Your Dec. 17 story “Lethal garbage, heated debate” (Page 1) mistakenly identified used nuclear fuel rods as a low-level radioactive waste material of the type that would be disposed of in the California desert. They are not.
Used nuclear fuel is classified as high-level waste, which scientists say should be disposed of separately in a specially designed underground facility. The distinction is important. Although there are available facilities to store low-level waste, many nuclear power plants are running out of storage space for used nuclear fuel, and legislation to establish a permanent underground facility for it may be the subject of a veto override vote in Congress in 1998.
Earlier this year, Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.) and an overwhelming majority of Illinois congressional representatives voted in favor of this bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Although Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) voted against the bill initially, it has been amended significantly to meet his objections, and he should change his vote when the legislation comes back for a vote early in 1998.
