Washington, D.C. – United States Senator Harry Reid said today he is pleased that Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson expressed his support for a federal investigation into apparent bias in favor of nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain.

"Secretary Richardson's statement today clearly demonstrates there is an unquestioned need for a thorough federal investigation into apparent bias on the part of contractors working at Yucca Mountain," said Reid, The Senate's Assistant Democratic Leader.

In a statement issued Monday, Secretary Richardson echoed Reid's call for an investigation by the Energy Department's Inspector General into a recently uncovered memo prepared by DOE contractors which suggests bias in favor of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Reid said Richardson's statement includes a pledge that could delay a decision on the proposed dump.

"No single issue will have a greater impact on the health and safety of Nevadans than nuclear waste storage and there must be a complete investigation into the integrity of studies used to evaluate the safety of Yucca Mountain," said Reid.

"Secretary Richardson has now pledged that the DOE will not issue a recommendation on Yucca Mountain until an investigation is complete and I will be watching every single step of the way to make sure there is ample time to guarantee an independent, objective assessment," Reid added.

While those in favor of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain claim that science will determine if the site is safe, Reid said recent events again raise questions about the process.

"Supporters of Yucca Mountain claim they are in favor of allowing science to determine if the site is safe, but at every turn they have attempted to change the rules of the game in their favor. My duty is to protect Nevadans by fighting any attempt to let politics decide where nuclear waste is stored and that will not stop regardless of who may be in the White House come January," Reid said.

Reid's actions were prompted by a recently uncovered memo which seemed to indicate that the DOE contractors favored nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain. In a letter sent last Friday to Gregory Friedman, Inspector General for the Department of Energy, Reid asked that an investigation be conducted into the Yucca Mountain memo to determine its author, and whether or not it was legal for the note to be prepared and circulated along with a draft report on the proposed nuclear dump site.