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U.S. NEWS Thursday 7 March 2019

Nevada cites U.S. warnings in bid to block plutonium shipments

By SCOTT SONNER impossible to safely transport completed an analysis declar-
Associated Press and store that much plutoni- ing the Nevada National Se-
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada’s um before the year 2025.” curity Site a prime candidate
latest bid to block incoming The agency argued at the for indefinitely housing the
shipments of weapons-grade time that Savannah River material, they said.
plutonium points to the U.S. was the only place with the “DOE’s previous capacity,
Energy Department’s own “required capacity, security, safety, security and surveil-
scientific warnings about the safety analysis and surveil- lance concerns magically dis-
dangers of prematurely mov- lance program to receive and appeared,” Nevada said.
ing the highly radioactive ma- store any significant amount State attorneys argue that
terial out of South Carolina. of plutonium in the form and the government failed to ad-
State lawyers say in briefs packaging configuration as it equately examine potential
filed this week with the 9th exists today.” harm to Nevada’s residents,
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Nevertheless, a judge ordered environment and economy.
that the Trump administra- In this Nov. 20, 2013 photo, seen through thick protective glass, the government in December They attached 699 pages of
tion is engaged in a clandes- shows the area where workers sand-blast the large stainless steel 2017 to remove at least a excerpts from the Energy De-
tine “charade” intended to tanks used in the vitrification process to rid them of contaminates metric ton (2,204 pounds) of partment’s past filings to a
at the Defense Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River
turn Nevada “into the na- Site near Aiken, S.C. plutonium from South Caro- 49-page brief underscoring
tion’s radioactive dump.” Associated Press lina by Jan. 1, 2020. the contradictions.
They want the San Francisco- a half metric ton (1,102 Ford and his deputies cite nu- The Department of Energy The agency released the
based court to overturn a pounds) of plutonium from merous legal briefs that the appealed to the 4th U.S. Cir- analysis in August outlining
Reno judge’s refusal to tem- South Carolina to Nevada U.S. government filed when it cuit Court of Appeals, arguing its intention to move the plu-
porarily halt all plutonium sometime before Nov. 30. argued unsuccessfully in court removal “within two years is tonium to Nevada by 2020.
shipments to a site near Las Nevada lawyers said in Mon- in 2017 and again in a failed simply impossible if DOE also Then-Gov. Brian Sandoval
Vegas. day’s filing that the “stealth” appeal to keep the plutonium complies with (the National called Energy Secretary Rick
U.S. District Judge Miranda truck shipment increased at South Carolina’s Savannah Environmental Policy Act) and Perry in early September to
Du denied the request Jan. residents’ radiation exposure River Site because of the risks the applicable regulations.” express his concerns, and
30, saying any potential harm equivalent to getting 100 to of moving it elsewhere. Ne- Eight months after the appeal additional correspondence
was speculative. That was the 200 chest X-rays annually for vada’s lawyers noted the En- was denied, “the impossible led to an Oct. 30 meeting in
same day the government three years. ergy Department had claimed happened,” Nevada’s lawyers Washington before Nevada
revealed it secretly shipped State Attorney General Aaron repeatedly that “it would be wrote. The federal agency sued a month later.q

2 Kansas companies indicted over noxious chemical cloud

By HEATHER HOLLING- Air Act and put the public lated safety rules by failing 80 kilometers) northwest of The companies are
SWORTH in danger. The indictment, to verify that the connec- Kansas City. A webpage , charged with violation of
The Associated Press which the U.S. attorney’s tion was correct and failing a phone line and an email general duty, knowingly re-
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — office announced, alleges to monitor the transfer. address have been set up leasing a hazardous pollut-
Two companies were in- that the chlorine gas cloud The noxious cloud covered for victims to provide and ant and negligently releas-
dicted Wednesday on fed- formed after a driver for the city for 45 minutes in receive information. ing a hazardous pollutant.
eral charges after a mistake Harcros pulled a truck into October 2016 until emer- MGPI Processing Inc., the The charges carry fines of
at a northeast Kansas distill- Midwest Grain’s facility in gency personnel arrived to parent company of Mid- up to $1.7 million.
ing plant in 2016 released a Atchison to deliver sulfuric turn off the flow. By then, west Grain Products, said The Midwest Grain plant
noxious cloud of fumes that acid. 4,000 gallons (15,141 liters) in a statement that it is re- has had other incidents,
prosecutors say caused An operator for Midwest of sulfuric acid and 5,800 viewing the allegations and including a small explo-
more than 140 people to Grain helped the driver gallons (21,954 liters) of “has been focused on the sion in another building in
seek medical treatment. access the transfer equip- sodium hypochlorite had Atchison community, our February 2016 in which no
The three-count indictment ment. When the driver mis- mixed, prosecutors say. employees and cooperat- injuries were reported. The
alleges that Midwest Grain takenly connected the sul- That caused nearby homes ing fully with safety officials plant was also the site of
Products Inc., of Atchison, furic acid line to the sodium and schools to evacu- since this incident.” A Har- a 2002 explosion and fire
Kansas, and Harcros Chem- hypochlorite line, toxic gas ate in Atchison, which has cros official didn’t immedi- that damaged the plant’s
icals Inc., of Kansas City, began to form. The indict- about 11,000 residents and ately return a phone mes- distillery and injured a few
Kansas, violated the Clean ment alleges both men vio- is about 50 miles (about sage seeking comment. people.q