OCR Text |
Show Cross Currents Page 4 April 3, 1998 A comedy of delay Project dawdling sound familiar? By Ray Crow Those aging garments have been Chieftain continues. A former editor at Santa Fes daily newspaper, whos with safely stored in sealed drums all along. the Chieftain now, remembered sending And the tiny traces of plutonium therein if inhaled into the resreporters to cover the WIPP story in the are only dangerous Not even your favorite, piratory system. is ever curious editor going to pry open a The plan was to store nuclear waste in salt formations more barrel marked Dangerous, Radioactive than 2,000 feet below ground. The gov- Material and go sniffing with his big el ernment would haul trash from around snout into the contents. ... Good thing were not as afraid of Tom Rocky Flats, near Denver, south Nevertheless, with typical engineerthe country and truck it there. toward Carlsbad, New Mexico some day. propane and gasoline as we are of minute Not a problem, right? Out of sight, ing overkill, the government has designed Dawn Trucking Co. of Farmington particles of pluout of mind. In 250,000 years or so, at a safety system not even Fraidy Cat himhad a contract with the federal govern- tonium, says the conclusion of the requisite number of self could challenge. ... The tighdy sealed ment for six and a half years to haul such the editorial in units, impervious to any conceivable Pueblo waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project the roadway disaster, then will be trucked to near Carlsbad. It never delivered a single WIPP. radiant glove because of delays in the Otherwise, Finally, beginning in May, the disopening. Dawn, the same company that none of us posal program will begin. In a mere 35 hauled off the uranium tailings pile in could afford to years hence, it will be finished. ... Durango, is seeking a new contract for heat our homes The editorial writer says this kind of or drive our hauling waste to the atomic depot. government indecision is familiar to News that the Waste Isolation Pilot Crows Nest ar;- Pueblo, for a store of mustard gas from . Plant might open in May has created Who can World War II, which he says could safely optimism. The federal Department of remember preradioactive half lives, somebody could be burned in an open ditch, is still sitting cisely when the first item appeared in Energy announced in March the successdescend into the pit and reclaim the at an old U.S. Army depot in the viciniful completion of an operational readiyour hometown newspaper about WIPP, smocks, and tools. ... ty. Its been 20 years since the governthe Waste Isolation Pilot Project ... ? the gloves, ness review of the Carlsbad site. all do with As But no. ment decided to destroy it. Meanwhile, things having to with radioactivity, we citizens are long on the costs keep escalating by a billion unreasonable fear and short on scientific bucks or so with each year of delay. Sound familiar? I wonder what the knowledge. Which is why opponents of have all had such an easy time these editorial writer would say about the WIPP by Discovery Travel Animas-L- a Plata Project. years stonewalling the project. ... An editorial in the Pueblo, Colorado, newspaper last week made fun of the laborious, lengthy, and costly tangles preceding the opening of an atomic waste depot in New Mexico. Pueblo, being on Interstate Highway 25, will nuclear waste watch trucks hauling low-lev- mid-1970- s. low-lev- el Good thing were not as afraid ofpropane and gasoline as we are Chieftain. of minute particles of plutonium The Traveler CHECKLISTS TO HELP YOUPLANA SUCCESSFUL TRIP Airline Reservation Checklist: When planning air travel, one of the most important rules of thumb is to plan well in advance for the best fares and availability, and always check your tickets before leaving your travel agency to make sure all the information is correct In addition, ask your travel agent the following questions prior to booking your reservations: What restrictions apply to the tickets? Example: advance purchase, Saturday night stay requirements. Is this a direct flight or will I have to change planes, terminals, or have How and when do I obtain seat assignments and boarding passes? What type of payment may I use? How and when should I reconfirm my flights? When should I arrive at the airport for check-in- ? What are the size and weight restrictions, and number of pieces of luggage allowable? What type of insurance should I purchase? Example: baggage; accident; life; cancellation; trip interruption How do I make special requests for my flight reservations, such as special mealsdiet aisle or window seats, assistance to the gate? Will I get credit for my frequent flyer program? What documentation is necessary for this flight? Example : proof of citizenship; passport; visa e Is this a code-shar- DOLORES GENERAL STORE SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN flight? GARDEN SUPPLIES GARDEN SEEDS FLOWER SEEDS GRASSSEEDS LAWN & GARDEN CHEMICALS HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS BIRD FEEDERS LAWN EDGING POTS& PLANTERS DOLORES, CO W a layover? If DISCOVERY TRAVEL (970) 299-290- 0 (SOS) 32S-100- 0 Look over our Vz off table. we dont have it, we can get it. -- ASK U- S- 300 Central Ave 882-214- 3 |