Letter: Yucca report on ‘60 Minutes’ may wake up nation

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 | 8:47 a.m.

Sunday's "60 Minutes" report about Yucca Mountain was balanced and accurate, giving viewers a snapshot look at this critical national issue.

Although it was reported that the Energy Department claims rail as the preferred mode of transportation, it is well known, at least in Nevada, that rail transportation is unlikely. It may take up to five years just for the permits and approvals needed; plus, about a third of the nation's existing reactor sites cannot ship directly by rail.

This means shipping by truck is probable by 2010, with 6 to 11 trucks a day for at least 24 years.

I'm quite sure that people in places like Chicago and Atlanta, which are in the direct path of the projected 53,000 truck shipments, were surprised to learn they are unwitting participants in the nuclear waste drama about to be played out in the Nevada desert.

Perhaps the rest of the country will wake up and support Nevada's continued opposition to this nightmare in the making.

SHARON RORMAN