Nevadans relieved: Bennett Johnston out of running for energy post

A big sigh of relief Wednesday in Nevada political circles followed word that former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston - author of ''Screw Nevada'' nuclear dump measures - wouldn't be George W. Bush's energy secretary.

President-elect Bush had Johnston under consideration, but that triggered heavy lobbying Tuesday by Nevada leaders concerned that Johnston would be in a position to further the Yucca Mountain dump project.

On Wednesday, Johnston, who lobbied for the nuclear power industry after his Senate service, withdrew for personal reasons, saying he would have enjoyed the ''privilege of working with the Bush team.''

Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn said he had pressed the GOP president-elect's transition team to drop Johnston because his advocacy for the nuclear dump in Nevada ''is simply not acceptable.''

Johnston's decision to drop out of contention ''was the right thing for him to do,'' Guinn said, adding, ''We had serious concerns about him being considered, let alone being appointed.''

The governor also said that the Nevada arguments against Johnston were helped by the fact that the nuclear dump issue was a big one in Nevada during the recent campaign season.

Drawn-out efforts to get Bush to comment on the dump issue finally produced a statement that he'd veto legislation to allow temporary waste storage and would insist that any decision on a permanent dump be based on ''sound science'' rather than politics.

Bush beat Al Gore in Nevada, and on Monday the state's four electors cast the final GOP votes around the nation that gave Bush - who lost the national popular vote - barely enough electoral votes. He needed 270, and wound up with 271.

Guinn coordinated his anti-Johnston efforts with Nevada's congressional delegation, including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who on Tuesday had said that if Bush named the former Louisiana senator ''we should all be afraid.''

Reid, the Senate's No. 2 Democratic leader, also said he spoke Tuesday to Johnston and flatly told him, ''I'm going to do everything I can to prevent you from getting this job.''

Also joining in the fight against the Johnston appointment were Nevada Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jim Gibbons and GOP Sen.-elect John Ensign.

Berkley said Johnston's appointment as energy secretary would be disastrous to Nevada, adding, ''It should send a shiver down the spine of every Nevadan.''

Gibbons said Johnston was ''completely unacceptable,'' and that's what he told the Bush transition team. Gibbons added he's pleased that Bush is keeping a campaign promise to ''maintain open communication on issues most critical to Nevada.''