DOE Forced To Prepare Additional Groundwater Study For Yucca

Senators John Ensign and Harry Reid today reiterated their alarming concerns for the Department Of Energy’s Yucca application after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission concluded that the last two environmental assessments were inadequate.  The DOE will need to provide a third supplemental study on the impact this waste dump will have on millions of Nevadans and their groundwater.

“This development is the latest in a laundry list of inadequate work done by the Department of Energy,” said Ensign.  “The DOE continues to bulldoze through the safety concerns surrounding Yucca Mountain.  Hopefully this third study will be the charm that sends this country in a new direction for nuclear waste storage.”

"It has been obvious from the very beginning that there’s no chance groundwater could be protected from nuclear waste leaking from Yucca," said Reid. "Why in the world would the DOE try to dump the most deadly substance known to man right above a large water aquifer that could one day be vital to Nevadans?"

It has long been argued that the water table, located 1,000 feet below the waste dump, is not sufficiently protected from radiation, and millions of people’s drinking water risks contamination.  The public will have 30 days to comment on the study, which DOE plans to draft next spring.

Senators Celebrate Impact of Lands Bill

Senators John Ensign and Harry Reid celebrated the success of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which was signed into law ten years ago.  The Senators were joined by former Senator and co-author of the legislation Richard Bryan, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Congressman Jon Porter, Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director Ron Wenker, and Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy.

“When I wrote this legislation with Senator Bryan ten years ago, I never imagined that it would bring more than $3 billion to our state.  We are successfully preserving our natural resources and our quality of life in an unprecedented manner.  Generations of Nevadans will benefit from the vision we had a decade ago to conserve the landscape of our state and invest in our future,” Ensign stated.

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, written by Ensign and Bryan, has raised more than $3 billion by the auctioning of federal land in the Las Vegas Valley.  The proceeds have gone into a special fund to build parks and trails, acquire environmentally sensitive land, initiate capital improvements in recreation and conservation areas, and maintain the Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan.  Funds are also allocated for water infrastructure and to the general education fund of the state of Nevada. 

“Nevada is a public land state. Since our days as a territory, our public lands have created some grand opportunities and some significant challenges. The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act was crafted to reflect the changes that we are seeing across the West. Our communities are growing fast and need better tools for handling and planning their growth. At the same time, our conservation challenges are greater than ever. This program has been an overwhelming success and helps us achieve both. I am proud to be here today to celebrate this landmark law and I will continue to protect this program well into the future,” Reid stated.

Michael Wixom, Chair of the University Board of Regents; Mike Ford, Nevada/Southwest Director of the Conservation fund; and Ronda Hornbeck, Lincoln County Commissioner, also spoke about the effect of the legislation on their organizations.