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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Sen. Harry Reid called President Bush a “liar” for telling Nevadans that he would base a decision on whether to send the nation’s nuclear waste to Nevada on “sound science, not politics.” 

At a Saturday news conference, Reid criticized Bush’s approval Friday of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as the site for long-term disposal of thousands of tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste. 

“So this is the big lie,” Reid, D-Nev., said. “The president didn’t tell the truth ... If this is an example of how he helps Nevada, we don’t need his help.” 

Reid’s comments drew criticism from the White House. 

“The president has said all along that he would base his decision on sound science, which is what he did,” Bush spokesman Jimmy Orr said. “The fact that the senator disagrees with him on the science is a shameful excuse to personally attack the president.” 

Reid’s news conference was held at Heavenly Ski Resort’s observation deck, where Bush stood in 2000 when he told Nevadans that he would base his Yucca Mountain decision on “sound science.” 

Reid said the Energy Department did not properly consider environmental impacts or the security risk posed by transporting 77,000 tons of waste stockpiled at U.S. nuclear plants and defense facilities. 

On Friday, Bush said his decision was “the culmination of two decades of intense scientific scrutiny” and that he is certain the science is sound. 

Reid, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, said Bush “would not be president today” if Nevadans had known what was in store for Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 

Bush won Nevada’s four electoral votes en route to his slim victory over Al Gore. 

“(Bush has) left the country, and he thinks this (issue) will be gone when he gets back, but it won’t be,” Reid said. 

Reid said he’s also concerned that, given Bush’s close ties to the energy industry, Friday’s decision may lead to future nuclear energy development.