LAS VEGAS (AP) " The executive director of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects has resigned amid questions over whether he illegally gave pay raises to himself and others in his office.
Bob Loux stepped down Monday at a meeting of the state agency fighting federal plans for a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.
Loux says working at the office had been his "life's work" for 32 years, and he does not want the controversy over pay raises to distract the agency from fighting the dump.
Commissioners are asking Loux to stay on until a replacement is named. Loux's replacement will be appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons, who had pressured him to resign.
The pay raises last fiscal year for Loux and six agency employees amounted to about $72,000, covered by money left over when another employee left.