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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAMPUS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004
Waste dumps raise liability questions
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — As speculation swirls about whether Nebraska will consent to have a low-level radioactive waste dump built within its borders, Sen. Ben Nelson has introduced a bill that would force all member states of nuclear waste compacts to share the liability of such dumps.
The Nebraska Democrat's measure would protect states that host dump sites from carrying liability if a leak, accident or other problem occurred at a dump site.
A federal appeals court has upheld a 2002 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf that Nebraska acted in bad faith by blocking construction of a nuclear waste dump in northeast Nebraska. The state has been ordered to pay $151 million in damages.
"It's important that if the state of Nebraska is required by the court or agrees as a result of a settlement to host a radioactive facility, that they're not left holding the bill when and if problems arise," Nelson said.
The state recently has been trying to negotiate a settlement with other members of the Central Interstate Low-level Radioactive Waste Compact — Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
If that settlement includes agreeing to have the nuclear waste dump built in Nebraska, the state should at least be
protected from carrying the full weight of liability for the dump, said Nelson.
"I think it's a matter of fairness," Nelson said. "It's simply not fair to the host states to assume all future liability for the radioactive waste generated by other states."
Alan Peterson, an attorney for the compact suing Nebraska, said yesterday that the Central Interstate compact provided for shared liability, but did not detail what that shared liability entails.
Legislation for shared liability was also enacted by three of the four other member states of the Central Interstate Low Level Radioactive Waste Compact, including Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Kansas did not enact the legislation. As a result, the compact did not adopt the shared liability agreement, potentially leaving Nebraska with the assumed liability if it hosts a dump, said Nelson.
Before drafting the bill, Nelson asked the Congressional Research Service to study shared liability agreements among the nation's 10 radioactive waste compacts. It found that eight of the regional compacts including the one to which Nebraska belongs do not extend commission liability to party states, said Nelson. Nelson said he had not yet approached other members of Nebraska's congressional delegation about co-sponsoring the legislation or introducing a sister bill in the House.
PREPARATION: Staying clean and taking precautions help to prevent sicknesses
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
make sure to get enough sleep and water, Rock said. Dehydration is a common problem at outdoor events, he said.
"Try not to put yourself at risk for zapping your immune system," he said.
However, Jaf Kazmi, Overland Park junior, said he was going to rough it at the festival. He is planning to bring only a pair of clothes and a toothbrush to the concert, he said.
"It's going to be pretty nasty out there," he said. "We aren't worried too much because everyone will be dirty too, so we'll fit right in."
She said the essential camping items were a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pads, cooler, cooking supplies, camping chairs and a tent repair kit. The kit is needed because the most common problem associated with camping is tent poles breaking, Rogers said.
The festival allows people to leave and return, so Kazmi said he would go back to his apartment if he really needed to.
Besides health concerns, it is also important to have the right camping gear, said Maria Rogers, equipment buyer for Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop. 802 Massachusetts St.
As far as the tent itself goes, Rogers said for an event like the Wakarusa Festival it was more important to get a tent that could comfortably fit you and your friends than a tent with a lot of nice features.
For cooking, it's a lot more fun to try different things besides the usual hamburgers and hot dogs, she said.
WAKARUSA MUSIC AND CAMPING FESTIVAL
What: More than 70 bands on three different stages.
When: June 17 to June 20
Where: Clinton Lake
Cost: Single day ticket — $40 before June 18 and $50 at day of show, Four-day pass — $105
Recommended items: Water, sunscreen hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial soap, bug spray, change of clothes, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooler, cooking supplies, camping chairs, tent repair kit and a first-aid kit
For more information: www.wakarusafestival.com
Sources: Randall Rock, staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center; Maria Rogers, equipment buyer for Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop and www.wakarusafestival.com
"The best food is stuff you make at home," Rogers said. "But it's better because it's over the camp fire."
because it's over the Kazmi's brother, Ash, an Overland Park junior who goes to Kansas State University, said this concert would be a new experience for him.
"We've gone to Lollapalooza and Ozzfest, but we've never stayed overnight," he said. "Three days of rocking out will be the most consecutive days I've ever done."
- Edited by Abby Tillery
Drills help prevent railroad accidents
The Associated Press
TOPEKA Two people driving a stolen two-and-a-half-ton truck side-swiped a sedan that was stopped at a railroad crossing, then struck a Union Pacific train carrying a container of nuclear fuel, yesterday.
Emergency personnel treated victims and searched for the truck occupants, suspected of being drunk.
The scene yesterday was a drill. The scenario was a traffic accident and the nuclear fuel from Navy ships was simulated. But officials conducting the exercise said the event heightened awareness of the pains taken to protect against intentional attack on shipments crossing the country.
Nuclear fuel is transported by rail from Naval shipyards on the East and West coasts to the Naval Reactors Facility at the Idaho National Energy and Environmental Laboratory west of Idaho Falls. The fuel is transported in a 14-inch
Between three and 20 rail shipments of fuel are made each year, said Kevin Davis of the Naval Reactors Program.
thick steel rail container, between two flatcars. Two U.S. Marshals in the caboose guard the shipment.
"It's simply a matter of efficiency and safety," he said.
Training exercises happen every two years, but yesterday's, held near a grain elevator in Topeka, was the first to occur off federal property.
During the past decade, railroads have been strengthening their security, said Mark Davis, Union Pacific spokesman. Union Pacific has 2,500 trains operating daily, including 125 a day through Kansas.
Kansas. "For all the hazardous materials that we carry, a person is 10 times more likely to be struck by lightning than be injured by a hazardous material accident," Davis said. "But we don't rest on our laurels."
Although training exercises help test
response and allow officials to address any shortfalls, much of the burden for maintaining safety still falls on the railroad's employees and their own police forces.
"If you look at our day-to-day operations, our own employees are the best eyes and ears," said Davis.
Railroads receive an average of 75 calls each day from the public about suspicious activity, down from a high of 300 a day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said.
The railroads hold daily meetings to discuss security and safety issues and to share information, said Davis. Beyond their own surveillance, railroads must bear the costs of the ongoing infrastructure upgrades.
Ed McKechnie, executive vice president for Watco Cos., a shortline railroad company in Pittsburg, Kan., said response to a security threat has to be quick to protect cargo and the public.
Watco, which owns 2,800 miles of
track throughout the United States, activates a 24-hour operation center when alerted of a potential threat. McKechnie said when that happens, officials find all hazardous materials on the rails and make sure they are secure.
The goal is to balance safety with the free flow of commerce, he said.
"It has to be done in a way that makes sense," he said, adding that the biggest hole in safety was where automobiles and trains intersect.
Kansas' investment in railroad infrastructure includes about $9 million annually in upgrades to the 6,000 highway railroad crossings, and a $75 million program to improve crossings on non-state highways, said Al Cathcart, coordinating engineer in the bureau of design for the state Department of Transportation.
Joy Moser, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Emergency Management, said rail accidents like train-car accidents and derailments occur frequently in the state.