Yucca Mountain's Bottom Line: The High Cost of Increased Public Safety Services

This paper examines the projected fiscal impacts, from a 2005 study, to public safety agencies from the proposed high-level nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as well as some of the potential uses of the information gained from these fiscal impact studies. The past and current efforts made by Clark County Nevada, to develop a fiscal model of impacts for public safety agencies are described in this paper. The efforts made by Clark County, Nevada, to develop a fiscal model of impacts for public safety agencies are also described. Some of the difficulties in constructing a fiscal model of impacts for the entire 24-year high-level nuclear waste transportation shipping campaign are identified, and a refined methodology is provided. A comparison of the fiscal impact projections for public safety agencies that Clark County developed in 2001, with those prepared in 2005 is provided and the fiscal impact cost projections for the entire 24 year transportation campaign are described. Finally, a description is provided of how information gained during the fiscal impact studies led to examining the importance of a regional emergency operations center (REOC) to Clark County in the event of a protracted emergency response. The study of the feasibility and support for an Emergency Response Center (EOC) are discussed. (authors)