Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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I have always been concerned about the state of our environment, in particular the splendor of my native Pacific Northwest and the delicate ecosystem of the Mojave Desert, where I reside now.
I am fortunate to have been able to enjoy nature, and it is something I feel needs to be preserved — not only to maintain the world so I can continue to appreciate it, but also for the generations that will come after me who should be able to experience the natural world in a safe and bucolic state.
As a result, I am in stark opposition to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry’s proposal to fund and create a hazardous nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain. Even aside from the cost, this has the potential to negatively affect the natural and manmade environments through air pollution, irradiation of the surrounding area and contamination of water sources.
Fortunately, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., has led the effort to preserve the natural state of the Yucca Mountain area. Las Vegas counts on a clean water supply and tourism industry, and this proposed nuclear facility threatens to mar them both. Nuclear waste does have to be safely stored somewhere, but Yucca Mountain is not the proper or responsible choice.
