Copyright 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
February 11, 2000, Friday, FIVE STAR LIFT
EDITION
SECTION: NEWS, Pg. A9
LENGTH: 397 words
HEADLINE:
SENATE OKS LEGISLATION DIRECTING NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENTS TO NEVADA;
CLINTON
HAS PROMISED TO VETO THE MEASURE IF THE HOUSE APPROVES IT
BYLINE: The Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
The Senate directed Thursday that tons of nuclear waste be shipped
from power plants nationwide to Nevada.
But the legislation faces a
presidential veto that probably will stand up.
Although the legislation
cleared the Senate 64-34, Nevada's two s enators declared victory because they
had got enough support to back up a veto. Overturning a veto requires a
two-thirds majority - 67 votes. "This victory puts the brakes on the latest
attempts by Republicans to bury Nevada in nuclear waste," declared Sen. Harry
Reid, D-Nev.
More than 40,000 tons of used reactor fuel is stored at
commercial power plants in 31 states. The legislation calls for it to be shipped
to Nevada if a permanent waste burial site there gets a federal license.
The main sponsor is Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. He had sought the
administration's support but had failed to budge the White House.
The
House has yet to act on the matter. Because a veto is assured, the House may
decide to skip the bill.
Twelve Democratic senators joined 52
Republicans in support of the legislation. Two GOP senators broke ranks: Ben
"Nighthorse" Campbell of Colorado and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.
Congress has struggled for years over what to do with the waste, which
will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. By law, the waste should have been
taken by the Energy Department two years ago.
Proponents of the bill
said some utilities were running out of storage space. And they argue that the
spent fuel rods would be safer at a central site than it is at 71 reactors
across the country.
But the White House has opposed a requirement to
ship waste to Nevada until a permanent underground facility is built at
Yucca Mountain, Nev. To do so might undermine the development
of the permanent site, officials said.
The permanent Yucca
Mountain facility is scheduled to be opened in 2010 if found to be
technically suitable. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide in
2006 whether to give it a license. The Senate-passed bill would require
shipments to begin a year later, before the permanent facility is built.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson - and Senate Democratic leader Tom
Daschle of South Dakota - also objected to a provision that they said would
weaken the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to set radiation standards
for the permanent waste repository.
LOAD-DATE: February
11, 2000 
