Justin McCarthy protests at Yucca Mountain:
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This past Mother’s Day, I joined my friends the Western Shoshone and fellow activists, who since the late eighties, have gathered outside the gates of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). We were there to protest the use of Western Shoshone treaty lands, illegally dominated by the Federal government for nuclear weapons testing since the 50’s and the continual tunneling of near by Yucca Mountain for high level nuclear waste disposal.
In 1987 the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) was amended to identify one site for study of long term nuclear waste disposal. Ninety miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada lies Yucca Mountain on the edge the Nevada Test Site just twelve miles from the state’s largest dairy farm in Alamosa Valley. Opponents claim that Nevada has been chosen due to its lack of Congressional Representation, and point to serious flaws in the site plan. Even more terrifying is the proposals of transporting 77,000 tons of high level radioactive waste by truck and rail throughout the county to the site. Each container on the truck bed would only carry about 83 pounds of waste. A large number of trucks through the years would be required to ship the waste stored around the nation to Yucca Mountain. This would include trucks shipping waste through our state through Denver and just north of Summit County by rail. In fact nuclear waste would travel through 43 of our states and also come from foreign sources. The Department of Energy believes that there will be 150-400 accidents over the next 20-30 years involving the shipments. The reality of terrorism has many concerned that these trucks and trains could become terrorist targets. According to the Department of Energy, if a containment cask breaks during shipment a 42 square mile area would be contaminated. The DOE believes it would take 460 days to clean up and cost at least $620 million. There are also serious concerns to what the effects of radiation would have upon the drivers of these trucks and the communities that the trucks would drive through under even ideal circumstances.
This past Valentine’s Day, February 14th, President Bush approved the site within 24 hours of receiving over 80 pounds of study documents. Under the NWPA, the Governor of Nevada vetoed the plan on April 8th. The debate moved to Congress where this past May, the House approved the Yucca Site. Now the public waits for the Senate to vote on the Yucca Mountain Site. If the Senate approves the site, Yucca Mountain could start seeing waste shipments by 2010.
Currently the NTS receives over 1,000 shipments of Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) and Mixed Low Level Waste (MLLW). This waste is defined as not being spent fuel rods or weapons grade materials. LLRW consists of items such as tools and equipment that are used to handle nuclear materials. They are buried in shallow pits with no lining between the waste and the soil. MLLW that contains more hazardous components that are ignitable, corrosive or reactive are stored only in boxes and drums on an asphalt pad at the Nevada Test Site.
The study site of Yucca Mountain has several geological flaws that the opponents have argued make the site unsafe. The area has numerous fault lines through it and a history of volcanic activity. A 7.1 earthquake did rumble at Yucca Mountain in 1932. More recently a 5.6 earthquake shook 12 miles south of the site seriously damaging Department of Energy buildings at Yucca Mountain. Activists in the area have long been concerned about ground water quality with nuclear blasts were at one time exploded above the ground and later were drilled deep into the ground above the water table for decades. It is believed that 15,000 people have died due to fall out from this testing due to cancer. Currently sub critical nuclear tests that use several pounds of plutonium are exploded only 200ft above the water table just a few short miles from Yucca Mountain on the Nuclear Weapons Test Site. Scientific studies by the Department of Energy have shown in 50 years that radioactive waste from weapons testing has traveled 800ft and currently threatens ground water in the area. Despite these real concerns the government plans to use this site to house irretrievable clear waste for 10,000 years.
Activists argue that Yucca Mountain is not a solution to our nation’s nuclear waste woes. Nuclear energy utilities wish only to ship off their nuclear waste and have room to produce more. Critics of the Yucca Mountain site argue that safer on site dry-cask storage would cost $14 billion compared to $50-$60 for Yucca Mountain. Opponents argue that reinforced dry-cask on site storage would make the waste more secure and reduce radioactive emissions. This would also mean there would be no national transportation fears. In addition to serious and numerous scientific concerns of nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, Western Shoshone still protest the use of their lands for activities they feel are illegal. Western Shoshone site the 1863 Treaty of Duck Valley, which specifies appropriate land use by white settlers and never surrenders land title. The treaty is of friendship and not of occupation, exploitation or pollution. The current federal use of the land is also in violation of traditional Shoshone spiritual values and has made much of the land unusable for traditional use and gathering of plants which are dying off. After failure to win in US courts, the tribe currently is addressing their grievances internationally. The traditional Western Shohsone pray and give their respects to the Mother Earth, invite all interested and supporting people. The Western Shohsone and their supporters have been using the land directly across form the NTS gates for prayer in sweat lodges for over fifteen years.
This threat of nuclear waste dangers all of us in this nation and world. It is not a far off issue. The transportation of waste would travel through the state on our highways and rails which could severely endanger those of us here in Summit County. Please contact your Senators and local politicians and let them know of your concerns.
All Relations,
Jusitn J McCarthy,
Green Party Candidate for County Commissioner 2002