[NukeNet] No nuclear waste

[theroyprocess at cox.net]

No nuclear waste
http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080509/OPINION/805090313

      Utah has had enough problems with nuclear technology over the years.

      There was, of course, the devastating effects of the fallout that dropped on the state during the detonations at the Nevada Test Site during the Cold War.
     


There was the threat of a renewal of dangerous, although not nuclear, testing several years ago when the federal government wanted to pursue the Divine Strake test that, some experts said, would have simulated a nuclear explosion and kicked up radiation that has settled on the desert floor. 

There is also the constant threat of nuclear waste either passing through the state, as proposed by the Yucca Mountain plan to transport hazardous radioactive materials to a facility in Nevada, to private endeavors in the northern part of the state. 
And, now, EnergySolutions, Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit to dispose of nuclear waste from Italy at a site in Tooele County.

The governor has drawn a line in the sand, instructing the state's representative on the Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste to veto the proposal.

We agree.

First, Utah has for too long been the victim of indiscriminate environmental abuses - from disrupted wildlands to polluted waters. You cannot, because of this, eat the fish taken from many of our rivers and lakes, which have high levels of mercury.

Secondly, this waste would come from Italy. About 1,600 tons of nuclear waste would be, under this proposal, shipped to either Charleston, S .C., or New Orleans, be transferred to Tennessee, where it would be processed, and then shipped to Tooele County.

EnergySolutions, Inc. believes that because the storage site is on private property it should have the right to bring it into the state.

Despite the high-profile advertising campaign - from naming the arena where the Utah Jazz play basketball to television and print spots - there is only one way to describe what EnergySolutions, Inc. is involved in and that is dangerous business.

It is not in the public interest to have these materials shipped to and through our state. It is not in the public interest to store it here and risk the possibility of leakage to further pollute our groundwater or air. It is not in this country's interest to accept this dangerous waste from European shores or any place else.

Italy, France and other European nations have become huge proponents of nuclear power and energy. The problem is they are creating indisposable waste that poses a danger to those who handle it or could potentially be exposed to it. We say "No way!" for any organization - governmental or private - that wishes to expose our residents to even the most remote possibility of exposure to nuclear poisoning.

We've been there, done that and have the headstones to prove just how dangerous radioactivity can be.


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