A common political science term is NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), when a person’s view of potential public policy changes to the degree that it may affect them directly. How to store high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) is a classic NIMBY issue. The federal government’s plan to store nuclear waste in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, once thought dead, has renewed life in the Trump administration. According to a USA Today report, “Some 80,000 metric tons of spent fuel are being stored at nuclear power plants in 121 communities in 39 states…enough to fill a football field 10 yards deep if stacked end to end and side by side.” A current Bill in Congress could give private companies the responsibility for moving HLRW. Some waste would pass through Illinois on trains, and by barge on Lake Michigan. We’ll discuss the issue with Kevin Kamps, spokesperson for Beyond Nuclear.

Kevin Kamps will participate in a panel discussion on shipping High-Level Radioactive Waste and crude oil by train on Wednesday, Nov 14th, 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Nuclear Energy Information Service Office, 3411 W. Diversey,  in Logan Square.