When Dan DeQuille wrote for the Territorial Enterprise of Virginia City fame, back in the 19th century, he used this depiction of a braying, angry, miner's burro. He always called it, as did most of the prospectors of the day, "A Washoe Canary." Below are some of our brayings, that is, Washoe Canary Songs.

Is It Yucca, Or Is It Yucka, Yucka

by Johnny Gunn

For some, the possibility of a nuclear waste repository in Nevada is an obscene gesture, while for others, it could be a panacea. This debate will continue right up to the point the first load of waste arrives on site, and is very much a part of this year¹s political agenda for many. The question should be looked at from more than one angle, however.

Right at this moment, as you read this, more than 3,000 Nevadans are working at the Yucca Mountain repository site. In dollar figures, it¹s estimated that almost $200 million has been added to the economy of the Silver State through their wages, and the estimate for the future is that the largest item in the gross state product could very well be the repository.

Clark County, Nye County, Lincoln County, and Esmeralda County all stand to reap tremendous economic benefits from the project if it should be built. As far fetched as it seems, that 300 mile plus railroad could come to pass and someone has to be there laying a road bed, transporting ties and rail, driving spikes. Employees of the related projects, that is, railroad, repository, et al, could have a total of more than a quarter billion dollar payroll to spend.

Of course there are serious down sides to the question of whether the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository should even be. Nuclear waste is a product that kills. This isn¹t some harmful little spill that goes away. Look up the half life of waste. Nuclear waste, if not handled properly, can destroy ground water for thousands of square miles. Nuclear waste, if not handled properly, can pollute the air and kill people, animals, vegetation, for thousands of square miles.

And there is more to it than keeping it safe in an underground storage facility. It has to get there, and I think most reasonable people would say getting there is the most dangerous of all probabilities.

The question, as I see it, becomes not whether or not the repository will be built, because a simple little visit to Washington, DC will answer that. The current budget, as proposed by President Bush, recommends spending $880 million on the project this fiscal year, an increase of more than 50 percent. More than $6 billion has been spent on the project, and the Department of Energy (DOE) is anticipating spending $58 billion before it¹s all over.

This war may be over, and to continue battling the windmill may not be the right answer. The nuclear waste must be transported from various nuclear facilities around the nation to where ever that repository ends up being built. Trains derail in the this country so often that when one does, it¹s not even news anymore, and that is where the concentration of effort should be for those who don¹t want that waste facility in Nevada.

Centralized storage facilities are generally accepted, from an economics angle, as best, but in the case of nuclear waste, economics must not be the deciding factor. Safety should be more important than any other factor in where facilities should be built, and how the waste should get there.

For decades, nuclear facilities around the country have been required to maintain waste repositories on site, and that is the way it should remain. If the government is willing to spend $58 billion over the next six years or so, spend it at the site where the nuclear fuel is used. To transport something as dangerous and deadly as nuclear waste, transport it thousands of miles through thousands of towns, cities, and villages, threatening the well being of millions of people, over a rail system that is less than adequate, falling apart in many places, is almost criminal, particularly when that waste is already being stored at the same location it was used.

The DOE is being sued by Nevada, by various nuclear energy providers, by citizen groups, and all concerned have bowed their necks as a bull might just before the charge. If someone doesn¹t flinch soon, that ridiculous railroad will be built, and the Yucca Mountain repository will be open for business. It¹s time to change course, to concentrate on forcing the issue of safety into the dialogue.

A Merger And The Gaming Figures

by Johnny Gunn

There seems to be a correlation between the merger of the gaming giants Boyd Gaming and Coast Casinos, and the financial figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board for 2003. This correlation was voiced by a Reno gaming figure, one who is responsible for what is often considered a Œlocals¹ club. That is, it isn¹t the locals clubs that are feeling a financial freeze, or at least, cooling off of desire to flip a card or roll some bones.

Both Boyd and Coast are considered Œlocals¹ operations, and a merger of this size simply doesn¹t take place among losers. It¹s all but a given in Nevada, among Nevadans, I mean, that as a customer, you are treated far better in a casino that caters to the Œlocals¹ trade. Customer service actually does mean something.

Southern Nevada hasn¹t felt the pinch of Indian gaming the same as northern Nevada, and it just might behoove some of the so-called big boys up north to start remembering there are a few hundred thousand people in the vicinity who call themselves locals. It¹s why one casino feels like a big, cold, empty barn while the casino directly next door has people standing in line.

LETTERS WE GET

Dear Editor,

I would like to respond to the recently published letter from Tom Herndon regarding the flood control project.

Tom Herndon's recent criticism of the Washoe County flood control project for not considering input from John Champion, the University and other property owners was inaccurate.

The fact is that the Community Flood Control Coalition (CFCC) was the most inclusive working committee of citizens I have ever witnessed.

The fact is that the University was welcome to participate and did to some extent. That was their choice, not the committee's.

The fact is that the CFCC began after the death of John Champion, but many of his friends and acquaintances were members of the committee and I am sure that Mr. Champion's voice was heard and included in the comments made during the numerous meetings.

Due to other endeavors I was unable to participate in the CFCC as I would have liked, however I did attend four different meetings and I took note that individuals and groups from all parts of the Truckee Meadows were participating. I was impressed by the overwhelming community response in trying to work out their differences and solve a major problem in our community.

As to the Committee's expenditure of funds for food there were some muffins, fruit and water available during these long meetings. The food was paid for by various parties including the Truckee River Water Management Council, the Truckee River Yacht Club, Hidden Valley and Rosewood Lakes Homeowners Assns. Public $$ have never been spent on food.

So have a bottle of water and a banana Tom, and relax. I did.

Mike Robinson

(ed. note: Mr. Robinson is a Reno insurance executive and former candidate for mayor)