Editorial: Whole U.S. served by state’s suit
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 | 9:27 a.m.
In a sane world, the selection of Southern Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the "safe" place to store the nation's high-level nuclear waste for the next 10,000 years would be laughed out of court. Certainly there is no one alive who can say with certainty what will happen over the course of 100 centuries. For example, imagine the life in Southern Nevada 10,000 years ago -- Cro-Magnon man living in caves and etching his exploits, which included hunting woolly mammoths with deadly throwing sticks called atlatls. Could Cro-Magnon have imagined McCarran International Airport, the Strip, and Wheel of Fortune slot machines?
Unfortunately, however, the federal government is being taken seriously as it proposes to turn a volcanic formation 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas into an underground vault for the world's deadliest material. The rest of the country has expressed little alarm as Congress and the nuclear power industry have steamrolled toward the Yucca "solution" to radioactive waste management. So it's left to Nevada to shoulder the responsibility and expense of pointing up the potentially catastrophic flaws.
On Monday, Nevada took its case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, filing the first of several briefs in a legal challenge against the federal government's plans. The lawsuit will point out the unpredictability of the waste's storage casks, and the scientific evidence showing that within only 50 years of any failure, ground water 1,300 feet below the mountain could become contaminated -- as well as all the areas where the ground water would flow. The dangers of transporting the waste to Yucca Mountain will be included among the suit's other major points.
With its Yucca plan, the federal government is contending that it can predict the future. Nevada, by opposing the plan, is hoping that it can affect the future -- by stopping something fraught with mortal danger for the generations to come.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Corrections officer with Metro killed in U.S. 95 crash
- The pull of a drug, a push to the brink
- Was there an ulterior motive in parking the stripper-mobile?
- CityCenter hotel welcomes new employees with gala
- Harry Reid’s hopes hitched to health care reform bill
- Notebook: The Shark and LJ circle
- Reid clears major health care hurdle, daunting weeks ahead
- Forrest Griffin writes his own ending at UFC 106
- Politicians waste no time spinning latest jobless numbers
- Willis makes big difference in UNLV’s 78-69 victory
Blogs
Culture and Entertainment
UFC 106 walk-in music: Griffin changes his tune, secures win over Ortiz
The Kats Report
For props, Lewis Black needs only his manic delivery and torrid material (9 Comments)
Elsewhere
Sands China raises $2.5 billion in Hong Kong IPO (2 Comments)
Marquardt v. Sonnen scheduled for UFC 109
Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity
Will a fourth consecutive title by Jimmie Johnson be good or bad for NASCAR? (4 Comments)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: And then there were four
Top Chef Episode 12: On keeping it simple
- Live chat
- Tuesday, noon PST
- Chat with Krista Creelman
- Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question
Calendar »
- 23 Mon
- 24 Tue
- 25 Wed
- 26 Thu
- 27 Fri
-
DJ Scooter at Prive
Prive | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Fabolous's birthday at Jet
Jet | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Mixology Monday at Downtown Cocktail Room
Downtown Cocktail Room | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
DJ Red at Tabu
Tabú Ultralounge | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Automatic Tour at The Square Apple
The Square Apple
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati













