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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2002

MAP: Tribes located near Yucca Mountain site. PDF: Sites where waste is currently stored.

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) is backing Nevada's rejection of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site, according to an informal poll cited by The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The paper reports that CongressDaily, a Congressional news service, polled lawmakers and found that Campbell opposes the site Nevada is set to reject President Bush's formal designation, meaning Congress has to step in and resolve the debate.

Nevada state officials and politicians are vehemently opposed to the project, which would store up to 77,000 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste in a mountain 90 miles outside of Las Vegas. More than a dozen tribes are also objecting.

Campbell is vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sits on the committee and opposes the site.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) initially said the Yucca project was dead as long as Democrats ran the chamber but he has softened his stance. In response to reporters' questions, he said yesterday he was unsure about the prospects.

In related Yucca news, the Department of Energy has sued the state of Nevada to force issuance of water permits for the site.

Get the Story:
Daschle Yucca stance changes (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/20)
NUCLEAR WASTE: Guinn: Yucca fight everywhere (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/20)
Feds Sue Nevada for Yucca Water Permits (AP 3/20)

Relevant Links:
The Yucca Mountain Project, Department of Energy - http://www.ymp.gov

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