Chat with Chic, December 31, 1984

Chat with Chic A Report from Washington December 31, 1984 By U.S. Senator Chic Hecht To pass judgment now on a proposed site in Nevada as a depository for high-level radioactive waste is premature. All the facts simply are not in and no definite decision as to location will be made until 1991. Consequently, I will not, at this time, arbitrarily say I am against a nuclear depository site in Nevada as others have done. Instead, I reserve the opportunity to weigh the evidence as it is compiled through exhaustive soil, climatic, safety, geologic and other tests sure to be run between now and final decision time. Such information will be considered fully by the U.S. Senate Committ-ee on Energy of which I am a member. And I would intend to follow through this deliberative process with extensive hearings at various locations in Nevada. I am confident nothing will be done detrimentally to jeopardize well being, health and safety of our citizens. This material which we are talking about for burial, possibly in Ne-vada, already has been stored for over a quarter of a century at nuclear power plants across the nation and without incident. Now, these areas are filling up, a permanent depository is needed and Nevada is one such area under consideration. This is not strange. We have a lot of wide open spaces and we're still part of the Union. I am a proponent of nuclear energy. I think it unfortunate we are Page 2, Chat With Chic lagging behind other nations in its full utilization and development. We should further, rather than impede, its full potential. Sure, there are problems to be solved, but I'm confident we can meet the challenge. We always have. So, until all the cards are on the table in regard to the proposed Yucca Mountain site, I will not join those voices of opposition and dissent. In this day of technological miracle, much can happen between now and decision making time six or seven years down the road. And, should Nevada ultimately be the final choice, I will support the president who makes that decision only if I'm convinced that the safety and well-being of our people is beyond question. I do not subscribe to the statement that Nevada already has done its share in the development of nuclear energy and that we should not be asked to do more. I'm of the opinion that we cannot do enough for this wonderful country of ours. And we must constantly be mindful of the ever-present Soviet menace We, as Nevadans, should be proud, not critical, of the fact that we are contributing to the defense and security of our nation through such vital and great free world facilities as we have in the Nevada Test Site, the ammunition depot at Hawthorne, at Nellis Air Force Base and the naval air station at Fallon. We have benefitted economically through jobs and payrolls because of these installations while contributing to the defense, national security and strength of our country. And finally, those who would categorize such facilities, and their training and testing activities, as "playgrounds for the military" are doing this nation's uniformed women and men and our Gold Star mothers a distinct disservice.