Actor and Activist Mike Farrell Delivers Letter from Celebrities Opposing Dangerous Nuclear Dumps
June 4, 2002
Actor and Activist Mike Farrell Delivers Letter from Celebrities Opposing Dangerous Nuclear Dumps
Celebrities Urge Senate to Reject Yucca Mountain and Skull Valley Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Mike Farrell, well known for his lead role on M*A*S*H and for his long-time commitment to human rights and environmental issues, delivered a letter to Congress today signed by more than 50 celebrities urging the U.S. Senate to reject two nuclear dump proposals. One is for a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada; the second is by a private consortium that wants to store 44,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste above ground at the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah.
“Transporting tens of thousands of tons of deadly nuclear waste over our railways, highways and waterways through virtually every state presents the potential for a disaster of astonishing proportions,” Farrell said. “The industry?s right to profit from the creation of energy stops when it chooses to slough off the responsibility for its garbage onto us.”
Farrell delivered the letter in advance of a Wednesday vote on Yucca Mountain by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Celebrities signing the letter include Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, Jamie Farr, Ken Howard, Melissa Gilbert, Danny Glover, Tess Harper, Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch, Norman Lear, Paula Poundstone, Bonnie Raitt, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Loretta Swit and Alfre Woodard. While in Washington, Farrell met with lawmakers, including Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.).
Farrell and other celebrity signatories to today?s letter join mounting opposition to these dangerous proposals to transport deadly waste across the country to unsuitable sites. Farrell and fellow actor and activist James Cromwell ? who spoke out last week against the dumps at a press conference organized by Public Citizen ? contacted other celebrities and invited them to join in urging Congress to reject the Yucca Mountain and Skull Valley proposals.
In the letter (click here to view on the Web), the celebrities called for congressional oversight hearings and the rejection of the “Department of Energy’s technically unfounded Yucca Mountain site recommendation.”
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