Editorial: When will it sink in for them?
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 | 8:56 a.m.
Yucca Mountain's geology alone -- it sits in an active earthquake zone -- should rule it out as a dumpsite for high-level nuclear waste. But 49 other states don't want 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste, so the harm posed by burying the waste in Nevada often is ignored. Nevada's elected officials know, however, that the dangers of cross-country transportation of nuclear waste might swing votes their way.
This week Nevada received a boost in its uphill battle against Yucca Mountain. Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board during the Clinton administration, says the Senate shouldn't decide Yucca Mountain's fate until nuclear waste shipping containers are adequately tested. Hall, a paid consultant for the state of Nevada, says it was irresponsible for the Energy Department to seek congressional approval for Yucca Mountain without detailed plans on how the waste would be shipped, including emergency preparedness plans in the event of an accident or terrorist attack. Hall isn't the only transportation expert to have weighed in on the transportation risks. Joan Claybrook, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen and former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, also has come out against Yucca Mountain.
What is inexplicable is that Nevada has to work so hard to get the attention of the other states' senators about shipping nuclear waste. The Senate should listen to experienced, well-regarded transportation safety experts such as Hall and Claybrook. In the wake of Sept. 11, the U.S. government contends it is doing all that it can to ward off future terrorist attacks, but approving the cross-country shipping of man's deadliest waste would fly in the face of those efforts.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Funeral procession for slain officer includes Las Vegas Strip
- General Growth moving subsidiaries out of bankruptcy protection
- Justin Hawkins is a Rebel with many causes
- Man on death row for 1990 Vegas murder kills self
- Metro officer remembered as ‘protector’ of family, community
- When did Binion’s $1 million display appear?
- 6th arrest made in officer’s death; 5 face formal charges
- Marcus Jones finds his true passion in hunt for UFC contract
- Henderson educator named Nevada Teacher of the Year
- Sen. Steven Horsford parked in handicap spot for hours
Blogs
The Kats Report
Twenty years ago today, Human Nature took root on the farm
'DWTS' champ Donny Osmond still deft afoot in return to Flamingo (2 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Meeting of GOP governors draws challengers, not Gibbons (2 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Oscar loves forcing developers to sign labor peace agreements, Culinary loves the city's downtown plans and all is forgiven (2 Comments)
Now and Then
Underdog is open on a post pattern
Miech Again
Kruger contract altered in September (6 Comments)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Photo Gallery: Donny Osmond brings DWTS trophy to Las Vegas
Calendar »
- 26 Thu
- 27 Fri
- 28 Sat
- 29 Sun
- 30 Mon
-
Food drive with Adam Hunter at Bonkerz Comedy Club
Bonkerz Comedy Club | 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
DJ Battle at Drai's
Drai's Afterhours | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
2012 at Cheyenne Saloon
Cheyenne Saloon | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Sampson's Army at the Double Down Saloon
Double Down Saloon | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati












