***Editor's note: Opinions expressed by this reporter, ERIN NEFF, are freely and absolutely her (or his) own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of ownership and management of this Institute.

The following report has been selected by the Public Administration Institution (PAI) of Washington Business and Technology Institue (WBTI) to post on the basis partially of the issue of Yucca Mountain as the repository site. It is our appreciation to post the following report through the courtesy of the largest newspaper in Nevada -- Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Friday, August 06, 2004
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Kerry campaign plans Las Vegas stop
Democrats to hold Tuesday rally at Thomas & Mack

By ERIN NEFF
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller on Thursday announces a Tuesday visit by Sen. John Kerry to Nevada. A public rally at the Thomas & Mack Center is slated for Tuesday evening.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.*2

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, will bring a leg of the campaign's "Believe in America" tour to Las Vegas next week with a public rally.

The only event announced Thursday by the campaign is an evening rally Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The exact time of the event has not been determined.

The trip will be Kerry's third this year to Nevada, a key battleground state and one of the most closely contested in several recent national polls. President Bush has not been to Las Vegas this year, but he visited Reno in June.

The White House releases the president's travel schedule a week in advance, and some local Republicans said they've been told Bush will be in Las Vegas on Thursday, but Bush-Cheney and White House media officials have not confirmed that.

"Senator Kerry has a distinct advantage here in Nevada because Senator Kerry has voted numerous times against sending deadly nuclear waste to this state," former Gov. Bob Miller said Thursday at the Cox Pavilion while announcing Kerry's visit. "The president has had but one vote, and it was to screw Nevada."

Yucca Mountain has been a centerpiece of the race in Nevada because of Bush's statements as a candidate in 2000 that he would base any decision about a nuclear waste repository on "sound science, not politics." Democrats say Bush went back on that promise when he approved Yucca Mountain as the repository site despite remaining scientific concerns.

Republicans say that Bush was relying on years of study by the Department of Energy and that they believe scientific concerns will be answered either by the courts or by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in its licensing of the project.

Last week, Republican Sen. John Ensign criticized Kerry for voting in 1987 to narrow the future study of a national repository to only one site: Yucca Mountain. Kerry voted against bills seeking interim storage of waste at Yucca, and in 2002 he voted with Nevada's senators to block Bush's designation of the site.

Kerry Nevada campaign spokesman Sean Smith said he expects Kerry to talk about Yucca Mountain during his trip next week.

"That's never been John Kerry's problem," Smith said.

Kerry has vowed that Yucca Mountain "will not be a repository" if he's elected, but he has not offered specifics on how he would kill the project.

The Kerry-Edwards campaign also is hoping to hold an event in Las Vegas that highlights a specific issue, probably before the public rally Tuesday.

Exact details of the campaign's arrival and route have not been finalized, nor has a decision on whether to visit Northern Nevada.

When the tour began immediately after the Democratic National Convention in Boston, vice presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was on the bus with Kerry. He then went on a separate tour, mostly in Southern states, and met up again with Kerry on Thursday in St. Louis.

From St. Louis, the two men began an 1,800-mile trip West. The train is expected to stop Sunday night in Arizona. Edwards is not expected to visit Nevada next week.

The rally will be free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets can be obtained by calling the state Democratic Party at 737-VOTE or by sending an e-mail request to rsvp@nvdems.com.*3

benefits of safer techniques in mines.*10

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References

*1. PAI of WBTI is the initial of Public Administration Institution of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI).
*2. LVRJ. 'reviewjournal.com on August 6, 2004,' "A search for news on google.com.," (August 6, 2004), Las Vegas, Nevada: Communitylink of Las Vegas Review-Journal.
*3. Ibid.

Thursday¡¦s Lake Tahoe Basin Restoration Forum at the Ponderosa Ranch highlighted the ongoing effort by the states of Nevada and California as well as the local and federal government, in protecting and restoring Lake Tahoe. Since the 1997 Lake Tahoe Presidential Forum, which was conducted to call attention to the health of the Lake Tahoe Basin, Nevada and its partners have committed numerous resources in preserving what is considered one of the nation¡¦s great treasures.*2

Nevada has made $82 million available for the Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) for Lake Tahoe Basin recovery efforts. Our state has created an inter-agency team called the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, coordinated by the Nevada Division of State Lands and including members from the Divisions of Forestry and State Parks and Department of Wildlife. This group works closely with the Department of Transportation, the Division of Environmental Protection and other state agencies in ensuring that the state¡¦s share of the EIP is implemented. To date, about $55 million in Tahoe bonds have been sold, and approximately 75 percent of Nevada¡¦s EIP projects are either completed or are in progress.

The largest part of Nevada¡¦s EIP is the water quality and erosion control program. These projects are critical to protecting the lake. Water quality projects focus first on ¡§source control,¡¨ which prevents soil erosion. Since 1998, the Division of State Lands has awarded more than $34 million in grants to local governments and the Department of Transportation for the design and construction of water quality and stream restoration projects. Forest health projects are also important. The Nevada Division of Forestry is leading an aggressive program to improve forest health on state land through projects that are reducing the risk of fire danger through the removal of excess fuels while restoring productive riparian, wildlife and old growth habitat.

Recreation highlights under the EIP include construction of a visitor center by the Division of State Parks at Sand Harbor (scheduled completion: spring 2005) and new trail being built from the Spooner Lake parking area up North Canyon to Marlette Lake. The Department of Wildlife is also coordinating projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitat. Among these is an ambitious set of projects to allow fish to migrate past roads and highways, which now act as barriers to fish passage. It is estimated that by removing these barriers along State Route 28 in Incline Village will help double available fish habitat.

These are only a few of Nevada¡¦s commitment to the Tahoe EIP, all in a cooperative effort with the state¡¦s partners to maintain and enhance the unique values of this national treasure for all Nevadans to enjoy.*3

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References

*1. Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A..
*2. Ofiice of the Governor. 'A Message from Governor Kenny C. Guinn - August 5, 2004,' " An e-mail from the Office of Governor Kenny Guinn to Dr. Tony Lei," (August 5, 2004), Carson City, Nevada: Office of Governor Kenny C. Guinn.
*3. Ibid.

***About Governor Kenny Guinn (by the Editor of this flier):

Kenny Guinn, 67, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan. He was named Superintendent of Schools in Clark County and served with distinction in that position until 1978.

In his work for the Clark County School District, Guinn was recognized as an effective administrator committed to educational excellence at a time when the county was experiencing exponential student growth. His service to Clark County students was honored when Kenny C. Guinn Junior High School was named for him.

In 1978, Guinn began applying his management skills in business as Administrative Vice President for Nevada Savings and Loan in Las Vegas, which later became PriMerit Bank. At PriMerit, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas-based bank. Soon thereafter, Guinn was recruited to the energy business as the President of Southwest Gas Corporation and eventually became Chairman of the Board of Directors of that utility in 1993.

In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

In addition to his one-year term at UNLV, Guinn served the state in leadership roles on a variety of committees and commissions, including the Clark County Community College Advisory Committee, the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, the White House Conference on Children and Youth, among others.

Guinn has also worked in his community in a variety of volunteer roles, ranging from involvement in the Boy Scouts and Pop Warner Football to the United Way of Southern Nevada and the Southern Nevada Independent Youth Athletic Association.

Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 47 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.

Dr. Kenny Guinn is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 5, 2004 Contact Greg Bortolin or John Trent
775-684-5670

CARSON CITY ¡V Gov. Kenny Guinn announced today that he has requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the Waterfall Fire, which charred thousands of acres in the mountains surrounding Carson City on July 14-21.*2

After assessment of damages performed by a joint federal, state and local Preliminary Damage Assessment Team, it was determined that the State of Nevada is justified in this request as a result of the extensive damages experienced from the fire and the long-term recovery that will be required to prevent further damages.

¡§While the costs of responding to the Waterfall Fire were of significant magnitude to state and local governments, the priority must now be to ensure that the environmental effects of the fire do not result in subsequent disaster,¡¨ Gov. Guinn said. ¡§If the application is approved, we will seek the appropriate federal funding that will enable preventive measures to take place to stabilize the burn areas.

¡§We have talked directly to White House staff and they have promised that the Disaster Declaration for the Waterfall Fire will be given every consideration and will be expedited as quickly as possible. They understand the seriousness of our situation.¡¨

If the State¡¦s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration is approved, the federal government would provide a 75 percent reimbursement for costs incurred as a result of responding to and recovering from the fire as well as additional post-disaster hazard mitigation funding to assist in the rehabilitation of the burn area. The Governor has designated Frank Siracusa, Chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, as the State Coordinating Officer for this request.

¡§This would provide much-needed funding for further restoration efforts, which would not jeopardize FEMA funding that was put in place at the onset of the fire,¡¨ Gov. Guinn said.

The State of Nevada is currently exploring financial programs that may assist homeowners and private business owners affected by the Waterfall Fire. Currently, Nevada does not meet the minimum requirements to obtain this type of assistance; however, as more information becomes available, state officials may re-visit application for these programs.

(Note: Gov. Guinn will be available for media comment at the Lake Tahoe Restoration Forum on Thursday, Aug. 5, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Ponderosa Ranch on State Route 28 near Incline Village.)*3

Text from Gov. Guinn¡¦s Disaster Declaration letter:.......

Office of the Governor Grant Sawyer State Office Building
101 North Carson Street 555 East Washington, Suite 5100
Carson City, NV 89701 Las Vegas, NV 89101
Fax: 775-684-7198 Fax: 702-486-2505

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References

*1. Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A..
*2. Office of the Governor. 'Press Release: Gov. Guinn seeks Presidential Disaster Declaration for Waterfall Fire -8/5/04,' "An e-mail to Dr. Tony Lei from the Office of Governor Kenny C. Guinn," (August 5, 2004), Carson City, Nevada: Office of Governor Kenny Guinn.
*3. Ibid.