Never mind the fact that nuclear waste poses a serious health threat to everyone and everything on our planet. If the U.S. does not accept the 20,000 tons of N-waste to Tennessee wtih 1600 of it coming to Utah, the entire economy will be undermined.
So says Energy Solutions and its advocates in the U.S. House, according to an article in today’s Salt Lake Tribune, reporting the overwhelming vote by the House to keep the waste out of the U.S.
I think what they meant to say was that it will hurt their corporate profits.
The next move will be from the Senate…..if they ever move to get a co-sponsor and take action. Neither Utah Senators have made any such moves.
Makes sense since, according to the article, Senator Bennett has ties to Energy Solutions Pollutions.
Opponents of the bill say that it is anti-American jobs and trade.
Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida argued against the bill during a brief House debate Wednesday. He called it an "anti-jobs, anti-trade" bill that would undermine economic recovery.
"In effect, this bill is going to hurt businesses in their area of trying to create jobs and promote economic growth," Stearns said.
Matheson disputed that premise, noting that it would actually preserve disposal space for domestic businesses.
"I don’t know of any other country that takes imported waste," Matheson said. "For trade to exist, you have goods and services going in both directions. Not just in one. I don’t understand how this in any way can be described as a restraint of trade."
The fight isn’t over. It will be interesting to see how the Senate addresses this bill, if it does. If the corporations profiting from the potential influx of foreign waste get their way, what’s to stop them from pushing for higher levels of waste being imported? Where will the line be drawn? What has to happen for all of our politicians to wake up? In the meantime, engage in the comments on the Tribune site, lobby your legislators, write letters, take a stand and have your voice heard. Don’t let the corporate monsters scare you into thinking, with their greedy spin, that accepting the foreign waste will further hurt America’s economy. What it will do is further hurt Americans with more health risks. Who will pay for the care, then of those that get ill from more potential exposure?
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 