Friday, February 4, 1933
Daily Nebraskan
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Naocleair waste proposa
Nuclear waste transport is one issue
that UNL students had better learn about,
because the stuff is going to pass right
under our noses.
Spent fuel rods from the Nebraska
Public Power District's Cooper nuclear
power plant near Brownville will be taken
by rail through Lincoln on the track which
goes by the Harper-Schramm-Smith resi
dence halls.
Lincoln City Council member Eric
Youngberg was the first person to ob
ject to NPPD's plans for the nuclear
waste transports, but he has been joined
by the Lincoln Coalition of Rail Crafts,
a group of railroad employee unions,
and UNL physics professor Dan Schlitt,
among others.
Youngberg has proposed an ordinance
which would restrict, but not eliminate,
the shipment of nuclear waste through
town. By this ordinance, which comes
to a vote in the City Council meeting
Monday, the mayor must get notice 45
days in advance of a shipment. The notice
would tell who the shipper is, how and
what will be shipped and. the exact route
through the city. .
A public hearing at least 15 days be
fore the shipment would look into the
packaging and labeling of the waste,
liability insurance in case of accident
and would also consider any alternatives
to transporting the nuclear waste through
the city. A permit for a shipment would
be issued only if NPPD furnished proof
that no alternate route exists.
NPPD would have to show that each
shipment is" "urgent public policy" rather
than simply a less expensive alternative
than building waste storage at the Brown
ville plant. All local officials concerned
would have to be notified. But actual
details of a shipment would not be made
public to reduce the danger of sabotage.
The basic idea of all this is that NPPD
has to bear the burden of proof that each
particular shipment is safe.
Youngberg stresses that his ordinance
is not directed against the nuclear power
industry in general. He has noted that the
Cooper plant itself is extremely efficient,
and insists the issues of nuclear power
and nuclear waste transportation should
be considered separately.
So far the 60- to 70-ton casks in which
the waste fueld would be contained have
not been tested in any of what Youngberg
calls "real life conditions." Because of the
greater cost of such real-life tests, the
casks have been tested only by computer
simulation and scale model testing.
The casks are supposed to withstand a
30-foot drop onto pavement, a 30-minute
fire at 1,400 degrees, a 40-inch drop onto
a steel stump (to see whether the casks
are puncture proof), and submersion in
water for three hours. They have passed
these tests in computer simulation and
scale model. But, as Youngberg points out,
they haven't yet been tested in real life. It
isn't the same.
Everyone admits that the chances of
a dangerous accident are small. NPPD can
3 m
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Letters
cite statistics about the miniscule odds
against even the slightest accident which
make its opponents look petty or para
noid. But even though the chances are
small, the danger in a potential accident
is very great. The radiation from three
tons of spent nuclear fuel in a burst cask
is not something we want Lincoln people
exposed to if there are alternatives.
If there are other ways to handle the
stuff, Youngberg has said, "Don't haul it
through the middle of the second largest
city in the state." It makes sense.
Eric Peterson
Action ignored GLC's efforts
As an active member in the Govern
ment Liaison Committee, I have seen
this ASUN working committee more than
triple its membership in the last three
years. I was very disappointed, though,
after reading the article dealing with the
Action Party's announcement of candi
dates and platform (Daily Nebraskan,
Jan. 26).
First, I'm concerned about discussion
of legislative liaison being among Action's
foremost needs. GLC has been very suc
cessful in gaining and maintaining con
tact with our legislators, administration
and the regents. GLC activities concen
trating on the legislators have included:
-correspondence and individual meet
ings with each senator.
-the Adopt-A-Senator program.
-providing information about UNL
and individual student concerns directly
to the senators.
-preparing and presenting testimony to
Legislative Committee hearings.
-sponsoring open forums on campus
to provide interaction between senators
and students.
-GLC -sponsored breakfasts with sena
tors on campus
GLC and the Student Legal Services
are two service-oriented organizations
of ASUN. GLC always has and will con
tinue to provide a non-paid lobbyist and
has developed and fostered interaction
and communication between the faculty
senate, administration, regents, parents,
citizens and students of this state. GLC
also plays an integral part in extensive
budget research. In fact, until this school
year, GLC members personally performed
all research activities.
GLC has been very successful in reach
ing all entities affecting UNL and its stu
dent population. It bothers me that Action
totally ignored the vast accomplishments
already achieved and instead of talking
with GLC members or attending any of
the meetings open to the public, they
have decided to ignore our committee and
act as if they are developing a totally new
idea.
Heather Housand
GLC Vice-Chair, Federal Liaison
junior, political science
they perform superbly, but the down-to-earth
friendliness and sincerity struck
home. The response was enthusiastic and
they made themselves feel right at home.
We certainly enjoyed their cross-state
tour and we do hope that they and orher
groups will come to Scottsbluff in the near
iuture.
Thanks KLIN Pep Band.
L. Dean Maxwell
Director of Bands
Scottsbluff High School
Football tickets Aim t0 enhance ail life
for all 'taxpayers'
Greg Stanislaus is in error when he
refers to the University's denial of foot
ball tickets to NU Medical Center students
(Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 27). He is free to
pay for his tickets just as any other tax
payer. What he appears to be bothered
about is the University's attempt to treat
him like an adult, albeit in a small way,
and charge him for one minor service it
provides.
Stanislaus, a third-year medical school
student, hopes that, like me, other grad
uates ot the medical center "will not even
open their checkbooks" when the uni
versity asks for donations. Thousands of
dollars have been poured into this student's
education and he acknowledges none of
the communities' kindness. I find this to
be tasteless.
F.W. Barney
doctoral student
agricultural economics
CLIN Pep Band
receives thanks
The KLIN Pep Band made a tremen
dous impression at our Scottsbluff High
School-Cheyenne Central boys basketball
game last Saturday night. Not only did
In resoonse tn tbr i.MtPr "P.., i:.
movement is insensitive to the poor"
(Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 2). I do not bel
ieve that all "Pro-Lifers" are discriminat
ing against, and insensitive to, the poor
I strongly agree that we, meaning all'
human beings, should mourn "the un
lair backward steps we are taking at the
expense of the politically weak," and in
tact not only mourn but actually do
something about it. Social programs,
educational opportunities, financial as
sistance and changes in attitudes are all
very necessary. But to promote the de
struction of human life in order to re
duce this problem is not the answer
To me, being pro-life means fighting
hard to enhance the quality of human
hie for women, men, children, rich and
especially, the poor.
nA . DuaneVoiet
graduate student, educational psychology
Legal abortion also kills
It seems to me there are basic miscon
ceptions on the issue of legal abortion and
tne pro-hie movement. Rocktord G
Yapp' stated that "countless women died
before legalized abortions," (Daily Ne
braska Feb. 2). Is Yapp assuming that
X JS , synonymous with safety'
In his letter Yapp also states that
the rich and educated are insensitive to
N D.iily
EDITOR
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Editorial I
Policy I
Unsigned editorial represent the policy
of the 1983 Daily Nebraskan but do not
neceLsarily reflect the views of the Uni
versity of Nebraska, its employees or
the NU Board of Regents.
The Daily Nebraskan's publishers are
the regents, who have established a publi
cation board to supervise the daily pro
duction of the newspaper. According to
policy set by the regents, the content of
the UNL students newspaper lies solely
in the hands of its student editors.
the poor and less fortunate." He must
believe that sensitivity means allowing
thousands of babies to be murdered
each year.
It angers me, Mr. Yapp, that you can
not see past the economic myths of legal
abortion to the basic ideals of the pro
life movement - the protection of thou
sands ot unborn children who are mur
dered each day. We stand for the abolish
ment of all abortion, whether legal or un
legal, by the rich and poor.
David Simon
freshman, political science