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Yucca Mountain Letter
July 9, 2002
The Honorable Jon Corzine
502 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Corzine,
Soon the Senate could be voting on the fate of Yucca Mountain as
the site of the national high-level nuclear waste repository. This
vote on S.J. Res. 34 would reverse Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn's veto
regarding the siting of the repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The
League of Women Voters of New Jersey supports the veto decision based
on two main safety criteria: suitability of the site and the
transportation of nuclear waste across the country.
Suitability of the Site
The Yucca Mountain site suitability decision announced by
Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on February 14, 2002
did not have a firm scientific basis. The Nuclear Waste Technical
Review Board, a congressionally-designated independent scientific
panel, concluded that "the technical basis for the Department of
Energy's (DOE) repository performance estimates is weak to moderate
at this time." A report from the General Accounting Office says there
are more than 250 significant unresolved technical issues with the
Yucca Mountain site, including how quickly the waste containers will
leak radioactive waste, the amount and speed of water flowing through
the waste area, and the likelihood of volcanic activity. The Yucca
Mountain program has yet to publish a final environmental impact
statement.
In 1997, the League of Women Voters of the United States expressed
serious concerns regarding the technical suitability of this site.
According to scientific oversight agencies and peer review groups,
these issues, which include large uncertainties about groundwater
flow, volcanism, earthquakes and potential radioactive releases to
the environment, have yet to be resolved.
Nuclear waste is the most long-term dangerous substance we have
created. Decisions about storing this waste must ensure that public
health and the environment are protected.
The Transportation of Nuclear Waste
The approval of Yucca Mountain would result in transporting 77,000
tons of radioactive waste shipments through 43 states, the District
of Columbia, and more than 100 large cities. More than 50 million
people live within ½ mile of the proposed highway and rail
transportation routes. Questions regarding emergency response
capability, routine radiation emissions, possible terrorism and many
other issues have not been adequately addressed by either the
Department of Energy or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don
Young (R-AK), formerly a supporter of shipping this waste, now
expresses serious doubts about the safety of transporting highly
radioactive nuclear spent fuel through the nation's cities. A Yucca
Mountain repository would require approximately 100,000 shipments, by
either truck or train, for about 30 years. One of the homeland
security initiatives taken just after the September 11 terrorist
attacks was the cessation of all shipments involving radioactive
materials. The waste that would travel to Yucca Mountain has the
highest level of danger of all nuclear cargo.
Surely, several decades of continual shipments through rural areas
and over 100 major cities poses an unacceptable terrorist threat. The
waste is currently at licensed sites that can be guarded and
fortified to any extent deemed necessary. If the waste were to remain
on site for a 100-year period, which the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission says can be safely done, the radioactivity would be only a
fraction of what it now is.
With scientific research still to be completed at Yucca Mountain
and many new security questions facing the country, the Yucca
Mountain project should not go forward. The League of Women Voters of
New Jersey asks you to please oppose S.J. Res.34 until all safety
questions are answered and a real transportation plan is submitted.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and
views on this particular issue.
Sincerely,
Sandra L. Matsen
President
League of Women Voters of New Jersey
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