Will a nuclear waste dump be Wyoming’s economic
salvation? No way, says the Wyoming Outdoor Council. Its new
report, Nuclear Jeopardy: A Citizen’s Guide to Understanding High
Level Radioactive Waste in Wyoming, spells out the group’s
opposition to a proposed private dump site. Not only would the Owl
Creek Energy Project damage the state’s tourism industry, says the
report, but transportation of the waste from distant reactor sites
could also lead to highway accidents. The Riverton, Wyo.-based
Nuclear Energy West (NEW) Corp. is pushing the project for central
Wyoming, but the idea isn’t popular with Gov. Jim Geringer: He
recently turned down the company’s request for a state-endorsed
study of the proposal. Supporters include Republican state Sen. Bob
Peck and Republican state Rep. Eli Bebout, both members of NEW
Corp.” s founding board of directors. “It’s the same group (of
supporters) every single time,” says Caroline Byrd of the Wyoming
Outdoor Council. “They just don’t take “no” for an answer.” If the
corporation pushes ahead with its proposal, Byrd says, the state’s
taxpayers will have to spend about $1.7 million just to process the
project application. For a free copy of Stephanie Kessler’s 28-page
report, write to the Wyoming Outdoor Council, 262 Lincoln Street,
Lander, WY 82520, call 307/332-7031, or find the report on the Web
at www.wocnet.org.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline No nuclear jeopardy in Wyoming.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
