-Caveat Lector- Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Distribution/Redirect_Artifact/0,4678,0-535828,00.html Carolina police may block Bush's nuclear waste Special report: George Bush's America Julian Borger in Washington Monday August 13, 2001 The Guardian A high-stakes dispute about the disposal of surplus plutonium from US nuclear warheads may be brought to a head this month by the governor of South Carolina's order to the police to consider erecting roadblocks to prevent federal nuclear shipments entering the state. Jim Hodges accused President George Bush of reneging on the previous administration's promise that any plutonium sent to South Carolina for reprocessing would be shipped out again. Mr Hodges said he had no intention of letting his state, which played a pivotal role in Mr Bush's election, become a permanent nuclear dump. "If it is necessary for me to lie down in front of the trucks, I'll do that," he said. "We're going to do whatever it takes." He sent a memo asking the state public safety director, who is in charge of the traffic police, to evaluate using "highway roadblocks or other measures" to prevent shipments crossing the state line. A confrontation could come within the next few weeks, as shipments are due to arrive from a plant in Rocky Flats, Colorado. The Savannah River nuclear processing centre in South Carolina has been chosen to deal with plutonium from nuclear warheads dismantled under an agreement with Russia in 1996. The Clinton administration planned to convert about 26 tonnes of plutonium into the plutonium-uranium fuel known as mixed oxide (Mox) for use in commercial reactors and vitrify eight tonnes of plutonium residue from Rocky Flatsfor burial elsewhere. The Bush administration has cut the $6.1bn vitrification budget and questioned plans to build a Mox manufacturing plant at Savannah River. It still plans to sharply reduce the nuclear arsenal, but it is now unclear what it will do with the warheads. South Carolina officials fear they will be dumped in their state. "We will be left holding the proverbial bag," Mr Hodges said. "We must be prepared to stand up to Washington ... My hope is the federal government will come to its senses and allow us to avoid this step, but we cannot take a chance." He told state congressmen it was clear that the energy department intended to renege on many of its commitments to the state about removing reprocessed material and cleaning up the environment. South Carolina would not be the first state to take drastic steps to avoid becoming a nuclear dump. In 1988 the then governor of Idaho, Cecil Andrus, had the police block shipments of the naval nuclear waste to a processing plant in his state. The energy secretary, Spencer Abraham, has promised to negotiate with South Carolina on the issue. Visiting Savannah River last week, he said: "The legacy of this facility is one of working together. That's what I want to do. I'm certain that's what the governor wants to do as well." Tension between the federal government and individual states on the nuclear waste issue is likely to increase, since the Bush administration plans to decommission a large number of nuclear weapons and resuscitate the nuclear energy programme. Edward ><+> Logic: (1) The study or practice of the principles of reasoning, especially of the structure of propositions as distinguished from their content and of method and validity in deductive reasoning. (2) A means of terrifying liberals. http://www.global-connector.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reality_pump/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
