Fw: (CMEP-list) Earthquake Near Yucca Mountain Highlights Dangers

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----- Original Message -----

From: " Noel Petrie " <npetrie@...>

Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 3:29 PM

Subject: (CMEP-list) Earthquake Near Yucca Mountain Highlights Dangers

****Apologies for cross posting****

June 14, 2002

Earthquake Near Yucca Mountain Highlights Dangers of Dump Proposal

Statement of Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen President

Today's predawn earthquake near Yucca Mountain - occurring just weeks before

the Senate casts its key vote on the nuclear waste dump - seems to be

nature's way of warning lawmakers to put the brakes on this bad plan.

Yucca Mountain sits in an earthquake zone. More than 600 earthquakes of a

magnitude of 2.5 or more have been measured within 50 miles of Yucca

Mountain since 1910. Nevada ranks third in the nation in frequency of

strong earthquakes. Today's earthquake, which measured 4.4 on the Richter

scale, although it did no damage, highlights one of the many reasons why a

high-level radioactive waste dump should not be established at the mountain.

Scientists have been unable to demonstrate that a repository at Yucca

Mountain could safely isolate high-level nuclear waste throughout the

thousands of years it remains dangerously radioactive. Over time,

radioactivity is expected to leak into the aquifer beneath Yucca Mountain

and contaminate this important source of drinking water. Radiation

standards at Yucca Mountain had to be weakened by the Bush administration's

Environmental Protection Agency for the unsound project to proceed.

Incredibly, lawmakers are ignoring the dangers; the U.S. House of

Representatives has approved the president's Yucca Mountain site

recommendation. We strongly urge the Senate to take note of today's

incident and realize the sheer folly of the Yucca Mountain proposal. If they

don't, future generations will look back in disbelief. We can't say we

haven't been warned.

______________________________________

Tell Congress not to let the nuclear industry dictate dangerous radioactive

waste policy! Go to www.yuccapetition.org and sign our online petition

opposing the Yucca Mountain nuclear dump.

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