WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected Nevada's safety concerns yesterday and endorsed President George W. Bush's decision to bury deadly nuclear waste from across the country in the state's Yucca Mountain.
On a vote of 306-117, the Republican-led House approved a resolution to override Nevada's veto of the project to build the nation's first permanent nuclear waste storage facility 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Las Vegas. The House sent the measure for needed concurrence to the Democratic-led Senate. "This is our best option," said Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia Republican and a member of the Energy Committee. "We have no realistic alternatives."
Senate Republican leaders predict their chamber will also approve the $58 billion project with the help of Democrats from states with nuclear reactors and mounting radioactive waste.
But Senate Democratic leaders said they have a chance of stopping the plan. "We're cautiously optimistic," said Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat helping lead opposition.
The battle pits Bush, his allies in the nuclear power industry and others who want greater energy independence against Nevada, hundreds of environmental groups and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat who has vowed to do what he can to stop the project.
Despite federal claims to the contrary, the state of Nevada contends it would be unsafe to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain as well as to transport it there from more than 100 nuclear power plants across the country.
Opponents argue the project would be ripe for accidents and become a target for attacks. Supporters argue it would be safer to bring all the nuclear waste to one secured site.
Reid said a number of senators have not yet made a decision but have said they may vote with him if the Senate vote is close. He said the Senate is expected to take up the matter around July 1.
Between now and then, both sides intend to increase their lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill with opponents also airing television ads against it in selected states.
Noting $4 billion in studies, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told reporters shortly before the House began debate the project would be safe. "We have been able to demonstrate the safety of the site," he said. "It is time to move forward."
Last month, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn vetoed Bush's decision earlier in the year to accept an Energy Department recommendation to build the depository in the Nevada desert.
Under 1982 federal law on nuclear waste disposal, a governor may veto the president's plans to put a depository in his or her state. But the veto can be overridden by Congress.
"I appreciate the parochial eloquence of those defending your own turf, but for the good of our nation we have to place this nuclear waste in a safe repository," said Rep. Zach Wamp, a Tennessee Republican.
Nuclear power plants produce more than 20 percent of the country's energy, and many waste storage tanks are nearly full. The government has been slapped with several lawsuits for failing to meet a 1998 deadline to open a permanent nuclear waste storage site.
The proposed Yucca Mountain site would permanently hold 77,000 tonnes of radioactive material. If all goes as scheduled, it would open in 2010.:
