Senate Joint Resolution No. 4–Senators O’Donnell, Neal, Jacobsen, Rawson, Amodei, Care, Carlton, McGinness, O’Connell, Schneider, Shaffer and Washington

 

February 21, 2001

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Joint Sponsors: Assemblymen Gustavson, Beers, Chowning, Arberry, Collins, Marvel and Parks

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Referred to Committee on Transportation

 

SUMMARY—Urges Governor to designate alternative routes for transportation of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. (BDR R‑1185)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: No.

                     Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

Senate Joint RESOLUTION—Urging the Governor to designate alternative routes for the transportation of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

 

1-1    Whereas, The Federal Government has placed Nevada in the Nuclear

1-2  Waste Policy Act of 1982 as the only site to be characterized for the

1-3  storage of nuclear waste, and in order to remove Nevada from that Act,

1-4  there will need to be at least 51 votes in the Senate and 218 votes in the

1-5  House of Representatives to select another state for the storage of nuclear

1-6  waste; and

1-7    Whereas, On no fewer than three occasions, Congress has voted to

1-8  place the interim storage of nuclear waste in Nevada with an affirmative

1-9  vote in the Senate by almost two-thirds of its members, just shy of a veto-

1-10  sustaining majority; and

1-11    Whereas, The United States Department of Energy is approaching the

1-12  final stages of the technical characterization of Yucca Mountain as a

1-13  repository for high-level nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel; and

1-14    Whereas, The transportation of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel is

1-15  a detriment to traffic flow and could slow commuter traffic; and

1-16    Whereas, The transportation and handling of these materials is, in fact,

1-17  very dangerous in many respects; and

1-18    Whereas, It is generally considered by all transportation experts that

1-19  transportation of dangerous and hazardous materials is safest when such

1-20  materials are transported by rail, and transportation of these large canisters

2-1  of waste around our cities by rail is the method preferred by the residents

2-2  of Nevada; and

2-3    Whereas, It is of the utmost importance to the State of Nevada to

2-4  protect the health and safety of its residents and to protect the economic

2-5  base of this state; and

2-6    Whereas, Over 1.5 million people currently reside in the Las Vegas

2-7  Valley, and that area continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of the

2-8  nation; and

2-9    Whereas, The protection of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valley is

2-10  essential to the present and future economic well-being of Nevada; and

2-11    Whereas, Both the perception and the reality associated with the

2-12  transportation of high-level nuclear waste materials through the Las Vegas

2-13  Valley will provide adverse impacts on Las Vegas and Nevada highways;

2-14  and

2-15    Whereas, In the event that the United States Congress declares Yucca

2-16  Mountain to be a suitable site for a high-level radioactive waste repository,

2-17  it is imperative that a plan be in place for alternative routes for the

2-18  transportation of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain; now, therefore, be it

2-19    Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of Nevada,

2-20  Jointly, That the Nevada Legislature requests and urges that the

2-21  Governor of the State of Nevada take action under current regulations of

2-22  the United States Department of Transportation which allow him to

2-23  designate alternative highway routes and thereby designate alternative

2-24  routes that are designed to avoid the southern Nevada metropolitan area;

2-25  and be it further

2-26    Resolved, That the United States Department of Energy is hereby

2-27  urged to locate an alternate route to Yucca Mountain from an existing

2-28  railroad mainline and to build a railroad to Yucca Mountain which avoids

2-29  entirely the southern Nevada metropolitan area; and be it further

2-30    Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy

2-31  of this resolution to Governor Kenny C. Guinn, the Secretary of Energy

2-32  and each member of the Nevada Congressional Delegation; and be it

2-33  further

2-34    Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon passage.

 

2-35  H