District 7 Opposes Nuke
Transport Through Ohio
YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio
On the eve of the United States Senate vote, UE District Seven Pres. Joyce Clayborne contacted Senators
DeWine and Voinovich to express the union’s opposition to the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste dump. The Senate voted
60-39 on July 9 to approve the project, which will see radioactive waste shipped by highways and railways to Nevada.
"As President of UE District Seven, representing thousands of working men and women across Ohio, I strongly urge you
to vote against the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Dump scheme," wrote Clayborne. "For the past two years, our union has vocally and
actively opposed this reckless and irresponsible plan for thousands of shipments of high-level radioactive waste, over the next 25 to 30
years, to an earthquake-prone site in Nevada."
GOVERNMENT: ACCIDENTS
AND 'INCIDENTS' LIKELY
Clayborne pointed out that, "The plan, hatched by the nuclear industry and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), would
move 77,000 metric tons of this lethal waste across the country, by truck or rail, to Yucca Mountain. People across northern Ohio would be
placed in serious danger by several such shipments every week, along routes that include the metropolitan areas of Toledo, Cleveland,
Youngstown, and dozens of smaller communities. According to DOE’s own estimates, between 70 and 310 accidents, and over 1,000 ‘incidents,’
would occur during a program of moving nuclear waste by truck," she wrote. Those who work on or live near the Ohio Turnpike would be
in the greatest danger.
These estimates were compiled before September 11, 2001; the Administration is proposing to fill the highways truckloads
of "dirty bomb" material, Clayborne objected.
The proposal risks the safety of the American people for the benefit of the electric utility and nuclear power industries,
the union leader said.
According to the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, the Senate vote for Yucca Mountain "simply sets the stage
for years of courtroom activity, Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing proceedings, continued Congressional action, and an increased
likelihood of large protests and blockades of highways and railways."
