The Deseret News' recent editorial contained one valid argument for blocking a nuclear waste site in Utah: It makes sense for those who benefit from nuclear power to accommodate the waste themselves. I had not previously considered that argument, and it is a significant one.
However, Deseret News displays its ignorance, or its bias, when the editorial implies that we would have dangerous shipments of nuclear materials on Utah roads, as if there were no such material on our roads already. The truth is that nuclear materials are rolling down Utah highways now, and have for decades. I can't recall a single accident involving transportation of nuclear materials in Utah that has even made the news, let alone exposed anyone to radiation.
Other sources of electrical power actually cause more harm. For instance, more people have died in Utah coal mine fires than have suffered radiation sickness from waste material from a nuclear power plant. Add cave-ins and black lung disease, and electrical power from coal has a far higher human cost than nuclear power.
Yes, the results of a nuclear accident can be serious. But we should remember that there are a hundred risks that are millions of times more likely to cause us misery and death, and we voluntarily expose ourselves to them every day. It is a waste of resources and talent to attempt to eliminate risks that are so small instead of reducing the ones that are far more likely to harm us.
I am reminded of the phrase: "Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."
Duane Miles
Mendon, Cache County