WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Richard Bryan and Harry Reid (both D-NV) sent a letter to Governor Bush today urging him to clarify his recent statement on nuclear waste and to answer the truly relevant questions of whether or not he would veto legislation similar to the two most recent nuclear waste proposals that have been championed by the Republican leadership in Congress.

"It's time for Governor Bush to end his waffling and let us know where he truly stands on the issue of nuclear waste in Nevada. Unfortunately, the Governors recent statement on nuclear waste was completely worthless since he failed to answer the real questions at hand," Senator Bryan stated. "Would he veto legislation, as President Clinton just did, that attempted to weaken health and safety standards at Yucca Mountain, or diminish the role of the EPA. And secondly, would he veto legislation that would target Nevada for so-called 'interim' storage of high level nuclear waste. These are the basic questions that the Governor has to answer, and until he does, his statement from yesterday will continue to be viewed for what it was – an attempt to hoodwink every Nevadan into believing that he would truly protect our state's interests. However, Bush's environmental record in Texas gives me no comfort he will join us in this fight," Senator Bryan concluded.

"Governor Bush's statement on nuclear waste was like trying to hide an elephant behind a postage stamp," said Reid. "This is the most important issue facing the people of Nevada and we deserve a thorough, and well reasoned explanation of exactly where Governor Bush stands on critical health and safety standards and who should be allowed to set them. Instead, we were given four sentences penned purely to provide political cover, and released after the battle had already been fought. I am troubled that Governor Bush chose not to comment on the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in safeguarding Nevadans against exposure to deadly radiation, and said nothing about protecting our precious groundwater supplies from nuclear contamination. Nor did he specifically address the ominous threat of politically motivated interim waste storage in Nevada, which would leave this deadly waste above ground and at risk from earthquakes and other natural disasters. If Governor Bush believes that his statement did anything to settle this issue in the minds of Nevadans, then he is sadly mistaken."