June 7, 1999

Senator Richard Bryan
U.S. Senate
258 Senate Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Bryan:

     Recently Eureka County was notified by the Department of Energy that DOE will not be extending the comment period on the Yucca Mountain Geologic Repository Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) beyond 90 days, as requested by the State of Nevada and all ten affected counties, including Eureka.

     At the time of scoping on the EIS, DOE had promised a 180 day review period. We believe that the 180 day time frame is reasonable and appropriate for a project which has been in process for over 15 years. It will be very difficult for Eureka County and its residents to review the entire document and prepare thorough and detailed comments within the 90 day period due to the size of the document and the complexity of the project.

     We are requesting your assistance and the assistance of the other members of the delegation to secure a 180 day comment period on the draft EIS which is scheduled to be released in late July according to DOE.

     If you have questions or need more information, please contact me at 775/778-1620 or Abby Johnson, the county's nuclear waste advisor, at 775/882-0296. Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Pete Goicoechea

Pete Goicoechea
Chairman

cc:
Leonard Fiorenzi, Abby Johnson, Eureka County
AULGs
Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office