Editorial: Taking a ‘byte’ out of apathy

Wednesday, June 12, 2002 | 9:08 a.m.

We sense that in most American homes, there's a sense of personal security about the proposed burial of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Oh, it's being buried "way out in the Nevada desert." We can just hear millions of people saying that in dismissing the news. What other reason could there be for the House to have overwhelmingly approved this dangerous plan and for it to be considered a slam dunk when the Senate votes in a few weeks? The nuclear power industry has used an infinite amount of money and political influence to support Yucca Mountain, while most people outside of Nevada are apathetic. So far that's been a winning combination for the pro-Yucca forces.

An interactive website that came online Tuesday, however, might just rattle that equation. Created by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization, the site -- www.mapscience.org -- allows anyone to discover how close shipments of nuclear waste will come to their homes if Yucca Mountain is ultimately approved.

All people need to do is type in their home addresses and ZIP codes. A wealth of information they may have not thought much about, including the number of recent tractor-trailer and rail accidents in their state, is all there. The site also allows people to immediately e-mail their senators. Major foundations contributed money for the site, as did Brian Greenspun, whose family owns the Las Vegas Sun. We believe the site provides an important public service and we hope word of it spreads in the weeks remaining before the Senate vote. We'd like to think millions of e-mails from the American people could have as much influence as the millions of dollars spent by the nuclear power industry in lobbying for Yucca.