Yucca Mountain Nuclear Dump:
In July of 2002, despite efforts by NC WARN and 21 other North Carolina
organizations devoted to responsible nuclear waste management, Senator
John Edwards voted in favor of the scandal-ridden Yucca Mountain nuclear
waste dump. Edwards claimed that he had not heard anything about the
potential impacts of a terrorist attack on a transport, indicating a
serious breakdown in communication between the Senator and his senior
staff, who were repeatedly supplied such information.
CP&L/Progress spokesman Keith Poston had expressed
hope that Edwards would still honor the letter that a CP&L/Progress
executive sent him in 2000 claiming that they wouldn’t have to open the
fourth pool at Harris if Yucca opened; a claim that they retracted this
month.
 The Senate approved Yucca by a vote of 60-39, but with
lawsuits looming, a $58 billion licensing process, and Nevadans vowing
civil disobedience to stop transports from entering their state, the
battle is far from over. A House vote in May passed easily, with the
entire 12-member North Carolina delegation voting in favor of the dump.
The Senate approval of Yucca Mountain was heavily
influenced by nuclear industry lobbying. In the past three election
cycles, nuclear utilities poured $5.24 million into the Senate in the
form of campaign contributions. In 2000 alone, the Nuclear Energy
Institute spent about $25 million lobbying for Yucca. Their investments
apparently paid off, leaving Americans wondering who their elected
officials are representing.
Edwards’ alliance with the nuclear industry rather
than North Carolina citizens was very disappointing.
Key Documents:
For more information, view Public Citizen's Yucca Mountain page. | 
