Editorial: Glimmer of hope in waste studies?

EFFORTS to find a home for the nation's high-level nuclear waste have been long on politics and short on science. So any suggestion that more attention will be paid to science is welcome news to Nevadans.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Wednesday that the Department of Energy had signed a $40 million, five-year cooperative agreement with the University of Nevada system to continue important scientific studies initiated by researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Harvard University's Geophysical Observatory.

The Sun's Mary Manning reported that this will give independent university scientists the funds that are needed for a new era of examining the suitability of Yucca Mountain, located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The scientists plan to see if earthquakes and volcanoes pose a threat, if ground water can corrode buried containers, and whether radiation can escape from the proposed site.

Because Nevada doesn't have a large population, and with it a big delegation in our nation's capital, it has been targeted unfairly by Congress to host a nuclear waste dump even though no hard scientific evidence has been produced demonstrating it is environmentally safe. In order that the integrity of the scientific research is maintained, academic freedom must be preserved so that their work is free of interference and not tainted by the nuclear power industry or the Department of Energy.

While this is an improvement over the past, it's important to remember the process being used to study Yucca Mountain is still fatally flawed. After all, if it was true science that was being pursued, several sites across the nation would be examined to see which is the most viable. In addition, an independent study of dangers inherent to transporting the deadly waste should be conducted. This study should concentrate on the dangers to populations of cities such as Kansas City, Omaha, Las Vegas and others along the proposed route.

The reality is Congress set unrealistic deadlines to determine the suitability of Yucca Mountain. Rather than rushing to judgment, the federal government should have seriously explored the option of storing this waste on site at the nuclear power plants where it's produced.

The battle against the dump has been difficult as nuclear power advocates have turned a deaf ear to any sound objections to Yucca Mountain. Nevada's best hope rests with continued, genuine scientific research showing that Yucca Mountain is not suitable, and this latest development could be the boost Nevada has been seeking.

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