Chat with Chic, September 23, 1987

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Doug Fuller September 23, 1987 (202) 224-6244 BULLFROG COUNTY: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT By U.S. Senator Chic Hecht Recently, I spoke on the floor of the Senate, to correct a grave misunderstanding ? a misunderstanding that has escalated the movement toward choosing Nevada as the site for the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository. This misunderstanding has been caused by the regrettable creation of a county in Nevada called "Bullfrog County. "This county, and the unfortunate impression it promotes, are the result of a last-minute effort by Nevada's Governor and State Legislature at the end of the last legislative session. Bullfrog County was designed to be a clever ploy to siphon any extra benefits caused by a potential site at Yucca Mountain away from Nye County, and into the hands of the legislature and Governor. Like most hasty, last minute, clever ploys, the creation of Bullfrog County was ill-conceived, ill-timed and has been totally misunderstood. The creation of Bullfrog County has been looked on as an open invitation, issued to the federal government by Nevada, for the waste repository site. The Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the New York Times have all run feature stories ridiculing Nevada for the creation of Bullfrog County, and implying that it signals submission on the repository issue. There is a growing consensus here in Washington that Nevada has surrendered, and creating Bullfrog County means the people of Nevada are ready to accept the nuclear waste repository, as long as Carson City gets all the money. Believe me, nothing could be further from the truth. Chat with Chic A Report from Washington I have just completed my fifth annual 'Chat With Chic' tour of Nevada. I traveled through every county -- including Bullfrog, in spite of the fact that no one lives there. I talked to many Nevadans about their problems and concerns. I told my colleagues in the Senate that on this trip, two things came through to me loud and clear: that the people of Nevada are not ready to give up the fight and accept Nevada as the inevitable site for a nuclear waste repository, and that the creation of Bullfrog County was a mistake because it is being interpreted as an open invitation. On behalf of Nevada, I'm seeking to correct that misconception. Bullfrog County is not an invitation, it is an ill-conceived mistake. I am hopeful that the Governor of Nevada and the Legislature will see their error and destroy Bullfrog County, or that the courts will find it unconstitutional. One of the worst aspects of this tragic mistake is that the affected citizens were never consulted. The citizens of Nye County, from whom the land was stolen, feel it sends the wrong signal to Washington. In a letter to Governor Bryan, which I included in my remarks, the Nye county Commissioners asked: "How can Nevada's nuclear waste repository concerns be taken seriously on Capitol Hill in light of Bullfrog County? Bullfrog County may have sealed Nevada's fate with the repository." Not if I can help it. ?30?