator to demand a vote. The same law required the Senate to act by July 26, or the Yucca site would be shut down automatically.
Related Stories:
Congress OKs Nuclear Waste in Nevada -- (AP)
YUCCA MOUNTAIN: SENATE OKS DUMP -- Nuclear lobby wins by count of 60-39 -- by Steve Tetreault, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Ensign's lobbying fails to garner votes -- by Tony Batt, Las Vegas Review-Journal
VENUE CHANGE: State pins last hopes on courts -- Elected officials confident they can prevail by exposing DOE flaws -- by Steve Tetreault, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Yucca Mountain Controversy Chronology -- Las Vegas Sun
July 09, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Senate vote expected today
Utah Republicans, Illinois Democrat come out in favor of dumping nuclear waste in Nevada -- WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration on Monday collared support for the Yucca Mountain Project from Utah's wavering senators,  dealing a severe blow to Nevada leaders as they brace for today's anticipated showdown on the nuclear waste repository. Republicans Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett said they would vote to override Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of the Yucca Mountain Project. The Bush administration promised to help the Utah senators derail efforts to store nuclear waste on the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation -- by Steve Tetreault, Las Vegas Review-Journal (Related Story - Utah senators agree to back Yucca Mountain plan in deal with White House)
July 09, 2002 -- Senate nears decision today on Yucca Mountain -- AP - Over the objections of Democratic leaders, Senate Republicans on Tuesday moved to force a vote on a proposal to send thousands of tons of nuclear waste for burial in the Nevada desert. Democrats immediately objected, setting up a pair of votes later in the day on whether to consider and approve a resolution overriding Nevada's veto of the proposed waste site at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
July 08, 2002 -- Vote cast on dump was ploy, some say GOP congressman changed position on Yucca Mountain -- WASHINGTON -- In May, 13 of 222 Republicans in the House voted
against siting a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. One of the 13 votes came from Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., the chief campaign fund-raiser for House Republicans - By TONY BATT, Sephens Washington Bureau
July 07, 2002 -- Vegas rally calls on Senate to reject Nevada nuclear waste dump --LAS VEGAS (AP) - Opponents of a proposed national nuclear waste repository in Nevada rallied here on Sunday, highlighting what they call fatal flaws in the plan and calling for the U.S. Senate to reject it in a crucial vote that could come this week. We all know this is not a science issue," Paul Brown, southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said from the sun-drenched outdoor podium at the Clark County Government Center. (More Coverage)
July 06, 2002 -- Waste Land -- Should Nuclear Waste Be Moved to a Central Facility? -- By Barry Serafin, ABC News
July 06, 2002 -- Yucca mineral deposits bolster state's argument -- Nevada's attorney general intends to bolster the state's case against the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository with a new report that shows the volcanic-rock ridge is ripe for catastrophe -- Las Vegas Review Journal
July 05, 2002 -- Track troubles: Number of train derailments rises in recent years -- WASHINGTON — A train ran off the tracks in Colfax, Calif., in May. And in Runnels, Iowa. And Kanapolis, N.C.
A derailed train in Potterville, Mich., leaked liquid propane over Memorial Day weekend, forcing 2,200 people to evacuate their homes for several days -- Reno Gazette Journal
July 05, 2002 -- Top teachers union takes stance against dumpsite --
The nation's leading teachers union endorsed a formal stance against Yucca Mountain Thursday -- Members of the National Education Association attending an annual conference in Dallas this week voted to stand behind the Nevada State Education Association and the state of Nevada in their efforts to block Yucca (Related Story -- Utah chambers join fight against Yucca) ( Another Related Story) -- Las Vegas Sun
July 05, 2002 -- Group seeks DOE quake assessment records --
Citing the Energy Department's rapid conclusion that a recent earthquake did no damage to a proposed nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain, advocacy group Public Citizen has filed a request for the assessment records -- Las Vegas Sun
July 02, 2002 -- Utah senators favor keeping nuclear waste out of Skull Valley -- PROVO,Utah (AP) - Utah's senators still don't know how they will vote on the proposed national storage site at Yucca Mountain, Nev., because they are unsure whether it would help or hinder the Goshutes' plan to store such waste on their Skull Valley reservation in Utah.
July 01, 2002 -- Daschle, Reid man phones to solicit 'no' votes --
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and his top deputy, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will make phone calls to their Democratic colleagues this week in a final-hour effort to secure "no" votes on Yucca Mountain, Daschle said.
Congress is taking a week-long holiday break, but lawmakers are expected to take action on the nuclear waste project when they return next week -- Las Vegas Sun
August
August 29, 2002 -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is again advertising for Yucca Mountain tours, irking Nevada officials -- A one-quarter page advertisement in Wednesday's B section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal invited the public to three free tours of the Yucca site. The department aims to make the desert ridge the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump, a plan Congress approved this year. The department expects 225 people on each of the tours Sept. 21, Oct. 19 and Nov. 16. A box lunch is included for a $6 fee, the ad says -- Las Vegas Review Journal
August 28, 2002 -- Attorney aiding Nevada's Yucca fight `very encouraged' -- RENO -- A high-profile Washington, D.C., attorney hired by Nevada to help in its fight against Yucca Mountain said Tuesday he is "very encouraged" that the state might have a case against the repository on constitutional grounds -- Las Vegas Review Journal
August 28, 2002 -- List of lawsuits Nevada has filed to block Yucca Mountain. - Reno Gazette Journal
August 27, 2002 -- Del Papa vows fight in courts against Yucca -- RENO -- Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said today the next 18 months are critical in the state's fight to stop the construction of a high-level nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain --
by By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun -- SUN CAPITAL BUREAU
August 22, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Group calls analysis after quake hasty Agency rushed to downplay temblor, Public Citizen says -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department may have been too eager to downplay a June 14 earthquake near Yucca Mountain, an environmental group said Wednesday -- Las Vegas Review Journal
August 16, 2002 -- Next in saga over planned dumpsite: Debating list of 293 unresolved issues -- WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's list of 293 "unresolved" scientific issues at Yucca Mountain often has been the center of debate about the project. To a layman, the list is virtually undecipherable, written in a secret language of technical jargon. To Nevada officials, the list is prose, a beautifully itemized catalog of gaps in Energy Department research to make Yucca the world's first high-level nuclear waste burial ground -- Las Vegas Sun
August 14, 2002 -- Nevada sticks to Yucca attack -- Nevada continued its battle this week against federal plans to put radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain, challenging a draft document that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued to guide licensing of the repository. In 13 pages of comments the NRC received Monday from the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency, state officials said the draft Yucca Mountain Review Plan is riddled with shortcomings that "mirror the frailties" of federal regulations for disposal of the nation's spent reactor fuel and highly radioactive defense wastes -- Las Vegas Review Journal
Summer 2002 -- State of Nevada Yucca Mountain Survey -- A recent survey conducted for the State of Nevada found that, despite action in the Congress to override Governor Guinn’s veto of the Yucca Mountain program, opposition to the program remains high. Statewide, over 76% of Nevadans oppose locating a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and would vote against it if given the opportunity. Only slightly more than 20% support the project -- State of Nevada, Nuclear Waste Project Office
August 13, 2002 -- Nevada mayors express concern over Yucca Mountain -- MINDEN -- Mayors from across Nevada have expressed concern about transportation risks stemming from President Bush's recent approval of Yucca Mountain as the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump. At the annual Nevada League of Cities conference here over the weekend, the mayors questioned whether waste shipments to Yucca Mountain 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas would be safe and secure -- AP
August 12, 2002 -- Judge Allows Suit to Proceed Against Energy Department over Nuclear Waste -- WASHINGTON — A federal district court judge late Friday denied the Department of Energy's motion to dismiss a suit alleging that the agency gave itself the authority to illegally reclassify high-level nuclear waste so that it could leave it at three facilities. In his ruling, the judge, B. Lynn Winmill at U.S. District Court in Boise, said, "[I]t is inconceivable that Congress intended to allow the DOE unfettered discretion in the management of radioactive waste as the Defendants [DOE] have alleged." (A pdf file of the judge's decision is available from NRDC.) -- ENN Online
August 11, 2002 -- Nye County seeks role in nuclear waste project -- WASHINGTON -- While Nevada's top officials are building lawsuits to fight the Yucca Mountain Project, leaders in rural Nye County continue to march in the opposite direction. County commissioners said last week they plan to strengthen ties with the Energy Department as it develops a nuclear waste repository within the county's borders -- Las Vegas Review Journal
August 09, 2002 -- Majority want to continue Yucca fight --
A majority of state residents say Nevada should continue to fight the planned Yucca Mountain radioactive waste dump, a new poll shows. The Reno Gazette-Journal/News 4 survey shows support for the battle is stronger in Washoe County, although the desert repository is located in southern Nevada, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas - Reno Gazette Journal
August 08, 2002 -- YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Ethics policy tangles anti-dump strategies Employees who quit after working on project face restrictions -- WASHINGTON -- A new government ethics advisory could complicate Nevada's legal campaign against the Yucca Mountain Project, state officials say -- Las Vegas Review Journal
August 02, 2002 -- UP takes 'selective' look at possible nuke waste routes --The story goes something like this: A few weeks ago, an official from the Union Pacific Railroad visited Pahrump to check out the topography and the availability of land here. What he wanted to know was whether the valley could be used for a rail spur that would connect existing track with what may become Union Pacific's next big stop - Yucca Mountain -- Pahrump Balley Times
August, 2002 -- Nevada's position on how DOE must approach snf and HLW transportation planning -- State of Nevada, Governors Office
August 01, 2002 -- New study warns of volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain --
WASHINGTON — A volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain could do more damage than previously thought, possibly forcing radioactive waste from its burial site to the surface, according to a new study. If long-dormant volcanoes near the prospective high-level nuclear waste dump sprang back to life, molten rock moving at up to 600 mph could fill the repository deep beneath the Nevada desert within hours, said an article in the July issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union -- AP
September
September 30, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain battle not over -- The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is not a done deal as legal challenges are being waged on a number of fronts, a spokesman for the activist group Citizen Alert said Sunday -- Reno Gazette Journal
September 29, 2002 -- EDITORIAL: Another setback in the state's Yucca fight Federal appeals court ruling will likely be touted by pro-dump crowd -- Nevada officials did their best to spin a recent court decision on nuclear waste as a victory for the anti-Yucca Mountain cause. Don't believe it. In fact, Thursday's decision throwing out a deal the Department of Energy reached with a Pennsylvania utility regarding the storage of nuclear waste will almost certainly increase pressure to get the repository up and running -- Las Vegas Review Journal
September 28, 2002 -- A tribe divided over waste -- Plan to store nuclear materials on reservation sows rift -- Salt Lake City - The chaos that erupted just over a year ago in the Goshute Indians' tribal headquarters normally wouldn't even make the police briefs of the local newspaper - JS Online
September 25, 2002 -- Nuke industry concentrates on licensing of Nevada dump --WASHINGTON -- Now that Congress has approved Yucca Mountain, nuclear industry officials have shifted their lobbying priorities, a top industry leader says. In this "post-Yucca vote era," top nuclear industry executives have two top goals, said Joe Colvin, president and chief executive of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's leading lobby group. One: prod lawmakers to approve a record $593 million budget for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump project for next year. President Bush requested the amount but Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has already moved to cut the funding. And two: help the Energy Department compile an application for a license for Yucca Mountain -- Las Vegas Sun
September 25, 2002 -- Yucca a source of pride for Bush -- WASHINGTON -- In a draft document touting President Bush's environmental accomplishments, the White House says Yucca Mountain will protect public health and safety and "should be able to meet EPA's radiological protection standards." The 32-page draft called "The Bush Administration's Environmental Accomplishments" is an update of a list released last spring that chronicles Bush's progress on lands, water and air quality issues, said a White House source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The earlier version was made public and distributed to reporters at a Senate hearing in March, the source said -- Las Vegas Sun.
September 23, 2002 -- Nuke fuel route supposed to stay out of LV Valley -- The Energy Department has promised Gov. Kenny Guinn to keep nuclear weapons-grade fuel shipments planned for shipment from New Mexico to the Nevada Test Site off Hoover Dam and out of the Las Vegas Valley. The National Nuclear Security Administration on Friday published its intent by 2006 or 2007 to start shipments of plutonium, uranium and four reactors currently at a facility in New Mexico to the Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sun
September 22, 2002 -- New nuclear waste estimates show need to expand Yucca Mountain --
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Current plans for the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain do not include enough space to hold all the liquid radioactive waste to be produced by the federal government, according to an Energy Department official.
September 22, 2002 -- Nevada loses fledgling birth-defects registry -- RENO, Nev. (AP) - Nevada has lost its fledgling birth-defects registry, and supporters say its demise couldn't have come at a worse time. They said the state needs to develop a log of birth defects cases to compare with the number found in the event the nation's nuclear waste dump is built at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
September 20, 2002 -- Del Papa makes Yucca charge -- Official says agencies holding private meetings on project -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa charged Thursday that two government agencies are holding private meetings to develop the Yucca Mountain Project without notifying the state and the public -- Las Vegas Review Journal (Read the Attorney General's letter) (More Coverage)
September 20, 2002 -- Pro-nuke lobby urges OK on Yucca spending -- Twelve nuclear industry companies and several other pro-nuclear groups on Thursday turned up the volume on their plea to Congress to spend $593 million on Yucca Mountain next year, the highest annual budget ever -- Las Vegas Sun
September 11, 2002 -- YUCCA TIMETABLE: Deadlines expected to be met Chu wants to submit license application in 2004, see nuclear waste at repository in 2010 -- Despite congressional approval of the Yucca Mountain Project this summer, uncertainties abound regarding a plan for transporting nuclear waste to Nevada, finalizing the repository's design and funding the project -- Las Vegas Review Journal
September 11, 2002 -- DOE expects to have waste transportation plan in a year -- The Energy Department's chief scientist in charge of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository said the agency will have a national transportation plan ready in a year for shipping the expected 77,000 tons of radioactive waste. Once Congress approved Yucca Mountain as the repository site, Energy Department officials focused on preparing a licensing application due to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December 2004, said Margaret Chu, director of the DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Office.
"Since transportation activities have been deferred for years, DOE needs to develop and implement a national transportation program," Chu told the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board at a meeting Tuesday at the Alexis Park hotel - Las Vegas Sun
September 09, 2002 -- Federal court keeps alive Nevada’s challenges to Yucca dump --
LAS VEGAS — Nevada’s legal challenges to the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository moved another step forward after a federal judicial panel in Washington refused to dismiss three state lawsuits on procedural grounds. Nevada officials on Monday hailed a three-part decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as significant legal victories, while an Energy Department official downplayed them as “just procedural stuff” -- AP
September 09, 2002 -- House panel seeks faster Yucca license application -- House lawmakers are goading the Energy Department to speed up the plan to construct the world's first high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. A 223-page report written by the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on energy and water asks for $524 million for Yucca Mountain and urges the department to move faster with its application for the dump -- Las Vegas Sun
September 06, 2002 -- Bush pursues boost in Yucca funding -- Reid spokeswoman calls request 'ridiculous' --
WASHINGTON -- President Bush is asking Congress for an additional $66.1 million to spend on the Yucca Mountain Project next year but has failed so far to persuade lawmakers to go along. Bush requested the money on top of a $527 million Yucca Mountain budget request sent to Congress in February. The add-on was prepared after the Senate voted July 9 to finalize the president's choice of the Nevada site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for a nuclear waste repository.
September 06, 2002 -- State approves contract to continue Yucca legal fight -- $4 million pact retains Virginia law firm -- CARSON CITY -- The Board of Examiners on Thursday approved a $4 million contract with a Washington, D.C., legal firm to continue Nevada's fight against construction of a high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. The contract with Egan & Associates of Virginia runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2003, and was approved by Gov. Kenny Guinn, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and Secretary of State Dean Heller despite concerns over the state's financial health - Las Vegas Review Journal
September 05, 2002 -- Tougher Yucca rules requested -- Suit asks court to strengthen radiation standards on water -- Seven environmental and public interest groups suing the federal government over ground water radiation standards for a proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository asked the court on Wednesday to strengthen a rule on how to measure contamination from the dump. The request was part of a reply brief filed jointly with the state of Nevada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit -- Las Vegas Sun
September 03, 2002 -- State to sign new contract for lawyers to fight nuke dump -- CARSON CITY -- State officials are ready to sign a new $4 million contract for high-priced private attorneys who will lead the fight against a nuclear dumpsite at Yucca Mountain. The state Board of Examiners will be asked Thursday to approve the contract with Egan & Associates, a McLean, Va., law firm that specializes in nuclear issues.
Summer 2002 -- State of Nevada Yucca Mountain Survey -- A recent survey conducted for the State of Nevada found that, despite action in the Congress to override Governor Guinn’s veto of the Yucca Mountain program, opposition to the program remains high. Statewide, over 76% of Nevadans oppose locating a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and would vote against it if given the opportunity. Only slightly more than 20% support the project -- State of Nevada, Nuclear Waste Project Office
October
October 31, 2002 -- Letter to Dorothy N. Callier, U.S. Department of Energy. The Letter conveys Eureka County's comments on DOE's Draft Statement of Work for a Transportation Integration Contractor
October 29, 2002 -- State of Nevada Comments on DOE's Draft Statement of Work For a Transportation Integration Contractor -- State of Nevada, Agency for Nuclear Projects
October 28, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain center of debate by candidates -- Rep. Shelley Berkley said Sunday night in a live televised debate that if Democrats took over the leadership reins in the House of Representatives, Yucca Mountain would be dead. Berkley, D-Nev., said if Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., becomes speaker of the House, "he will stand up as he has with the state of Nevada and will cut all funding and gut the project" -- Las Vegas Sun
October 26, 2002 -- Activists wants DOE to disclose routes to Yucca Mountain -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Activists plan a campaign to ensure the Energy Department fully discloses routes that would be used to ship nuclear waste to Nevada if a waste repository is built at Yucca Mountain. They said Friday they don't want the Yucca project to become an example of "environmental racism," where it is charged the government and industry locate dangerous plants in minority and low-income communities, promising jobs but not disclosing health hazards -- (More Coverage)
October 24, 2002 -- Missed license deadline adds fuel to Yucca battle -- WASHINGTON -- Nevada officials this week added one more complaint to the legal challenges they are piling up against the Energy Department's plan to construct a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. The next step in the department project is to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to begin construction on the dump site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. By law the department was to submit the license application 90 days after Yucca was officially approved as a suitable site to bury 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste -- Las Vegas Sun
October 22, 2002 -- Berkley demands DOE tell state of NRC meetings -- Nevada officials left out of Yucca loop -- WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley has asked the Energy Department for documentation of meetings it has held with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about Yucca Mountain. And she is demanding notice of future meetings -- Las Vegas Sun
October 22, 2002 -- Yucca project misses deadline -- Energy officials shrug off filing license application -- WASHINGTON -- Another deadline has come and gone for the Yucca Mountain Project.
A 1982 federal law gave the Energy Department 90 days to prepare and submit a detailed construction license application after designating a site to bury 77,000 tons of radioactive spent fuel and nuclear waste -- Las Vegas Review Journal
October 15, 2002 -- County urged to take Yucca stand -- Two Clark County advisory committees recommended that the County Commission support the state in its effort to stop a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain without negotiating for benefits - Las Vegas Sun
October 12, 2002 -- $2.85 million spent to kill Yucca Mountain in Senate -- Agency for Nuclear Projects report says effort `served its purpose' -- CARSON CITY -- Nevada taxpayers and volunteer contributors paid out $2.85 million in a failed state effort to win votes in the U.S. Senate against Yucca Mountain, but the campaign was not in vain, according to a report detailing the expenses - Las Vegas Review Journal
October 11, 2002 -- Agency creates management jobs for Yucca project -- Energy Department officials say new posts reflect shift from research to building dump -- WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department is installing new Yucca Mountain Project managers in Nevada and Washington, part of a program shift that includes a new name for its Las Vegas office.
October 10, 2002 -- Negotiating with the federal government, a Nevada perspective -- From the start, the problem in negotiating with the federal government over nuclear-waste storage at Yucca Mountain has been trust -- Nevada Appeal editorial board
October 08, 2002 -- Panel told Nevada should keep up pressure against nuclear dump -- CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Lawmakers were told Tuesday any negotiations with the federal government over a proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain would reduce Nevada's leverage in its fight against the project. Bob Loux, director of the state Office of Nuclear Projects, said the federal Department of Energy, which is pushing the nuclear waste project, has a history of making "empty promises." Loux told the Nevada Legislature's Committee on High-Level Radioactive Waste that the best strategy for Nevada is "to keep an arms-length, adversarial relationship."
October 04, 2002 -- Water level not declining at Yucca -- CARSON CITY -- A study by the U.S. Geological Survey of the level of underground water in the Yucca Mountain region shows there has been little decline. The study, released Thursday, analyzed trends in ground-water levels and spring discharges from a network of sites in the Yucca region where the U.S. Department of Energy is working on a high level nuclear dump -- Las Vegas Sun
November
November 30, 2002 -- Appeal to focus on hazardous waste permit -- Filing to be latest try to let judge rule on whether DOE acted properly on Yucca Mountain -- The Energy Department failed to evaluate the need for obtaining a hazardous waste permit from Nevada when it issued its final environmental impact statement for the Yucca Mountain Project this year, according to court papers the state is preparing to file Monday in Washington, D.C. -- Las Vegas Review Journal
November 28, 2002 -- Ex-Inspector: Yucca Mountain Has Problems -- LAS VEGAS- A former senior government inspector at Yucca Mountain said the project was riddled with potential problems and will have a hard time getting a federal license to store nuclear waste if crucial safety data cannot be documented - AP
November 27, 2002 -- Workshop derided as pro-Yucca 'love-in'-- Panel asked to make time to hear from critics of nuclear waste project -- WASHINGTON -- A technical board that advises the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the Yucca Mountain Project heard only part of the story at a workshop it held last week on nuclear waste transportation, Nevada officials complained Tuesday - STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU (Related Informations -- Letter from the State of Nevada to DOE)
November 27, 2002 -- Senators seek GAO probe of new Yucca allegations -- Nevada's senators are asking for a federal probe of recently reported flaws in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project and of alleged mistreatment of whistleblowers -- Las Vegas Sun (More Coverage -- MSNBC)
November 27, 2002 -- Letter from the State of Nevada to DOE -- The letter address state concerns regarding the Quality Assurance whistleblowers’ claims about the Yucca Mountain QA program and the subsequent investigation and report by the Department of Labor -- State of Nevada
November 24, 2002 -- Yucca Mountain Project workers say site problems kept quiet -- LAS VEGAS (AP) - Some workers at the Yucca Mountain Project said there were flaws in the process scientists used to determine whether the site was suitable for disposing the nation's nuclear waste.
November 20, 2002 -- Nuclear waste transportation bill might be reintroduced -- WASHINGTON -- An Illinois senator is behind the first attempt to regulate planned shipments of nuclear waste to Nevada since Congress approved Yucca Mountain for a high-level repository this summer -- Las Vegas Review Journal
November 15, 2002 -- NRC to test nuke waste containers -- Commission will write plans for trains, trucks -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the first time plans to do full-scale tests on two nuclear waste shipping containers that may transport highly radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain someday, an NRC expert said -- Las Vegas Sun
November 09, 2002 -- Federal court to hear three major Yucca Mountain suits together -- At the request of lawyers for the state of Nevada, a federal appeals court has agreed to hear three major Yucca Mountain lawsuits together. At the same time Thursday, the court agreed to have the same three-judge panel consider all three suits challenging federal plans to build a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Oral arguments on the cases are scheduled for September 2003 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia -- Associated Press
November 09, 2002 -- NRC probes complaints about Yucca meetings -- WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating allegations by Nevada leaders that state officials were kept out of the loop on Yucca Mountain Project meetings between NRC and Energy Department staff. The investigation is nearly complete, NRC spokeswoman Sue Gagner said Friday without providing further details. She said the findings of the investigation would be given to agency Chairman Richard Meserve. It was not clear whether the findings would be made public -- Las Vegas Review Journal
November 08, 2002 -- Nuclear Regulatory Commission Preparing to Dump More Radioactive Waste on American Public -- Stating Preference to Release and Recycle Nuclear Waste, Agency Betrays Public Trust to Support Nuclear Corporations -- Public Citizen
November 03, 2002 -- Discussion of Yucca Mountain, nuclear waste muted in campaigns -- LAS VEGAS (AP) - Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste transportation have been largely overshadowed by other environmental concerns on the campaign trail, but political analysts said some groups are still hoping to spotlight the issue in the run-up to Tuesday's general election.
November 01, 2002 -- Hot Waste, Cold Cash: Nuclear Industry Campaign
Contributions to Federal Candidates in the 2002 Election -- Report Traces Nuclear PAC Contributions in Competitive House and Senate Races -- WASHINGTON D.C.— In the 2002 election cycle, the nuclear industry doled out more than $1.5 million to federal candidates in competitive races, according to a report released today by Public Citizen. -- Public Citizen
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-- The Department of Energy constructed this water tank 20 miles from Yucca Mountain in anticipation that the state will try and cut off water to the site when a permit expires on April 9.
