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“DANGERS OF NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S5194-S5195 on May 13, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
DANGERS OF NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION
Mr. BRYAN. Mr. President, next Sunday and Monday, NBC is scheduled to air a miniseries entitled ``Atomic Train.'' The plot of this movie includes a runaway train carrying nuclear weapons and high-level nuclear waste causing a massive accident and catastrophe in Denver.
The movie is obviously fiction. Let me just tell you how the network initially described the scenario:
A runaway train carrying armed nuclear weapons and deadly nuclear waste suddenly careens out of control down the Rocky Mountains.
All of this made the nuclear power industry very nervous, because although the scenario is fictional, much of what is depicted, in part, is a scenario that is entirely possible, given the proposed legislation I will describe that this Congress is considering.
Earlier this week, just days before this was to air, all of a sudden NBC changes the story line of the television miniseries, and now we have:
A runaway train carrying a Russian atomic weapon and hazardous materials, suddenly careening out of control.
All reference to high-level nuclear waste is dropped. The Nuclear Energy Institute, which is the lobbying arm of the atomic energy lobby, was forced to go into high gear. They sent out what they called an
``Info Wire.'' They were very concerned. They say, in effect:
NEI, in consultation with industry communicators and representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Association of Railroads, has adopted a containment strategy for the upcoming movie. We do not want to do anything to provide additional publicity for this movie prior to the airing. The containment strategy is not a passive one, in that it envisions an aggressive effort prior to the broadcast.
It is the belief of this Senator that indeed it was a very aggressive effort, and the Nuclear Energy Institute put pressure on the network to drop all references to dangerous high-level nuclear waste. The last thing this industry wants the American people to understand is that legislation which has been supported in previous Congresses, and in this Congress, would result in the shipment of 77,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste within a mile or less of a total population of 50 million residing in 43 States.
The blue lines depict rails, and indeed there is a transportation corridor going through the State of Colorado, as well as others.
So why did NBC do an ``el foldo''? NBC is owned by General Electric and, surprise, General Electric has a nuclear division, and one of its senior officers is a member of the board of directors of NEI.
I acknowledge it is a fictional scenario. But what is very real is that in point of fact the proposal is to transport high-level nuclear waste through all these rail corridors that are depicted on this map. That is not fictional. That is real.
It is, in fact, real that high-level nuclear waste is deadly, as NBC first described it. In fact, it is deadly for tens of thousands of years. In point of fact, as we know, every year there are thousands of train accidents in America. A runaway train is not a fictional scenario. That is something that occurs, sadly, from time to time. It is not a fictional scenario for a train and an automobile or a truck to collide at an at-grade crossing. That occurred tragically earlier this year in Illinois. It is not fictional for trains to be derailed.
The last thing this industry wants the American people to know and to understand is that, indeed, the shipment of high-level nuclear waste, proposed to be sent to a temporary--allegedly temporary--storage area in my own State, at the Nevada Test Site, is a scenario that would involve the transshipment of 77,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste, with all of the risks that are inherent therein.
What is even more outrageous is that it is totally unnecessary. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board tells us it is unnecessary. The Department of Energy has indicated it is unnecessary. The President has indicated he would veto such legislation. All the risks depicted in this scenario with high-level nuclear wastes could be a reality if there was a tragic train accident and, indeed, the canisters were compromised and high-level nuclear waste was scattered along the route.
I think this is a very dangerous proposal. I think the fact the network would cave in is equally dangerous, because the American people have a right to know what is being proposed. In Nevada, we understand the risk. Sadly, there are hundreds of millions of Americans in this country who are not familiar with the nuclear industry's proposal to make their backyards the corridor by which high-level nuclear waste is to pass.
I must say, with tongue in cheek, if this is to be the standard, one might contemplate that the cruise line industry might have put pressure upon the producers of ``Titanic'': Please do not make any reference to the fact that the ship is sinking. This may be bad for business. Or the producers of ``Planet Of The Apes'' might have been subjected to pressure from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, saying: Look, we object to the way in which these apes are being treated in the film; please make changes. Or if some of the advocates of my own State approached the producers of ``Casino'' and said: Look, we don't want you to make any references to ``Casino'' in this story line; please delete that.
In my judgment, the circumstantial evidence is powerful here. The description I have given, namely of deadly nuclear waste, was the network's own description just days ago. The NEI goes into a full court press, what they call a containment strategy--what we all know is damage control--and, miraculously, days before this miniseries is scheduled to air, the story line is changed and all references to deadly nuclear waste are deleted.
I hope the American people will not be misled, that they will understand the risks that affect them and their neighborhoods. Mr. President, 43 different States are affected in this scenario. This map I have here depicts essentially the States. Because, by their nature, highway corridors and rail corridors connect the major metropolitan communities of our country, this high-level nuclear waste would in fact go through major cities in America. That fact is largely unknown.
Last year, I had occasion to travel with my senior colleague to the two communities of Denver and St. Louis, and to share with those communities the risks that are involved. Most people in the community did not have any understanding that this scenario is not fictional and far-fetched but, indeed, it is contemplated that those shipments will occur.
I regret NBC felt it was necessary to respond to the pressure of the nuclear power industry. Having been involved in this battle for the last 17 years, I am not unmindful of what a powerful force they are, not only in Washington but around the country. They have every right to advocate their point of view. As to their concern that somehow their industry would be exposed for what it is, a high-risk industry that threatens the health and safety of many Americans with this ill-
conceived and unnecessary plan to ship nuclear waste to a temporary nuclear waste facility in my own State, at least this movie would have made the public aware that high-level nuclear waste is dangerous, to use the description NBC initially gave; that it was indeed going to pass through major cities such as Denver; and that indeed the health and safety of citizens of those communities and many others across the country could be compromised.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and the remainder of my time.
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