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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 18 OctOber 2017
Vermont honors civil unions with historic-site marker

civil rights, embracing di- Having a marker commem-
versity and promoting tol- orating the events is “un-
erance,” Republican Gov. believable,” said Lois Farn-
Phil Scott said. ham, of Middlebury, who
Passing the civil union leg- attended the ceremony
islation in 2000 was the with her partner, Holly Pat-
right thing to do and it took terbaugh. The couple, now
courage and commitment in their 70s, wore matching
by many, said Scott, who tie-dyed T-shirts bearing the
was in the state Senate message “It’s Just Love.”
from 2001 to 2011 and vot- Former state Rep. Herb
ed for full marriage equality Russell, a Democrat who
in 2009. received a civil union and
On Tuesday, he com- later got married in Ver-
mended legislators, advo- mont, sought the marker
cates and then-Gov. How- because he believed the
ard Dean, a Democrat, historic event deserved to
for passing the policy that be commemorated.
made Vermont the first “We’re very proud of the
state to grant legal recog- fact that the first civil union
nition to same-sex couples. law was in Vermont,” he
State lawmakers passed said. “And I felt strongly
marriage equality legisla- that we needed to docu-
tion in 2009, and the U.S. ment that history and take
Supreme Court legalized great pride and claim our
People stand below an historic site marker commemorating same-sex marriage nation- role in the historic path of
Vermont’s first-in-the-nation civil union law and subsequent wide in 2015. equality in this country.”q
marriage equality legislation after it was unveiled on the State
House lawn, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, in Montpelier, Vt.
(AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
By LISA RATHKE couples who were plaintiffs
Associated Press in the Vermont Supreme
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Ver- Court case that led to civil
mont is commemorating its unions, along with Beth
first-in-the-nation civil union Robinson, a lawyer at the
law and subsequent mar- time who served as co-
riage equality legislation counsel in the case and is
with a historic-site marker now a Supreme Court jus-
on the State House lawn. tice.
The marker was ceremo- “Since its founding, Ver-
niously unveiled Tuesday mont has been a leader in
by two of the three gay protecting and furthering
US nuclear waste repository in

New Mexico to get more space

By SUSAN BRYAN more than 10,000 drums
Associated Press containing up to 55 gallons
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) (208 liters) of waste.
— Workers are expected The repository, named the
to begin mining operations Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
at the U.S. nuclear waste began accepting ship-
dump in New Mexico for ments of radioactive waste
the first time in three years from defense sites and na-
following a radiation re- tional laboratories earlier
lease that contaminated this year after being closed
part of the underground for nearly three years.
repository, the Energy De- It’s working to catch up
partment said Tuesday. with the nation’s multi-
The work to carve out more billion-dollar program for
disposal space from the an- cleaning up tons of waste
cient salt formation where left behind by decades of
the repository is located bomb-making and nuclear
will begin later this fall and research.
should be completed by The waste includes radio-
2020, the department said active tools, gloves, cloth-
in a statement. ing and other debris.
Workers will remove more The pace of shipments
than 112,000 tons (101,605 is increasing slowly, but
metric tons) of salt, mak- federal auditors recently
ing way for seven disposal raised concerns that the
rooms. repository could run out of
Each will have space for space.q