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Washington State vote against nuclear waste vindicated
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 09:39:10 -0400
------ Forwarded Message From: Larry Tesler <tesler () pobox com> Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 02:04:24 -0700 To: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu> Subject: Washington State vote against nuclear waste vindicated Dave, If you think this might be of interest to IP, please pass it along. Initiative 297 on the November 2004 Washington State ballot was designed to prevent the U.S. DOE from transporting 70,000 truckloads of additional radioactive waste to Hanford, the most contaminated storage site in the nation, before the waste that was already there got cleaned up. One issue raised by supporters in their ad campaign was that transporting so much waste through populated areas would threaten public health. A WashPIRG newsletter said, "The DOE's own analysis estimated that up to 75 accidents will occur as the waste is transported, potentially exposing entire communities to radiation contamination. In addition, the trucks could make attractive targets for terrorists." The main arguments by opponents were that a NIMBY attitude by state residents would encourage other states to follow suit, and that the Bush Administration would challenge the measure in court (they did) and would probably win (still to be seen). But few states have waste sites with as sordid a history as Hanford. And challenging a public health initiative approved by 69% of voters is hardly a wise political move. The Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Dino Rossi, could not publicly endorse the measure because it conflicted with Bush Administration policy. But with polls showing that the measure enjoyed widespread public support, he could not oppose it and win the election. His solution was to take no position on that or the four other statewide measures on the ballot. Despite his evasion, or rather thanks to it, he came within a hair's breadth of defeating Christine Gregoire. Meanwhile, Initiative 297 passed in 37 of 39 counties, winning 69% of the vote. Were Washington voters fooled by environmentalist scare tactics? Or were they smart enough to realize that the dumping plan was as dangerous as environmentalists portrayed it to be? Part of the answer may lie in the middle of this excerpt from a Seattle Times story: "[On April 12, 2005,] a tanker spewed hot roofing tar across all four northbound lanes [of Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle]. ... State Patrol spokeswoman Kelly Spangler said the gooey mess oozed out in a 15-foot-wide swath that was a good 2 inches thick. ... A double tanker truck owned by LTI Inc., a company with offices in Washington, Oregon and Idaho that specializes in transporting hazardous materials, struck a guardrail ... The rear trailer rolled sideways and split open, spilling the hot tar. ... After striking the guardrail, the truck's driver 'continued driving about 100 yards before he stopped,' she said. He was cited for driving too fast for conditions - a $101 ticket." -- full story at: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/displ ay?slug=truck13m&date=20050413 Anybody want to live near a road where radioactive waste is frequently transported? Larry Tesler Seattle, WA ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- Washington State vote against nuclear waste vindicated David Farber (Apr 14)