While U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., says Yucca Mountain will bleed really hard in the coming year, $2.9 million worth of oversight contracts were routinely renewed by Nye County commissioners last month.

President-elect Barack Obama, who voiced opposition to the Yucca Mountain Project in his campaign, is said to be an ally of Reid, who has been a harsh critic of the project. Reid said Monday the budget will be cut significantly for the rest of 2009 and in 2010 the White House spending request will contain "little if anything at all."

The Yucca Mountain budget this year was $386 million, the lowest in seven years.

The Nye County nuclear waste oversight contracts were approved under the county commission consent agenda, in which the 20 contracts were just one agenda item of many approved under one motion with no discussion.

The contracts last until Dec. 31.

A memo from Nye County Nuclear Waste Project Office Director Darrell Lacy said 2009 will be a year of dramatic and rapidly changing events associated with the Yucca Mountain project.

"Political contentions in Washington have resulted once again in an uncertain budget for DOE. It is important that NWRPO maintain the professional expertise we have developed over the past many years, especially now that DOE has submitted their license application," Lacy wrote.

Lacy advised commissioners DOE is encouraging Nye County to become more involved in outreach, on-site public safety initiatives, municipal services and community planning. He wrote, the nuclear waste project office "will require the expertise of a broad range of contractors to assist in developing policy and programs to protect Nye County interests."

He proposed issuing the contracts without competition, in the usual fashion. He said the contractors have worked on the project on average over eight years "facilitating continuity, stability and the accumulation of a large body of interdisciplinary knowledge regarding Yucca Mountain."

Seven of the contracts under the Independent Scientific Investigations Program will be up for renewal March 31. Congress has been operating under a continuing resolution; Nye County was awarded 43 percent of its 2009 oversight funding to last for the period from Oct. 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009.

"There's a five-month continuing resolution. The rest of the year will be dependent based on when the new administration comes in," Lacy said in a recent interview. "If they were to cut our funding, we can cut back the money on our contracts."

The contracts were renewed based on the assumption the county will get full funding for the remainder of 2009, he said.

The list of consultants and the maximum amount they will be funded includes:

* Attorney Jeffrey Van Niel, regulatory and licensing advisor, $600,000.

* Former DOE licensing engineer Joseph Ziegler, environmental assessment, land management support, NRC licensing and other duties, $210,000.

* Cash Jaczczak will continue developing county strategy, policy and plans on Yucca Mountain, $210,000;

* Michael Voegele, with a doctorate in geological engineering, will be the team leader in the county's public information and outreach program, $210,000;

* Nevada Environmental Research and Monitoring Institute (NERMI),will develop a business plan that includes training residents to collect samples of baseline radiation and develop a plan for an environmental measurements laboratory in Nye County, $200,000;

* Eileen Christensen, with BEC Environmental Inc., an OSHA licensed instructor, will work on the Nye County public safety project report and other duties, $200,000;

* TerraSpectra Geomatics, Web master services for the repository project office Web site, $170,000;

* Hydrogeologist Tom Buqo, will support hydrogeology, groundwater studies and study repository impacts on water resources, $150,000;

* Richard Reinke, Norwest Corp., principal investigator for tracer tests, $150,000;

* Jamie Walker with Jamieson Geological Inc., the managing geologist of the project since 2001, $135,000;

* John Walton, a professor of civil engineering and environmental science at the University of Texas, El Paso, water chemistry and repository ventilation studies, $100,000;

* Kathy Gilmore, a geoscientist with the program for six years, will provide quality assurance, $85,000;

* Mary Ellen Giampaoli, environmental compliance and land use contractor, $80,000;

* Great Basin Drilling Co., well construction, aquifer and tracer testing when needed, $70,000;

* Contract field technician Ryan Lee, geologic sampling and testing, well drilling, aquifer testing, groundwater monitoring and tracer testing, $60,000;

* Thomas Anderson, University of Pittsburgh, will provide support on tectonic activity, volcanism and other geological studies, $55,000;

* Anita Johnson, president of HydroGeoLogica, will perform hydrogeological quality assurance, water resources planning and management, $50,000.