Editorial: Quake is reminder of dump’s danger

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1999 | 8:50 a.m.

Earthquakes are a lot like top-notch pugilists. A number of seemingly harmless tremors will come along not unlike the playful jabs a seasoned boxing champion will use to size up his challenger. It is when we least expect it that the champion delivers a swift and vicious uppercut, knocking out his foe. Anyone who has suffered extensive property damage from a major earthquake knows what it feels like when Mother Nature delivers a knockout blow.

The problem is that Nevada, the third most earthquake-prone state behind California and Alaska, is the only place being considered by Congress and the Department of Energy to store the nation's high-level nuclear waste. That makes about as much sense as dumping contaminated waste in a flood plain.

The federal government has its sights set on Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Yucca Mountain is right in the middle of our earthquake alley. Sunday morning two earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.6 and 5.2 on the Richter scale were pinpointed to an epicenter just 40 miles northwest of Yucca Mountain. No damage or injuries were reported but the temblors were notable enough to earn their own name, the Scotty's Junction quakes.

Geologic formations shift as the result of quakes. Surface cracks form as do underground fissures. Underground water tables can be impacted. Anyone who believes that it is safe to dump nuclear waste into that type of environment needs a brain scan.

Unlike a championship fight, which lasts only 12 rounds, a series of earthquakes can occur over numerous centuries. That big knockout punch can occur at any time. The question is, how many congressmen and Energy Department officials would want their families to be within 90 miles of a nuclear waste dump when it is rattled by a major quake?