Indeed, where nuclear waste is concerned, there can be no neutral observers. The projected road and rail routes for transporting nuclear waste from reactors located all over the country to Nevada pass through 42 other states. If the nuclear industry succeeds in forcing its garbage on Nevada, transportation of high-level nuclear waste will occur on a scale unprecedented in human history. Most of the radioactivity ever generated in the United States is contained within these materials. Citizens and motorists on the road to Nevada must make their voices heard now, or they may wake up to find these radioactive toxins rolling down their highways or passing through their communities by rail.
Today there is a contentious debate over so-called government takings.
A look at the maps in the report reveals another troubling fact. Not only will the number of waste shipments be large, the trips will also be long. Less than a quarter of the nation's commercial reactors are west of the Mississippi river. By targeting Nevada, Congress is insisting that the West store the East's garbage. As a result, states which have refused to use commercial nuclear power will bear the unfair brunt of the transport risks.