Foes of US nuclear project air first TV ad
Date: 17-Apr-02
Country: USA
Author: Thomas Ferraro
The spot, designed to drum up public opposition to the project, was announced at a rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol shortly after proponents held a news conference to say they were confident they would win needed U.S. congressional approval for the proposed facility.
"After decades of confirming scientific research and billions of dollars spent, it's time for the federal government to fulfill its obligation to safely store the nation's used nuclear fuel," said Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican who supports the nuclear depository and serves as chairman of a House of Representatives energy subcommittee.
The House and Senate must decide within a few months whether to sustain or overturn Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of plans by the Bush administration to bury thousands of tons of nuclear waste from across the nation at Nevada's Yucca Mountain, making it the nation's permanent nuclear waste depository.
Foes concede they will be unable to prevent an override by the Republican-led House, but they contend could win in the Democratic-led Senate in an uphill battle. Both chambers must vote to override to put the project back on track.
Guinn has also challenged the project in court, arguing that despite government assurances to the contrary, the depository would be unsafe. Opponents also say the shipment of radioactive waste through 44 states to the facility also would pose risks.
"This is not just a problem for Nevada, it is a problem for the country," Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid of Nevada told the rally, sponsored by hundreds of state and local public interest groups.
Reid announced the first of what he said would be a number of nationwide TV ads against the project. The ad campaign will begin airing yesterday in Vermont.
The 30-second spot shows trucks laden with nuclear waste and declares the proposed facility would mean such traffic "right through the towns we live in."
"Nuclear accidents are inevitable, and terrorists attacks will become harder than ever to prevent," the announcer says. "Only the Senate can stop this now. Call your senators today."
Guinn has said his state plans to spend around $10 million in its campaign against the project, scheduled to open in about 2010.
Proponents, who include members of the nuclear industry as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's biggest business group, plan to dig deep into their pockets to win approval.
Both sides have hired a small army of lobbyists to make their respective cases on Capitol Hill.
