Editorial: Another revelation of nuke waste follies

Friday, May 3, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

Supporters of a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain always scoff at concerns that transporting the deadly cargo would be a dangerous undertaking, one vulnerable to accidents or terrorist attacks. Well, Yucca Mountain supporters should take off their rose-colored glasses and take a look at a scary moment that occurred March 6: Two men who escaped from a North Carolina prison labor camp boarded a train carrying high-level nuclear waste.

The men, who jumped off the train after a security guard pointed a gun at them, ultimately were apprehended. But if these men had been armed terrorists and had overwhelmed the security detail, there's no telling what they could have done. For the most part, Sept. 11 caused a dramatic shift in how we defend ourselves against terrorist attacks, which is why it is so outrageous that the federal government won't recognize that transporting nuclear waste would be an open invitation to terrorists.

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