Yucca Mountain Decision Elicit Calls for Energy Secretary Abraham to Recuse Himself.
-- Court battles over the decision likely to go on for years. --
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A plan to ship thousands of tons of radioactive waste to Nevada moved ahead Monday as the Department of Energy forwarded to the White House a formal recommendation that Yucca Mountain be used as a permanent disposal site.
The product of the nation's nuclear-power industry, the waste is currently sitting in temporary storage areas scattered around the country, at significant cost to plant operators.
While it will be at least a decade -- if then -- before radioactive waste begins flowing into Yucca, the Department of Energy's decision to recommend the site is a big victory for the nuclear power industry.
Transporting all of its radioactive byproducts to one central location and storing it there -- both at taxpayer expense -- has long been at the top of the nuclear industry's wish list. Currently, most waste is stored on-site, a cost shouldered by the operators, who have also ponied up billions of dollars toward the establishment of a central facility.
While Abraham has consistently maintained that his backing for Yucca is driven by "sound science," his long ties to the nuclear industry - and his acceptance of its campaign cash - have raised eyebrows.
Abraham, a former U.S. senator from Michigan, was defeated in his 2000 reelection bid by Democrat Debbie Stabenow. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, he took in over $80,000 in contributions from the nuclear industry between 1995 and 2000, from donors including DTE Energy (DTE: news, chart, profile), Exelon (EXC: news, chart, profile), Constellation (CEG: news, chart, profile), Southern Co. (SO: news, chart, profile) and FirstEnergy (FE: news, chart, profile).
He also took at least $4,000 from the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade group that strongly supports the Yucca plan.
Shortly after news broke that he would recommend Yucca, a consumer advocacy group called for Abraham to recuse himself from the decision.
...In the 2002 election cycle thus far, Southern has anted up $630,000 in hard and soft money, with over 80 percent going to Republican candidates and political action committees. Exelon has given $392, 000, with 77 percent going to the GOP; and FirstEnergy is in for $319,000, 78 percent to Republicans.
NEI has given $223,000 thus far, 82 percent of it to Republicans.
If, as expected, the Bush administration approves the site, Nevada's governor or state legislature will likely veto the decision, a move that Congress will have to uphold.
Furious members of the state's congressional delegation, including Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid, have vowed to do whatever it takes to keep the Yucca site from opening. And, even should they fail, Guinn, a Republican, has vowed a court battle.
Yucca is about 90 miles from Las Vegas, the nation's No. 1 tourist destination and the economic engine that fuels the Silver State's economy. |
