Reid Seeks to Force Energy Chief to Attend Nuclear Site Hearings
Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday asked President Bush to order Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to attend hearings next week on a proposal to bury nuclear waste in Nevada, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
“My overall concern is that they aren’t even trying to be fair,” said Reid, a Democrat who has led the Nevada congressional delegation’s opposition to the Energy Department proposal to build the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
Reid sent his request in a letter to Bush. The letter had not been received Thursday, White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said.
Reid complained that Abraham was not present for a public hearing Wednesday night that drew about 500 people at the Energy Department’s office in North Las Vegas.
Robert G. Card, an Energy Department undersecretary, and Las Vegas-based DOE project managers attended the hearing, which lasted more than eight hours. Card had no comment on the proceedings.
The hearing was the first of three the Energy Department is holding. It will then forward final environmental impact studies and testimony to Abraham, who will make a recommendation to Bush about whether the project should be built.
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