By Mark Waite
Candidates for office at the Artesia Community Center candidates forum Tuesday night all seemed to agree Yucca Mountain was a project worth pursuing.
It was the sole question from the audience, posed by Richard Hatch, after the stump speeches ended.
Danny Tarkanian, who leads in fundraising for the new congressional District 4 seat, quickly took the microphone.
“I’ve taken the position Yucca Mountain would be a great asset for the state. We’ve invested $12 billion in tax dollars,” Tarkanian said.
He suggested the site could be used for a number of things: a reprocessing facility for spent nuclear fuel, a national data storage facility, even the world’s largest military base because it resembles the terrain for the war on terrorism.
“We are really missing the boat if we ignore this opportunity because Nevada needs a first class economy and to create jobs. This is a way we create jobs,” Tarkanian said.
Two other prominent candidates for U.S. Congress weren’t there, State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas and State Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas.
Independent American Party candidate for Congress Floyd Fitzgibbons said, “if you look at the Constitution, the federal government has no authority over Yucca Mountain. They should not be controlling 85 percent of the land in Nevada. That’s the first problem we have with Yucca Mountain, it should be a states rights issue. That’s what the 10th amendment is all about.”
Independent American Party U.S. Senate candidate David Van der Beek said, “We’re still going to get radiation poison that blows across the ocean into the United States. It’s worse than Chernobyl. So you have to be careful with nuclear power. These plants are all aging.”
“I like Yucca Mountain and most of the people in my district like Yucca Mountain,” Republican congressional candidate Dan Schwartz said. “It’s not a scientific problem, it’s an emotional issue and until the people in Las Vegas, who really are financing our politicians, agree with us, very little is going to happen.”
He added, “I think it’s a great project.”
Republican congressional candidate Mike Dela Rosa said there needs to be a differentiation between federal and state law. This is a state issue, he said,
“We could write a memorandum that we put it in there. It’s a state right,” he said.
Republican congressional candidate Kenneth Wegner suggested putting breeder reactors at 138 defense sites, he said it will provide low cost power from recycled nuclear waste for 100 years.
Republican Robert Leeds said he doesn’t want endangered species like a snail darter, holding up projects, like Yucca Mountain.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Steve Brown questioned why it was being discussed at all.
“As far as storing nuclear waste, it’s never going to happen anyway. How are they going to get it there?” Brown asked.
If it comes to the northern route, shipping it through Colorado, Nebraska and Illinois, he predicted, “once they find out they’re going to ship trucks and freight there, it’ll never happen.”
If they take it the southern route, Texas has too much political power, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he doesn’t want it going through Arizona, Brown said.
“This is complete nonsense we’re even talking about this here. Why do you even want to move it in the first place?” Brown asked.
Nye County Commissioner Gary Hollis said completing the Yucca Mountain project would provide 7,000 jobs in southern Nevada. It’s one of the three issues he is raising in his campaign for re-election to district 2.
County commission district 2 candidate Garren Hesketh also took a stab at the question. Hesketh said he supports Yucca Mountain.
“I’m for Yucca Mountain, the military has been shipping weapons, atomic weapons and nuclear material all over the states,” Hesketh said. “In 60 years, to the best of my knowledge we haven’t had an accident yet. It is safe.”
Of course they support it. There’s MONEY to be made for the county!
Tax and spend! Just think of all the projects Nye County can fund.
Hesketh said. “In 60 years, to the best of my knowledge we haven’t had an accident yet. It is safe.”
There is a first time for everything.
Have you forgotten 3 Mile Island already? Plus do you only count accidents in the US only?
If the American Indian now wants Mt. Rushmore given back to them; for valid reasons for them, that they then wouldn’t want Yucca back when it starts making money? Is there a containment box built that can last 10,000 years or hold up to a mountain falling onto it? Do you see any Nuclear plant here? I can’t wait to see the road that comes to Yucca but not through “my backyard” as the other states say. What Nevada needs more than money is water; has anyone considered a trade? This issue has been beat to a pulp and still not resolved. Obstacles abound; great ideas with no merit. I don’t have the answers and Washington and Hollis don’t either.
“Not in my backyard” seems to be dissipating as a nationwide response to radioactive waste disposal. The 13 years of safe operations for a deep geologic repository in southern New Mexico, a DOE project that helped economically stabilize a region that never saw a housing bust, is inspiring that state to seek more waste streams for that repository, to keep it going longer. In the meantime, I have it on good authority that 3 states (and one county) have now also sent letters to DOE essentially saying ‘come look at my rocks!’ And I have it on less good authority, but still one I tend to believe, that the total is now up to 9 states! That is phenomenal! Even 3, plus a county, is phenomenal given how this effort was perceived not long ago. It is Nevada that is stuck in the past fearing aquifer contamination that is predicted to not happen, and fearing transportation accidents that have never happened in 60 years of transporting these materials around the whole nuclear world. ‘The only thing to fear is fear itself,’ said FDR several generations ago. The man, though dead, still has a point.
I REMBER SEVERAL YEARS AGO THE NTS INSPECTOR FOUND RADIOACTIVE LIQUID LEAKING FROM A SHIPMENT ARRIVING FROM ARIZONA. HOW ABOUT IN BEATY WERE A TRUCK PARKED NEXT TO THE BURRO INN LEAKED RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL NEXT TO THE INN!! THE INN HAD TOO BE CLOSED FOR CLEAN UP TOO BEGAN. THOSE ARE JUST THE ONES WE KNOW ABOUT. I HAVE FOLLOWED SEVERAL SHIPMENTS FROM LAS VEGAS (UNTIL I COULD PASS) THAT THE PLACARDS WERE ON POSTS ON THE SIDE OF THE FLAT BED NOT ON THE CONEX BOX. OOPS IF ONE HAD A MISHAP THE PLACARD ON THE POST GETS RIPPED OFF FIRE DEPARTMENT COMES DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT CARGO A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE ARE NOW EXPOSED. NOT TO MENTION THAT JUST LIKE OTHER TRUCKS THEY STOP AT NORMAL PARKING SPOTS. I HAVE OBSERVED SEVERAL TRUCKS PARKED NEXT TO HOTELS IN BEATY. I KNOW THE SHIPMENT AND TRUCKS ARE GPS TRACKED BUT ALL IT TAKES IS ONE IDIOT WANTING TO MAKE A STATEMENT. IF THEY ARE GOING TO DO THIS THEY SHOULD PROVIDE SECURE FENCED GUARDED LOTS ALONG THE WAY FOR THEM TO STOP AT. ALL PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT IS THE SMALL PICTURE MONEY THEY DO NOT THINK LONG TERM WHEN SOMETHING IS GOING TO BE DEADLY FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THE EARTH CHANGES AND EVOLVES LAND MASSES CHANGE WHO EVEN KNOWS IF THE MOUNTAIN WILL BE THEIR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. I COME FROM WASHINGTON STATE WERE THEIR IS HANFORD (LOOK IT UP ON THE NET) THEY SIT BELOW RIVER LEVEL WERE WOULD BE LEAK PROOF CANISTERS NOW ARE EMPTY WHEN THEY SHOULD BE FULL OPPS STUFF HAPENS. THEIR ARE ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO THINK IT IS SAFE MAYBE. BUT THEIR IS NO TRACK RECORD OF THINGS LASTING AND BEING USED TO STORE DEADLY RADIATION FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. LOOK AT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WERE TOLD TO BE SAFE 40 YEARS AGO THAT”S WOW ARE NOT SAFE.