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Yucca Mountain hearings yield more questions about nuclear waste storage

July 27, 2010 By

House Democrats and Republicans want to know more about the costs to states for changing the national plan for nuclear waste storage.

The U.S. House Budget Committee chaired by 5th District Congressman John Spratt held a hearing Tuesday on the budgetary implications of terminating the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility approved by Congress in 1982.

The federal government is more than 10 years behind schedule in its contractual obligations to remove and dispose of such waste, and the government has so far paid nuclear utilities $760 million in compensation because of its failure to meet that schedule. Department of Energy (DOE) currently estimates that liabilities to electric utilities for such damages will still total more than $13 billion if the department begins to accept nuclear waste by 2020.

Testifying before the committee, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Hertz said several more breach of contract cases are still under review by the courts, and one of them originates from Aiken County, South Carolina.  Hertz says the monies paid out must not come from the fees the government is collecting from utilities to permanently store the waste, but from a separate judgement fund, according to a 2002 ruling by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.  A judgment fund, held by the U.S. Treasury, is available for court judgments and Justice Department compromise settlements of actual or imminent lawsuits against the government. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, News, Politics & Government

Congress hears budget impact of Yucca Mountain closure (VIDEO)

July 27, 2010 By

Today at a U.S. House Budget Committee hearing, David Wright, vice chairman of the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, was asked to testify on how the delays have affected utilities in his state. In South Carolina, commercial nuclear plants have paid nearly $1.3 billion into a designated fund for the permanent disposal of nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain site.

Filed Under: Energy, News, Politics & Government

Group protests Graham for Kagan support

July 27, 2010 By

Senator Lindsey Graham supports Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, but one group on the coast is protesting Graham, asking to denounce the senator. A noose hanging a dummy with a picture of Senator Lindsey Graham’s face on it symbolizes the opposition one group has against Graham’s decision to support Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. About 10 members of Operation Rescue-Insurrecta Nex protested on a street in Mt. Pleasant, near Charleston, for the “Beating, Burning and Hanging Lindsey ‘Benedict Arnold’ Graham in Effigy” protest.

The Post and Courier reports the group’s director told the paper: “Lindsey Graham claims he’s a Christian, but he’s a traitor.” Graham would not comment on the protest, but did said he may not support Kagan’s legal or judiciary philosophies, but he does think she is qualified for the Supreme Court. Graham says Kagan does have a grasp of the difference between a judge and a politician.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

For historic corridors, preservation starts with cooperation (AUDIO)

July 27, 2010 By

During these tough economic times, funds for a number of governmental projects are dwindling for preservation projects like the 49 U.S. National Heritage areas across the country. That includes the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.

The Legislative Audit Council agreed to a request by state legislators to audit the program to make sure each rural area along the 240 mile corridor is getting its fair share of funding for tourism. Mike Allen of the National Park Service is coordinator of the fledgling Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor which runs partly through South Carolina. Allen says for such corridors to survive strong, stable partnerships must be formed from several federal, state, local, and private entities to help preserve the culture and history of these regions.

Allen says government and private groups working together is the key to the success in preserving historical heritage and creating opportunities for rural areas. Of the 49 government-run Heritage Corridors in the United States, the Gullah/ Geechee corridor is the first and only one dedicated to preserving the heritage and culture of African Americans.

Allen says as he meets with various groups and individuals throughout the region, people are expressing support for the project. However, he says that expression of support must include a monetary commitment.

Nationally, the National Heritage Areas get total federal appropriations of $18 million. Originally, each area received $1 million, but as more areas were added, it cut into the individual appropriations each area gets because the total budget was not expanded for the growth.

Allen says  rural areas have often been left out in the planning process of developing, enhancing and maintaining historical preservation sites. For the Gullah/ Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor to realize its enormous potential, the input and support from rural areas is invaluable.

For more information on the Gullah/ Geechee and other historical corridors you can go online to www.NPS.gov.

AUDIO: Mike Allen, Gullah Geechee coordinator, National Park Service (1:31)

Filed Under: Economy, News, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment

SC again ranks 45th in US for child well-being (AUDIO)

July 27, 2010 By

(from interview and press release)

Only five states scored worst than SC in terms of the overall well-being of children, according to the latest Kid’s Count report. That’s the same ranking as 2009, and is the average ranking that the state has had over the past 20 years. The latest report indicates improvements for the state in rates of infant mortality, teen birth and teens who are not in school and who are not high school graduates. The death rate for teenagers also improved.

 The state didn’t do so well in other areas, falling back on indicators relating to percentage of low birth-weight babies, children in poverty, and percentage of children living in single-parent families.

South Carolina Kids Count Project Director Baron Holmes says since 2000, the child poverty rate has increased by 16 percent to more than one in every five children(or 22 percent) in South Carolina now living below the poverty level.

AUDIO: Holmes on Kids Count data (2:16)

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, News
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