White House Opposes Nuke Waste Plan

[MIannaccone@dhhs.state.nh.us]

05:39 PM ET 02/08/00

White House Opposes Nuke Waste Plan

 By H. JOSEF HEBERT=
Associated Press Writer=
        WASHINGTON (AP) _ After an unsuccessful attempt to reach a
compromise, the White House said Tuesday it continues to oppose
legislation the Senate is debating on storage of nuclear waste.
        While the bill might have enough votes to pass Congress, the
administration gave notice that President Clinton would veto it as
currently written.
        The bill, expected to be voted on in the Senate later in the
week, calls for the government to take title to thousands of tons
of highly radioactive spent reactor fuel now at commercial power
plants in 31 states.
        It also would require that the waste begin to be shipped to a
site in the Nevada desert beginning in 2007 if the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission issues a license for a permanent waste
repository in the state.
        The permanent facility being proposed for Yucca Mountain 90
miles from Las Vegas is still under scientific review, but is
scheduled to be opened in 2010 if it is found to be technically
suitable and gets an NRC license.
        As the Senate began debate on the interim measure Tuesday, Sen.
Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the federal government has a legal
obligation to dispose of the more than 40,000 tons of used reactor
fuel being held at power plants across the country.
        The Senate voted 94-3 to move ahead with debate on the waste
bill, despite strong opposition from both Nevada senators _ Harry
Reid and Richard Bryan, both Democrats. Bryan, Reid and Sen.
Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., cast the only votes against proceeding.
        Reid and Bryan have said they oppose any legislation putting the
nuclear waste, which will remain highly radioactive for 10,000
years, in Nevada.
        ``There's no way we're gong to support the legislation no matter
what they do with it,'' Reid told reporters.
        The White House said in a statement it opposed the bill because
it would take away from the Environmental Protection Agency the
sole authority to determine radiation exposure requirements at a
future permanent waste repository if it is built in Nevada.
        ``The president has said he would veto (the bill) if it were
presented to him in its current form,'' said the statement.
        Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle of South Dakota said most
Democrats agreed to proceed with the bill because ``it's time to
move on.'' But he said ``I don't think there's any doubt'' there
are enough votes against the measure to sustain a veto, if
necessary.
        Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said he expected a final
vote on the measure this week. The House has yet to act on the
matter.
        Congress has been grappling for six years over what to do with
the radioactive fuel stored at commercial reactors. The Senate has
twice passed legislation directing it be moved it to a temporary
storage site in Nevada, but each time the measure fell short of
final approval by Congress because of the cloud of a presidential
veto threat.
        The White House has been opposed to creating a temporary storage
site in Nevada because of concern that it would remove pressure to
develop the permanent Yucca Mountain facility.
        Murkowski last year abandoned the idea of a temporary storage
site and crafted legislation that calls on the government to take
title of the waste, but keep it at the reactor sites until the NRC
issues a license for the permanent Yucca facility.
        But the latest version of the bill puts into question the
ability of the EPA to issue radiation exposure standards for a
future Yucca site, say the bill's opponents. It calls upon the EPA
to work with the NRC and the National Academy of Sciences in
developing such standards.
        Supporters of the bill have argued the proposed EPA standards
are too stringent and would make it difficult to bring Yucca
Mountain into compliance. They argue the NRC, which has proposes
less stringent standards, should at least have a say in the matter.


Submitted by,
MIannaccone, Health Physicist
miannacc@dhhs.state.nh.us

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