Editorial: Tracking legacy of Cold War

Friday, Aug. 11, 2000 | 9:34 a.m.

Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson's commitment Wednesday to seek $40 million to track contamination in ground water at the Nevada Test Site couldn't be more welcome. Earlier this year Gov. Kenny Guinn had asked the Department of Energy for the money for more testing because there was uncertainty whether radioactive-contaminated water was moving beyond the Nevada Test Site's boundaries. A computer model used by the DOE to estimate the path of this water failed an independent assessment by other scientists, who argued that the department would need additional information to make its projections accurate.

The reason for the contamination -- and the concern for public safety -- is that from 1951 to 1992 the Nevada Test Site was home to 928 above- and below-ground nuclear weapons tests. While no atomic blasts have occurred for nearly a decade, the radioactive legacy of the testing will be felt for thousands of years. The federal government's efforts to clean up the Nevada Test Site and other nuclear weapons facilities have been woefully inadequate. Indeed, one recent study by the National Academy of Sciences estimates 109 federal locations that built and tested atomic weapons -- including the Nevada Test Site -- never will be safe enough for public access.

Nevada's environment already has paid a high price for being the nation's proving ground for nuclear weapons, so the federal government has a duty to ensure the public is safe from the hazards it created. Congress immediately should approve the additional money to allow scientists to better track radioactive-contaminated water, which will help protect this and future generations of Nevadans.