News From Sen. Harry Reid - Assistant Democratic Leader From Nevada

REID AMENDMENT WILL BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED ADS FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN TOURS

Friday, September 8, 2000

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid's amendment to H.R. 4733, the FY 2001 Energy and Water Appropriations bill preventing the Department of Energy from using public funds to advertise tours of Yucca Mountain passed the Senate tonight. Reid has been fighting for years to keep Yucca Mountain from being turned into a dump site for the country's high-level nuclear waste.

"I was appalled when I saw these advertisements on a recent trip back home," said Reid. "This is a thinly-veiled attempt to lobby for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site. The DOE should not use Nevada taxpayers' money to try to build support for a nuclear dump that Nevadans don't want."

In 1995, Congress voted to block funding for state oversight of the Yucca Mountain project. Congressional opponents argued that Nevada was using money set aside for nuclear waste disposal to lobby against building a national nuclear waste repository.

"It would be hypocritical of Congress to accuse Nevada of misusing public funds to lobby against the proposed Yucca Mountain dump while allowing the DOE to use the same public funds to advertise for the dump," said Reid. "This amendment will help ensure that all future decisions about Yucca Mountain are based on sound science, not on politics."


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