Rail Accident spills Chlorine Gas Kills 8, LA commuter train accident kills 11

On January 7, 2005 a train in South Carolina carrying Chlorine gas crashed into a parked train. Eight residents in the nearby community of Graniteville, South Carolina died from exposure, 240 sought treatment and thousands were evacuated. (more) Most residents had to wait a minimum of seven days before being allowed to return to their homes. While the accident in So. Carolina was tragic, the residents will eventually be able to return home and insurance is available to cover damages and medical costs.

Another devastating rail accident occurred in Los Angeles the third week of January. Commuter trains collided with a car killing eleven.

Contrast these rail accidents with those that could arise from thousands of shipments of high-level radioactive waste. Nuclear shipments will travel our nation’s railways and highways for decades if a permanent nuclear waste disposal is opened. If a similar accident should occur, residents would never be able to return to their homes and no homeowner insurance policies to cover this scenario exist.

Currently there is no place to store lethal radioactive waste and no safe method to transport it. More importantly if California nuclear utilities file for license renewals our nation’s only proposed facility, Yucca Mountain, will already have reached capacity.

This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is not about businesses vs. the environment. This is not about utility profits vs. ratepayers. This is about a safe, secure and economically viable future for our children and we must work together to achieve this goal.