Aiken Standard in Aiken, South Carolina

Bush signs 27.3 billion energy bill with Yucca Mountain funds

President George Bush signed a 27.3 billion energy and water appropriations bill approving major funding for Yucca Mountain research in Nevada and nuclear programs. The measure, approved 387 to 36 in the House and by voice vote in the Senate, funds water projects nationwide and raises overall spending by 123 million. Nevada lawmakers opposed the bill’s waste site location amid ongoing disputes with the administration and state officials.