Kerry Pledges to Make Decisions Based on Sound Science and Put Public Health and Safety First
Tue Aug 10, 9:03 AM ET
news.yahoo.com
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Expressing his opposition to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site, Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) Tuesday held a conversation with Las Vegas-area community leaders at Ralph Cadwallader Middle School in Las Vegas, NV. The conversation, which included teachers, parents, small business owners and first responders, emphasized the safety, security and potential local economic risks of sending nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, as well as George Bush's refusal to put sound science ahead of his irresponsible policy.
While George Bush once promised he would not send nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain unless it was deemed scientifically safe, he has since broken this promise. Ignoring what scientists and experts have uncovered about the site, he has rushed to pursue arbitrary deadlines to build a waste repository there.
As he stressed today, Kerry will build a stronger America by putting science and public safety ahead of any policy or ideology, and in the White House, ensure Nevada does not become a nuclear waste repository.
"One of the biggest environmental and security challenges facing Nevadans is the threat that Yucca Mountain will be turned into the nation's nuclear waste dump," Kerry said. "But this isn't just a Las Vegas issue, or a Nevada issue it's an American issue. Under the Yucca Mountain plan, more than 50,000 shipments of waste would travel just yards away from homes, hospitals, parks and playgrounds in states across this country."
Yucca is just one example of the Bush White House putting its own interests ahead of sound science. From mercury pollution to stem cells, it has put ideology and its political agenda ahead of scientific fact.
In pushing for Yucca Mountain's completion, George Bush has ignored scientific evidence. The site has been called into question by an independent panel created by Congress, which found that the proposed repository is likely to cause spent canisters to corrode or leak. This is particularly troubling given the site sits on top of an aquifer that serves as the only source of drinking water for area residents.
As a May General Accounting Office (news - web sites) report notes, the administration has also shown an unwillingness to even examine potential problems. The report noted studies of Yucca have been "incomplete" and "inadequate." Similarly, the Department of Energy (news - web sites) has refused to look into how an earthquake might affect the region's groundwater supply given that Yucca sits on a fault line.
The site of Kerry's event symbolized the risks involved in storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Cadwallader Middle School sits near the route nuclear waste would travel to the repository, just like many other schools and communities in 44 states. These routes pass through communities ill-equipped to respond to a nuclear accident, posing a significant risk to the more than 50 million Americans along the way.
"I can sum up my stance on the Yucca Mountain Plan in four words: not on my watch," Kerry said. "As a Senator, I voted against it. And as president, I will do everything in my power to ensure that your backyard does not become America's nuclear waste dump."
Kerry and Edwards believe nuclear power can play an essential role in providing affordable energy while reducing the risk of climate change; however key challenges such as nuclear waste disposal and plant security must be met.
Kerry and Edwards will ensure safety and sound science come first. They oppose George Bush's plan to open Yucca Mountain over the objections of independent scientists and will insist that nuclear waste disposal and transportation proceed in the United Sates only on the basis of rigorous peer-reviewed science and analysis that leads to public understanding and confidence.
"Working together with people like you, we're going to rely on sound science, and we're going to make the health and safety of our families priority number one," Kerry said.
Kerry is on the 12th day of the "Believe in America" tour. The post-convention tour has traveled 18 states and taken the Kerry- Edwards vision of an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world to cities and towns across America. |
