Washington ? Opponents of burying America’s nuclear waste in Nevada will give the public a crash course in the dangers of hauling radioactive materials across the country, part of a long-shot lobbying campaign to kill the plan in Congress.

Two former White House chiefs of staff  Democrat John Podesta, who worked for President Clinton, and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, who worked for President Reagan  are directing the effort.

The lobbying campaign is to include television ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists.

The campaign gets under way today, when Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn plans to veto President Bush’s endorsement of Yucca Mountain as the place to hold up to 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years.

Guinn’s veto is allowed under rules Congress wrote for finding a national nuclear waste dump. Congress will have the final say, however, and a vote on whether to override is expected before August.

Spent nuclear fuel from power plants and defense facilities in 34 states has accumulated at those sites for decades as lawmakers grappled with the questions of whether and where to establish a national repository.

Yucca Mountain, a volcanic ridge on the edge of the Nevada Test Site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been under consideration for at least 25 years. In February, Bush recommended it be chosen.

Opponents, led by environmentalists and Nevada’s congressional delegation, already have sued. They are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush.

The campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Nevada site and fears that the thousands of truck, train and barge trips it will take to transport the material across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive fallout.