Kerry Says Bush Broke Promise On Yucca Mountain, Vows To Cancel Project
While President Bush campaigned in Florida, Sen. Kerry was in Nevada where, says USA Today, he "accused President Bush on Tuesday of 'breaking a promise' by authorizing a national storage facility for radioactive nuclear waste 100 miles northwest of here at Yucca Mountain." Bush, adds the paper, "won Nevada in 2000 after promising to approve the project only on the basis of 'sound science.' But Bush endorsed the Energy Department's recommendation even though scientific questions about the site's safety were – and still are – unresolved." Knight Ridder reports "more than 70 percent of Nevadans oppose the project, and even Republicans here acknowledge that it's a liability for the president in what's shaping up as a close contest for the state's five electoral votes." In its coverage, the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Kerry called this November's election "the most important election in our lifetime." Republicans, adds the Review-Journal, "did not visibly protest Kerry's visit, but they held a pancake breakfast at party headquarters aimed at highlighting Kerry's record of 'flip-flopping' on issues."
Kerry's campaign stop in Nevada received widespread coverage on local TV. Most of the coverage noted Kerry's criticism of the "recklessness and arrogance" of President Bush's support for sending nuclear waste to the state's Yucca Mountain. Some examples: KOLO-TV of Reno, Nevada showed Kerry saying, ""Yucca Mountain to me is a symbol of the recklessness and arrogance with which they decided to proceed with respect to the safety issues that concern the American people." KRQE-TV of Albuquerque, NM, notes Kerry "said the United States needs a president who believes in science who will protect the environment."
GOP Highlights Kerry's Vote For "Screw Nevada Bill."
The Reno Gazette reports Republicans "have called Kerry a 'flip-flopper' on Yucca Mountain, pointing to his 1987 vote for the 'Screw Nevada Bill,' which allowed the government to focus solely on Nevada for the waste site. 'John Kerry continues to mislead voters about his record on Yucca Mountain,' said U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. 'His voting record until 1997 is one of supporting the repository and he voted to make Nevada the sole repository site for waste. It is clear that John Kerry is someone who will say anything to anyone if he thinks it will win him votes, and his selection of John Edwards is further evidence of this.'"
Kerry Leads Bush By Seven Points In Hawaii. UPI reports President Bush trails Sen. Kerry "by just 7 points in Hawaii, a state known for its support of Democrats for president. Of the 681 registered voters surveyed, 48 percent said they favored Kerry, while 41 percent said they were for Bush. The remaining 11 percent of registered voters sampled for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and KITV-4 News said they were still undecided."
