CongressDaily
© National Journal Group Inc.
Last Updated: Monday, July 8, 2002

Supporters of designating Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the national nuclear waste repository appear to have regained a majority of votes for their proposal as the Senate approaches a vote this week. Three Republicans -- Sens. Phil Gramm of Texas, Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Robert Bennett of Utah -- Monday announced their support and took themselves out of the undecided category. Those changes put supporters at 51 votes, even without the availability of Vice President Cheney to break a tie or a pledge by Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., to provide a 51st vote if one is needed. "This resolution will not be defeated on the Senate floor because of my vote," Carper said before casting his vote against the resolution in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Opponents had peeled off two potential votes last week when Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jeffords said he was reconsidering his support, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., previously a supporter of the Yucca site, said she would vote against the plan -- citing concerns about the prospect of a terrorist attack on waste being transported to Nevada from her home state. Senate Majority Whip Reid -- Nevada's senior senator -- is expected to wage a stiff battle to prevent the resolution's approval, but under the law that led to the selection of Yucca Mountain, the issue cannot be filibustered. The House has already approved the resolution 306-117, and now any senator can move to bring it to the floor. The Senate must act by July 25 under that law.

In the survey, 99 senators have responded, with 51 favoring the Yucca Mountain site, 25 opposed and 23 undecided. Following are the detailed results:

• Republicans in Favor (41): Wayne Allard; George Allen; Robert Bennett; Conrad Burns; Thad Cochran; Susan Collins; Larry Craig; Mike Crapo; Mike DeWine; Pete Domenici; Peter Fitzgerald; Bill Frist; Phil Gramm; Charles Grassley; Judd Gregg; Chuck Hagel; Orrin Hatch; Jesse Helms; Tim Hutchinson; Kay Bailey Hutchison; James Inhofe; Jon Kyl; Trent Lott; Richard Lugar; John McCain; Mitch McConnell; Frank Murkowski; Don Nickles; Pat Roberts; Rick Santorum; Jeff Sessions; Richard Shelby; Bob Smith; Gordon Smith; Arlen Specter; Olympia Snowe; Craig Thomas; Fred Thompson; Strom Thurmond; George Voinovich; John Warner
• Republicans Opposed (2): Ben Nighthorse Campbell; John Ensign
• Democrats in Favor (10): Jeff Bingaman; John Edwards; Bob Graham; Ernest Hollings; Herb Kohl; Mary Landrieu; Carl Levin; Blanche Lincoln; Zell Miller; Patty Murray
• Democrats Opposed (23): Daniel Akaka; Max Baucus; Evan Bayh; Joseph Biden; Barbara Boxer; Maria Cantwell; Jean Carnahan; Thomas Carper; Thomas Daschle; Byron Dorgan; Dianne Feinstein; Daniel Inouye; Tim Johnson; Edward Kennedy; John Kerry; Barbara Mikulski; Jack Reed; Harry Reid; John (Jay) Rockefeller; Charles Schumer; Debbie Stabenow; Paul Wellstone; Ron Wyden
• Republicans Undecided (6): Christopher (Kit) Bond; Sam Brownback; Jim Bunning; Lincoln Chafee; Michael Enzi; Ted Stevens
• Democrats Undecided (16): John Breaux; Robert Byrd; Max Cleland; Hillary Rodham Clinton; Kent Conrad; Jon Corzine; Mark Dayton; Christopher Dodd; Richard Durbin; Russell Feingold; Tom Harkin; Joseph Lieberman; Ben Nelson; Bill Nelson; Paul Sarbanes; Robert Torricelli

Note: Independent Sen. James Jeffords is reassessing his prior support for the repository. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy has not announced his position, but he has supported the Yucca Mountain site in the past.

• CongressDaily and CongressDailyAM are available online to subscribers only.
• For nonsubscribers, additional information is available.

Need A Reprint Of This Article?
National Journal Group offers both print and electronic reprint services, as well as permissions for academic use, photocopying and republication. Click here to order, or call us at 877-394-7350.