DOE criticized for not promoting nuke hearings

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2000 | 11:38 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- A leading citizens group is criticizing the Department of Energy for not promoting three new hearings about nuclear waste, scheduled for Jan. 24 in Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 28 in Cleveland and Feb. 1 in Chicago.

The topic of the hearings is the draft environmental impact statement prepared by the department for the storage of the nation's nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The department wants to bury more than 77,000 tons of waste inside the mountain. The proposal has not been finalized.

The waste likely would be transported on trucks and trains to Nevada from Eastern states through Lincoln, Cleveland and Chicago, passing through 43 states in all.

The energy department added the three hearings late last month to a list of hearings in other cities.

On Wednesday officials with Public Citizen, founded by Ralph Nader, said the department should better publicize the new hearings so that people attend the meetings and better understand the dangers of transporting waste.

Department officials say transporting nuclear waste has been proven safe.

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