Say no to nuclear waste
The news out of Jackson week before last that our governor and certain lobbying groups have been planning, behind the scenes, to offer up Mississippi as the nation’s nuclear waste dump is appalling. Just a month ago, the U.S. Secretary of Energy mentioned Mississippi to Congress as a possible home for America’s nuclear waste. Now they say they are only talking about “recycling” nuclear waste here. Do they think we are so dumb as to believe that you can have nuclear waste “recycling” without nuclear waste storage? If America’s nuclear waste ever gets in Mississippi, we will never get it out of Mississippi. If this is such a great idea, why are we the ONLY state in America asking for it? The truth is, this would kill tourism and jobs.
The federal government has already spent $15 billion for national nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. We in Mississippi don’t send our nuclear waste to other states and we don’t want other states shipping their waste here.
Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or Independent, this issue crosses party lines and affects all regions of our state. Do we want America’s nuclear waste trucked in on our highways, shipped on our rivers, or railed through our towns to be stored in our soil?
Incidentally, the federal government tried to put this over on us 30 years ago with the Richton salt domes idea. We put a stop to it then and we must stop it again. Contact your elected officials today and tell them to say no to making Mississippi the nation’s nuclear waste dump!
Brandon Presley
Nettleton
Presley is the public service commissioner for Mississippi’s Northern District. His email address is [email protected].
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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