RE: Possible statement on Yucca Mountain? + news
From: Guthrie, Janelle (ATG) Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 12:31 PM To: Fitz, Andy (ATG); Moran, Brian (ATG); Pepple, Randy (ATG); Rob McKenna; Dunning, Michael (ATG) Subject: RE: Possible statement on Yucca Mountain? + news stories Is everyone comfortable with this? “Washington is deeply disturbed by the federal government’s departure from a repository plan that dates back to when Sen. Slade Gorton helped develop it in the early 1980s‐‐ and particularly, its apparent aim to take one of the nation’s options off the table. The Attorney General’s Office is consulting with the Department of Ecology and the Governor to develop a legal strategy that will provide the greatest benefit to the people of Washington—and particular those in the Tri‐Cities who remain concerned about the permanent disposal of the nuclear waste currently stored and being processed there.” _____________________________________________ From: Fitz, Andy (ATG) Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 11:11 AM To: Guthrie, Janelle (ATG); Moran, Brian (ATG); Pepple, Randy (ATG); Rob McKenna; Dunning, Michael (ATG) Subject: RE: Possible statement on Yucca Mountain? + news stories
Annette Cary just called me to ask whether there’ll be any announcement of a decision today. I said no. She asked about tomorrow. I said very unlikely. She asked about next week. I said likely, maybe as early as Monday. I added one suggestion to the proposed update below. If the statement is being made on behalf of the state as a whole, I think it’s the action to foreclose Yucca Mountain as an option that everyone agrees is a problem. Janelle, if this goes out today, could you be sure Annette Cary gets it, given my conversation with her? Thanks. _____________________________________________ From: Guthrie, Janelle (ATG) Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 11:07 AM To: Moran, Brian (ATG); Pepple, Randy (ATG); Rob McKenna; Fitz, Andy (ATG); Dunning, Michael (ATG) Subject: Possible statement on Yucca Mountain? + news stories
Hi everyone, The news is really swirling re: Yucca Mountain today. Here are the relevant updates from this news story: · Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday that a decision soon will be made on whether Washington will join the effort to convince the Obama administration not to abandon Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository…"It is a decision to be made by the (state) Attorney General," Gregoire told the Herald. "I talked with him last evening. ... He will make a decision in the next couple of days." … Gregoire said it's the application withdrawal that has her most concerned. At this point in this country's history, I think it is a terrible mistake to take anything off the table," she said. · Three TriCity leaders have said they're prepared to file a federal lawsuit to prevent the Yucca Mountain, Nev., site from being abandoned. Their suit could be consolidated with a suit filed Friday by Aiken County, S.C.
· Sen. Jerome Delvin, RRichland, echoed their concerns Wednesday. “Without Yucca Mountain, waste could stay at Hanford indefinitely and it already has been there long enough," Delvin said. · The state of South Carolina decided Wednesday to sue to keep the Yucca Mountain project active for waste from the Savannah River site. Gov. Mark Sanford said in a written statement that he supported South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster in pursuing legal action against the federal government. · TriCity lawmakers in Olympia are looking to Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna to take the same kind of steps. "She should be weighing in," Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, RWalla Walla, said of Gregoire. "She should be working on these issues. From a policy standpoint, we eventually have to go nuclear. We can't keep doing wind farms. We're going to have to go somewhere to deposit the waste." · Delvin noted that Gregoire, the thenEcology Department head, helped negotiate the cleanup agreement two decades ago. "I would hope she is now dismayed by the Obama administration's stunning move, and willing to now petition on our behalf," he said.
Anna King from NPR, Kate Riley from The Seattle Times and Elaine Hiuro from Platts are all waiting for news. The TriCity Herald is also continuing to develop this story. I propose we issue a strong statement today without tipping our hand—unless we CAN tip our hand. Here’s a DRAFT based on a discussion I just had with Randy.
“Washington is deeply disturbed by the federal government’s departure from a repository plan that dates back to when Sen. Slade Gorton helped develop it in the early 1980s, and in particular its apparent aim to take one of the nation’s options off the table. The Attorney General’s Office is consulting with the Department of Ecology and the Governor to develop a legal strategy that will provide the greatest benefit to the people of Washington—and particular those in the TriCities who remain concerned about the permanent disposal of the nuclear waste currently stored and being processed there.” Here’s today’s TriCity Herald story:
Gregoire says state may weigh in on Yucca Mountain By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
OLYMPIA Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday that a decision soon will be made on whether Washington will join the effort to convince the Obama administration not to abandon Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository. "It is a decision to be made by the (state) Attorney General," Gregoire told the Herald. "I talked with him last evening. ... He will make a decision in the next couple of days." Three TriCity leaders have said they're prepared to file a federal lawsuit to prevent the Yucca Mountain, Nev., site from being abandoned. Their suit could be consolidated with a suit filed Friday by Aiken County, S.C. Congress designated Yucca Mountain as the national repository for used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production in 2002. President Obama has opposed using Yucca Mountain since his presidential campaign in 2008, and this year the administration started work to suspend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission license application after withdrawing funding for the site. The Obama administration said it plans to withdraw the license application with prejudice, meaning it couldn't be refiled in the future. Gregoire said it's the application withdrawal that has her most concerned. "At this point in this country's history, I think it is a terrible mistake to take anything off the table," she said. Gregoire said during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., that she thought nuclear energy should be included in discussions about the nation's energy needs and movement away from fossil fuels, but she also has said she doesn't want to see more waste end up at Hanford, where billions are being spent on cleanup efforts. The waste at Hanford is the result of decades of production of weaponsgrade plutonium and not from commercial nuclear power plants, but Gregoire has said she fears Hanford could become a repository for spent commercial nuclear fuel. Local leaders Bob Ferguson, formerly of the Department of Energy and the Washington Public Power Supply System; Bill Lampson, president of Lampson International; and Gary Petersen, the TriCity Development Council's vice chairman for Hanford programs, have said they're concerned that the waste already at Hanford will continue to sit there if it can't go to Yucca Mountain. The trio sent a letter to the White House and Energy Secretary Steven Chu and have said they're prepared to sue if necessary. Sen. Jerome Delvin, RRichland, echoed their concerns Wednesday. "Without Yucca Mountain, waste could stay at Hanford indefinitely and it already has been there long enough," Delvin said. The state of South Carolina decided Wednesday to sue to keep the Yucca Mountain project active for waste from the Savannah River site. Gov. Mark Sanford said in a written statement that he supported South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster in pursuing legal action against the federal government. "As we made clear last week alongside local, state and national leaders, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue or even a South Carolina or Nevada issue but indeed an American issue," Sanford said. "It represents a decadeslong, $10 billion promise to the American people." TriCity lawmakers in Olympia are looking to Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna to take the same kind of steps. "She should be weighing in," Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, RWalla Walla, said of Gregoire. "She should be working on these issues. From a policy standpoint, we eventually have to go nuclear. We can't keep doing wind farms. We're going to have to go somewhere to deposit the waste." Delvin noted that Gregoire, the thenEcology Department head, helped negotiate the cleanup agreement two decades ago. "I would hope she is now dismayed by the Obama administration's stunning move, and willing to now petition on our behalf," he said.
Janelle Guthrie, APR Communications Director | Office of State Attorney General Rob McKenna 1125 Washington Street SE | PO Box 40100 | Olympia | WA | 985040100 Phone: (360) 5860725 | Cell: (360) 5843046 | Email: [email protected] Join Attorney General Rob McKenna's Listserv for the latest news from the AG's office or visit our Web site at www.atg.wa.gov
You can also follow us on: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and the All Consuming blog!
Annette Cary just called me to ask whether there’ll be any announcement of a decision today. I said no. She asked about tomorrow. I said very unlikely. She asked about next week. I said likely, maybe as early as Monday. I added one suggestion to the proposed update below. If the statement is being made on behalf of the state as a whole, I think it’s the action to foreclose Yucca Mountain as an option that everyone agrees is a problem. Janelle, if this goes out today, could you be sure Annette Cary gets it, given my conversation with her? Thanks. _____________________________________________ From: Guthrie, Janelle (ATG) Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 11:07 AM To: Moran, Brian (ATG); Pepple, Randy (ATG); Rob McKenna; Fitz, Andy (ATG); Dunning, Michael (ATG) Subject: Possible statement on Yucca Mountain? + news stories
Hi everyone, The news is really swirling re: Yucca Mountain today. Here are the relevant updates from this news story: · Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday that a decision soon will be made on whether Washington will join the effort to convince the Obama administration not to abandon Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository…"It is a decision to be made by the (state) Attorney General," Gregoire told the Herald. "I talked with him last evening. ... He will make a decision in the next couple of days." … Gregoire said it's the application withdrawal that has her most concerned. At this point in this country's history, I think it is a terrible mistake to take anything off the table," she said. · Three TriCity leaders have said they're prepared to file a federal lawsuit to prevent the Yucca Mountain, Nev., site from being abandoned. Their suit could be consolidated with a suit filed Friday by Aiken County, S.C.
· Sen. Jerome Delvin, RRichland, echoed their concerns Wednesday. “Without Yucca Mountain, waste could stay at Hanford indefinitely and it already has been there long enough," Delvin said. · The state of South Carolina decided Wednesday to sue to keep the Yucca Mountain project active for waste from the Savannah River site. Gov. Mark Sanford said in a written statement that he supported South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster in pursuing legal action against the federal government. · TriCity lawmakers in Olympia are looking to Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna to take the same kind of steps. "She should be weighing in," Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, RWalla Walla, said of Gregoire. "She should be working on these issues. From a policy standpoint, we eventually have to go nuclear. We can't keep doing wind farms. We're going to have to go somewhere to deposit the waste." · Delvin noted that Gregoire, the thenEcology Department head, helped negotiate the cleanup agreement two decades ago. "I would hope she is now dismayed by the Obama administration's stunning move, and willing to now petition on our behalf," he said.
Anna King from NPR, Kate Riley from The Seattle Times and Elaine Hiuro from Platts are all waiting for news. The TriCity Herald is also continuing to develop this story. I propose we issue a strong statement today without tipping our hand—unless we CAN tip our hand. Here’s a DRAFT based on a discussion I just had with Randy.
“Washington is deeply disturbed by the federal government’s departure from a repository plan that dates back to when Sen. Slade Gorton helped develop it in the early 1980s, and in particular its apparent aim to take one of the nation’s options off the table. The Attorney General’s Office is consulting with the Department of Ecology and the Governor to develop a legal strategy that will provide the greatest benefit to the people of Washington—and particular those in the TriCities who remain concerned about the permanent disposal of the nuclear waste currently stored and being processed there.” Here’s today’s TriCity Herald story:
Gregoire says state may weigh in on Yucca Mountain By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
OLYMPIA Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday that a decision soon will be made on whether Washington will join the effort to convince the Obama administration not to abandon Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository. "It is a decision to be made by the (state) Attorney General," Gregoire told the Herald. "I talked with him last evening. ... He will make a decision in the next couple of days." Three TriCity leaders have said they're prepared to file a federal lawsuit to prevent the Yucca Mountain, Nev., site from being abandoned. Their suit could be consolidated with a suit filed Friday by Aiken County, S.C. Congress designated Yucca Mountain as the national repository for used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production in 2002. President Obama has opposed using Yucca Mountain since his presidential campaign in 2008, and this year the administration started work to suspend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission license application after withdrawing funding for the site. The Obama administration said it plans to withdraw the license application with prejudice, meaning it couldn't be refiled in the future. Gregoire said it's the application withdrawal that has her most concerned. "At this point in this country's history, I think it is a terrible mistake to take anything off the table," she said. Gregoire said during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., that she thought nuclear energy should be included in discussions about the nation's energy needs and movement away from fossil fuels, but she also has said she doesn't want to see more waste end up at Hanford, where billions are being spent on cleanup efforts. The waste at Hanford is the result of decades of production of weaponsgrade plutonium and not from commercial nuclear power plants, but Gregoire has said she fears Hanford could become a repository for spent commercial nuclear fuel. Local leaders Bob Ferguson, formerly of the Department of Energy and the Washington Public Power Supply System; Bill Lampson, president of Lampson International; and Gary Petersen, the TriCity Development Council's vice chairman for Hanford programs, have said they're concerned that the waste already at Hanford will continue to sit there if it can't go to Yucca Mountain. The trio sent a letter to the White House and Energy Secretary Steven Chu and have said they're prepared to sue if necessary. Sen. Jerome Delvin, RRichland, echoed their concerns Wednesday. "Without Yucca Mountain, waste could stay at Hanford indefinitely and it already has been there long enough," Delvin said. The state of South Carolina decided Wednesday to sue to keep the Yucca Mountain project active for waste from the Savannah River site. Gov. Mark Sanford said in a written statement that he supported South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster in pursuing legal action against the federal government. "As we made clear last week alongside local, state and national leaders, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue or even a South Carolina or Nevada issue but indeed an American issue," Sanford said. "It represents a decadeslong, $10 billion promise to the American people." TriCity lawmakers in Olympia are looking to Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna to take the same kind of steps. "She should be weighing in," Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, RWalla Walla, said of Gregoire. "She should be working on these issues. From a policy standpoint, we eventually have to go nuclear. We can't keep doing wind farms. We're going to have to go somewhere to deposit the waste." Delvin noted that Gregoire, the thenEcology Department head, helped negotiate the cleanup agreement two decades ago. "I would hope she is now dismayed by the Obama administration's stunning move, and willing to now petition on our behalf," he said.
Janelle Guthrie, APR Communications Director | Office of State Attorney General Rob McKenna 1125 Washington Street SE | PO Box 40100 | Olympia | WA | 985040100 Phone: (360) 5860725 | Cell: (360) 5843046 | Email: [email protected] Join Attorney General Rob McKenna's Listserv for the latest news from the AG's office or visit our Web site at www.atg.wa.gov
You can also follow us on: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and the All Consuming blog!
