[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 69 (Thursday, May 13, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5260-S5261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DERAILING NBC'S ATOMIC TRAIN

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, scare tactics may boost your ratings, but 
they won't do much for your credibility--especially when you advertise 
fiction as fact. This weekend, NBC will air a miniseries that is so far 
from plausible it is indeed laughable. The plot for this hyped up film 
revolves around a horrifying nuclear accident stemming from the 
transportation of nuclear weapons and hazardous waste on a train from 
California to Idaho.

[[Page S5261]]

  Could this really happen, as the network originally advertised? 
Should you be staying up late at night to worry if your daily commute 
will include a rendezvous with spilled nuclear waste and Rob Lowe? 
Unfortunately, this movie only perpetuates Hollywood's warped depiction 
of all things nuclear. Because of past hype, Americans envision nuclear 
waste as a glowing green mass causing human and environmental meltdown 
on contact--not unlike the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West in 
the The Wizard of Oz. However, nothing could be farther from the truth.
  If and when Hollywood comes out with another ``scary'' nuclear waste 
film, they might remember a few lessons NBC forgot. First of all, 
nuclear weapons are not transported by train, nor are they ever armed 
en route. They are moved by specially crafted 18-wheelers with the 
latest security and safety technologies and armed Federal agents. Even 
if an accident should occur, U.S. nuclear weapons are all designed to 
survive without detonation if jolted or engulfed in flames.
  The plot of Atomic Train originally depicted the mutual 
transportation of both a nuclear weapon and nuclear waste, but NBC has 
changed any references to nuclear waste in the movie to ``hazardous'' 
waste. Wrong again. Federal regulations prohibit hazardous waste and 
nuclear waste from traveling along with nuclear weapons.
  Secondly, nuclear waste is not green, glowing, or horrific to look at 
and great care is taken in its transportation. Spent nuclear fuel is 
solid, irradiated uranium oxide pellets encased in metal tubes and is 
non-explosive. It is transported in metal casks which will survive 
earthquakes, train collision and derailment, highway accident or fire.
  To give credit where credit is due, the movie's trailer was right on 
one count--nuclear waste is transported far more frequently than most 
Americans realize. This is because the threat to both public and 
environmental health has been minimized by stringent safety protocols 
and close to 34 years of fine tuning. The possibility of radioactive 
materials harming the public en route is slim to none. Since 1965, more 
than 2,500 shipments of spent nuclear fuel have been transported safely 
throughout the U.S. without injury or environmental consequences from 
radioactive materials. That's a pretty good track record to go on.
  Materials contaminated by radiation are also transported across the 
country. In fact, the first shipment of transuranic nuclear waste was 
safely and uneventfully transported from Idaho's own National 
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to the Waste Isolation 
Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico last month. It was carried 
in DOE certified containers and tracked by satellite during the 1,400 
mile trip. The Western Governors Association worked for years to 
develop the safest route possible and notify all emergency responders 
of shipment dates, routes, and even parking areas. Such shipments will 
become a routine matter in the years ahead.
  INEEL celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, and was the 
birthplace of harnessing the atom for electrical generation. Close to 
twenty percent of our electricity comes from nuclear energy, and 
remains one of the safest energy sources our country has available. 
Yes, nuclear waste requires special handling and precautions, but so do 
all of the chemical and industrial waste byproducts of our vibrant 
economy.
  Due to the outcry over NBC's, ``this could really happen,'' trailer, 
the broadcasting company has made the wise decision to pull the ads, 
make last minute script changes to fix some of the more blatant 
inaccuracies, and post a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie. Yes, 
this is a piece of fiction, and it is predictable that Hollywood would 
stray far from the truth, but it is downright irresponsible of the 
network to create mass hysteria to boost ratings. I can only hope that 
future films will promote a more intelligent plot line.

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