LAS VEGAS -- According to the deputy executive director of the Democratic Party of Nevada, supporters of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository Mountain need not look toward the party's presidential hopefuls for any support.

Democratic presidential candidates, many of whom are visiting Nevada this week or next, are united in opposition to plans for dumping nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, as well as to a bill that was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate to speed up development of the nuclear waste dump, reported Kirsten Searer.

Meanwhile, she added, "Many of the Republican presidential candidates remain silent on the issue or, like Sen. John McCain, openly declare their support for storing the nation's nuclear waste just 90 miles from Las Vegas."

"The first question presidential candidates visiting Nevada should answer is this: Will you pledge to stop a dangerous nuclear waste dump from coming to Nevada?" said Democratic Party Chairman Jill Derby. "Democratic candidates join Sen. Reid - who has led the fight against Yucca Mountain - in working to stop Yucca Mountain and the dangerous bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate to speed up the project. It appears Republican candidates don't put that sort of value on our safety in Nevada."

The Democratic candidates and where they stand:

Sen. Joe Biden: "I oppose Yucca Mountain. There are serious questions about the impact of using it as a repository of radioactive waste. The bottom line is that radioactive waste should be safely stored or recycled near the plants that generate it -- we shouldn't be hauling it all over the country. I agree with (Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.) that our focus on resolving this issue should be on science -- research and development of technology that allows plants to recycle waste or doesn't create that kind waste in the first place.

"Just as Senator Reid is opposed to this new legislation to speed up the licensing process on Yucca Mountain, my position has not wavered and I would not support it either."

Sen. Hillary Clinton: "I have long opposed storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. This latest attempt to push forward development of the project is particularly reckless, as it aims to increase spending and begin construction on the site prior to license approval. There are far too many unanswered questions about both the geology of the site and integrity of the science to support the decision to store waste at Yucca at all -- let alone to justify accelerating the site's development.

"Continued attempts to push this misguided project forward are both disappointing and irresponsible. As President, I will work with the scientific community to examine all options for safe, secure storage of nuclear waste as part of a comprehensive national energy policy."

Sen. Chris Dodd: "I am disappointed by recent efforts to advance the development of the Yucca mountain project. I oppose licensing a repository at Yucca Mountain based on serious security and safety concerns. Rather than accelerating development, we should use this time to urgently increase funding for research into new environmentally friendly long-term solutions that provide for safe storage and disposal of nuclear waste."

Sen. Barack Obama: "I want every Nevadan to know that I have always opposed using Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository ... After spending billions of dollars on the Yucca Mountain Project, there are still significant questions about whether nuclear waste can be safely stored there. I believe a better short-term solution is to store nuclear waste on-site at the reactors where it is produced, or at a designated facility in the state where it is produced, until we find a safe, long-term disposal solution that is based on sound science."

Gov. Bill Richardson: "The legislation proposed (May 23) by Senators Domenici and Craig threatens millions of Americans. For more than 20 years, in Congress and as Secretary of Energy, I have opposed the Yucca Mountain project. This decision must be based on science, not politics, and the latest scientific studies show that Yucca Mountain is unsuitable for high-level nuclear waste storage. We need to protect the health and safety of Nevadans, and I am proud to stand with Harry Reid in opposing this legislation and urge the Senate to put a quick end to this proposal."

Former Sen. John Edwards and Rep. Dennis Kucinich have also said they are opposed to the nuclear waste dump, said Searer, with Edwards saying this year, "Over time it's become clear that the science is unreliable. That seems to be now the consensus of the scientific community. There's also been serious allegations about fraud and misrepresentation in some of the scientific documents, and I've also become more concerned over time with the transport of nuclear waste across the country, particularly with what's happened with the threat of terrorism."