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Guest Commentary May 4, 2002
Nuclear Waste Site in Nevada Is Bad Idea
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
Yucca Mountain is bad for Nevada, it is bad for California, and it is bad for the millions of Americans whose communities would become the chosen route for deadly nuclear waste transfer.
It is time for President Bush to stop paying lip service to the idea of states' rights and listen to our states.
Let's listen to local county supervisors in my home state of California. They oppose the Yucca site. Three counties have contacted me -- Ventura, San Bernardino, and Inyo. They are very worried for two main reasons:
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First, groundwater contamination. Tests have shown that Yucca Mountain "leaks" -– despite earlier beliefs that the Mountain would serve as a fail-proof container. Water from the Mountain goes into the aquifer that California and Nevada share. If that water is contaminated by nuclear waste, it will endanger the drinking water and the water for wildlife in at least these three counties.
Second, much of the nuclear waste will be transported through these counties on the way to Yucca – possibly as many as five trucks full per day. In fact, the transport of this waste could impact my entire state because now officials are saying that the waste may have to be trucked all the way north to Sacramento as it makes its way to the Yucca site.
After September 11, this could be a nightmare. The terrorists have not gotten hold of nuclear materials yet. Why give them 74,000 opportunities in California alone during the next 39 years to get these materials?
America is on the cutting edge of science. I believe in the genius of our people, and I believe that we can soon find a way to neutralize and compact this waste.
It's time to start paying attention to science and safety -- rather than politics.
Barbara Boxer, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator from California. The above commentary has been adapted from remarks Sen. Boxer made at a Capitol Hill news conference, April 16, 2002. To contact her, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
