Official: Yucca woes not limited to Nevada

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 | 9:23 a.m.

Problems posed by a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain are not limited to Nevada, state officials said during a meeting Tuesday of the state's Commission on Nuclear Projects.

An act of terrorism involving a shipment of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain could expose more than 53 million people -- who are within a mile of national road or rail routes -- to radiation, according to studies Nevada has conducted on the Yucca project.

Even before Sept. 11, those who have studied the project have spent time analyzing a fiery train derailment, which occurred this summer in a Baltimore tunnel, and how the accident may relate to a similar incident involving a train or truck hauling nuclear waste to Yucca, said Joe Strolin, planning administrator for the state Agency for Nuclear Projects.

Preliminary results indicate the temperature from the fire in the tunnel would crack open a metal cask hauling nuclear waste, releasing radiation that could be carried by the wind more than 43 miles. Cleanup costs from a radioactive accident such as the Baltimore tunnel crash could top $10 billion, Strolin said.

Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams said the recent terrorist attacks have heightened the public's awareness regarding America's vulnerability.

"The reality is that terrorism is here," Williams, a commission member, said.