Copyright 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
April 16, 2000, Sunday, FIVE STAR LIFT
EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL, Pg. B2
LENGTH: 913 words
HEADLINE:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
BODY:
Minimizing the risk of nuclear waste
In regard to the April 3
commentary, "Continuing waste problem should prompt shutdowns," Charles Guenther
needs to go back to school in nuclear technology.
We have been shipping
nuclear waste for decades, including more than 3,000 shipments of spent nuclear
fuel, without a single mishap that released radiation.
The containers
for fuel are designed to withstand highway impacts and fires without leaking.
And the fuel itself is a solid ceramic sealed in metal tubes, so there is really
nothing that can spill. Certainly, there are no guarantees about the final
disposal of nuclear wastes, just as there are none for the disposal of the
thousands of other hazardous substances we deal with every day. The technology
planned for use at the Yucca Mountain, Nev., disposal site,
combined with the remoteness of the area, will assure that, whatever happens, it
will have insignificant effects on people or the environment.
Finally,
the shutdown of nuclear power plants that Guenther is calling for would result
in higher electricity prices since the production cost for nuclear electricity
is equal to that for coal, nuclear's lowest-cost competitor, and in dirtier
environment. Any replacement power would invariably come from burning gas, oil
or coal, which would release pollutants into the environment. Nuclear fuel
releases none.
Nicholas Tsoulfanidis
Rolla, Mo.
About your April 5 editorial, "Reducing the risk," I think it is
reasonable for St. Louisans to be concerned about the Department of Energy's
plan to ship irradiated fuel rods from foreign research reactors through
Missouri over the next decade.
As a state senator whose district
encompasses residential, commercial and industrial neighborhoods in St. Louis, I
believe these shipments would place our citizens at unacceptable risk.
I
do not believe that highly enriched uranium from 41 foreign countries should be
shipped through our nation's population centers. We have no secure disposal
solutions for our own radioactive wastes. The federal promise of "one place,
deeply buried and highly fortified" to consolidate our wastes may never be
realized.
I encourage your readers to write to members of Congress about
the risks of these shipments.
William L. Clay Jr.
Missouri Senate
4th District
St. Louis
Ryan should resign
For eight years as Illinois secretary
of state, George Ryan mimicked the three monkeys - he saw no evil, heard no evil
and he spoke no evil of those who were enriching his campaign war chest.
But now that Gov. Ryan, his administrators and employees are being
called on to account for the illegal practices and corruption when he was
secretary of state, he can without reservation see, hear and speak evil of those
who are laboring to uncover the corruption.
The voters did not crown
Ryan as King George; they elected him to public office and entrusted him to
serve with honor and dignity. Apparently that was too much to ask. He should
take the honorable path and resign and let government get back to doing the work
of the people.
Ronald E. Mooney
Pawnee, Ill.
A profitable trip
An April 8 news article that focused on
the price of President Bill Clinton's recent trip to South Asia provided a
disturbingly narrow view of his trip, while neglecting to give any mention to
the trip's purpose or its achievements.
Serious progress was made in a
host of areas, including: trade, worker's rights, the environment, technology
and fighting terrorism. The signing of a comprehensive framework agreement
between India and the United States has helped rectify 22 years worth of arrears
in our relations with one-sixth of the world. Surely this cannot be
underestimated.
If, as Indian officials maintain, Clinton's trip has the
added incentive of helping to calm interstate tensions between India and
Pakistan, then we should be praising the president's initiative.
The
real question to be answered is: Can we even put a price tag on peace and the
avoidance of nuclear war? If so, then it is commodity not valued highly enough
by this newspaper.
Arthur H. Davis
U.S. Ambassador
(retired)
Washington
Rambling rose
In an
April 8 letter, Ariel M. Beliz took issue with Tim Renken's criticism of the
propagation of otters, Canada geese, multiflora rose and other wildlife that
have turned out to be at best mixed blessings.
In his March 29
commentary, Renken was actually too kind to multiflora rose. About 50 years ago,
a neighbor of my father was being taught to farm as part of the GI Bill. The
instructor helped him plant the roses in an effort to create a hedge fence. Soon
birds carried rose seed across the highway to my late father's land and the
stuff spread quickly one-half mile to the far side of the place and onto other
land.
It ruins hay, crowds out grass in pastures and becomes a jungle
that no animal would penetrate (except maybe for small birds or rodents).
Millions of gallons of fuel have been used in an effort to keep it under control
over the years. (So much for the environment.)
One has to be blind to
think that Canada geese are endangered. As for the cruel sport of fishing,
fishermen seldom wipe out all the fish, as otters do. Missouri is a leading
cattle producing state and elk are not needed to spread disease among the herds.
Not everything is nature is good.
Ruby Hanson
Overland
LOAD-DATE: April 17, 2000
