Hey Patricia- Here's something I owe you....
Broken Promises: Yucca Mountain
Bush Ignored Promise to Wait for Science In Sending Nuclear Waste to Yucca Mountain
Promise
Bush Said He Would Listen to Local and State Officials When Deciding on Yucca Mountain. In late May 2000, Bush released the following statement in regard to storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain: "I believe sound science, and not politics, must prevail in the designation of any high-level nuclear waste repository. As president, I would not sign legislation that would send nuclear waste to any proposed site unless it's been deemed scientifically safe. I also believe the federal government must work with the local and state governments that will be affected to address safety and transportation issues." [Associated Press, 5/23/00]
Broken
Bush Recommended Burying Nuclear Waste in Yucca Mountain Despite Opposition From Nevada Officials. On February 15, 2002, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommended that Bush designate Yucca Mountain as the main burial spot for the nation's radioactive nuclear waste. The following day Bush accepted Abraham's recommendation. Upon Bush's announcement, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn (R) immediately filed suit in the United States District Court in Washington, DC to block the proposal. The following Nevada officials also oppose Bush's plan to store nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain: Senator Harry Reid (D), Senator John Ensign (R), Rep. Shelley Berkley (D), Rep. Jim Gibbons (R) and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (D). [New York Times, 2/15/02; 2/16/02; Harry Reid "Issues, Energy: Yucca Mountain"; Associated Press, 1/10/02; Shelley Berkley Press Release 1/10/02; Mayor Oscar Goodman Press Release, 1/10/02; Greenwire, 1/25/02]
GAO Urged Bush Administration to Indefinitely Postpone Decision on Yucca, Final Health and Safety Standards Not Assured. In November 2001, the General Accounting Office (GAO) urged the Bush administration to indefinitely postpone its decision to store nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. The Bush administration said it could open the site in 2010, but the report said that the Energy Department would be "unlikely to achieve its goal of opening a repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010 and has no reliable estimate of when, and at what cost, such a repository could be opened." The GAO also said that the current plans "may not describe the facilities that DOE would actually develop." In June 2001, the administration released the final health and safety standards for Yucca, but the GAO report said the Energy Department was still gathering and analyzing technical information on nearly 300 separate issues, which included: the expected lifetime of engineered barriers and waste containers, the physical properties of the site and the mathematical models used to evaluate the performance of the planned project. [Washington Post, 11/30/01]
Democrats
Clinton Vetoed Bill to Store Waste at Yucca Mountain. In April 2000, President Clinton vetoed legislation that would have allowed nuclear waste to be stored in Yucca Mountain before scientists had fully considered the consequences. "The bill passed by the Congress will do nothing to advance the scientific program at Yucca Mountain or promote public confidence in the decision of whether or not to recommend the site for a repository," Clinton said. [S. 1287, Bill Status; Clinton Veto Message to the Senate, 4/25/00; New York Times, 4/26/00]
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