Hazardous shipment study sought

Tuesday, July 24, 2001 | 10:09 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to draw attention to the dangers of shipping nuclear waste -- and to drum up opposition to a plan to bury it in Nevada -- Sen. Harry Reid is seeking a hazardous materials transportation study.

Reid last week seized on a freight train accident in a Baltimore tunnel in which hazardous materials leaked from burning rail cars.

Reid, D-Nev., said the accident was an example of why nuclear power plants should not ship their waste to Nevada.

Under a federal proposal, the high-level waste would be hauled on trucks and trains through 43 states to Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for permanent burial. Most Nevada officials oppose the plan.

Reid introduced an amendment to a transportation spending bill expected to pass the Senate Wednesday. The legislation would direct the Department of Transportation to survey the nation's transportation system, assess the risks of shipping hazardous materials and analyze emergency response systems.

"As events in Baltimore over the last few days have shown us, transporting hazardous waste is always a potential accident waiting to happen," Reid said in a written statement. "We need to know the risks of hazmat accidents before they happen."