Fight continues against nuclear waste
dump in Nevada
The Ruminations on America Project
is an exploration of American values as told by one person in each
of the 50 states, interviewed about their respective lives, states
and state of the union.
by Rita J. King
Nevada calls to mind two extreme pictures: a neon strip of casino
chips, craps and quickie weddings fueled by booze and illusion (think
Britney Spears), and weapons testing and dumping in the desert (think
World War III and the energy crisis).
While celebrities scoop up prime real estate in a city that faces
a massive water crisis, others in Nevada, like John Hadder, 45, continue
to fight the possibility of nuclear waste being dumped at Yucca Mountain.
Those living in the shadow of Indian Point's peak fatality zone know
about Yucca Mountain-the ostensible answer to the nation's mounting
nuclear waste catastrophe. As radiological leaks wind their way toward
the Hudson River, seeping into the world at rates acceptable to the
standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the proper method
of storing the most hazardous waste product created by humanity is
a question that needs to be answered now, as the Bush Administration
nurtures the development of new nuclear plants.
During my four years as a reporter on the nuclear industry, I've developed
a number of informative relationships with industry insiders who have
told me repeatedly-in no uncertain terms and in confidence-that Yucca
Mountain, 20 years behind schedule, will never happen, despite the
massive funds invested in the project. Despite the excavation and
constant talk and all the energy that has been poured into the concept,
I'm going out on a limb to call the bluff.
Yucca Mountain is a chimera.
Nuclear waste will be stored on site-not hardened and dispersed, as
top experts have recommended in order to prevent the waste from being
visible from the air-but in casks stacked in one centralized location
near the smokestacks and domes of America's nuclear power plants.
Even if Indian Point is decommissioned, the waste will be there long
after the glaciers melt. Hadder, the coordinator of Northern Nevada's
Citizen Alert since 2000, is a member of the Green Party. He's married.
He said the world is his cathedral, and "gets that feeling of
connection" when he goes out hiking, which he'd like to do more
of.
But his time is spent fighting Yucca Mountain, and now, with Armageddon
looming on the horizon, the possibility that a ban on nuclear testing
signed by President George H. W. Bush might be undone by his son as
the development of bunker busters seems to require the vast empty
underground desert of God's creation for testing purposes.
Keep in mind that nuclear testing wasn't always conducted underground.
In the 1950s, the rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air gave
proof that the United States was developing deadly weapons of mass
destruction. As Hadder pointed out, because most nuclear testing was
accomplished on indigenous tribal land, the Shoshone Indians inhabited
the most nuclear bombed nation on earth. A weapons test scheduled
for this year, oddly named Divine Strake, was successfully petitioned
against. But Hadder knows it's only a matter of time before the subject
comes up again. The test would have involved 700 tons of ammonium
nitrate and fuel oil-the same lethal mix used for the Oklahoma City
bombing.
"People here are very distrustful of government," Hadder
said. "At first, it was viewed as a patriotic duty to support
this testing because of the Russians, but then all the health problems
started."
While a distinction has long been made between nuclear power plants
used for "peaceful" purposes and nuclear weapons, many argue
that the line has been blurred since weapons, such as Depleted Uranium,
are created from the leftover product of energy transfer.
"There's no good thing to do with this stuff," Hadder said
of the waste.
The heavy military presence in Nevada, coupled with the unusual topography
of the great basin, into which rivers flow without ever reaching the
sea, has positioned it as one of the most unique states.
"It's a strange area," Hadder said, adding that cattle ranchers
often complain of the low-flying aircraft from the "Top Gun"
school scaring cows. Maneuvers are executed involving fine, reflective
flakes meant to block radar. In preparation for the Gulf War, Nevada
became an experimental testing ground for military might.
People have seen bizarre lights glittering against the desert sky-but
they've learned that not all UFO's carry aliens.
