South
Carolina Governor Renews Talks on Plutonium
COLUMBIA-
Governor Jim Hodges met with public safety officials Tuesday to renew
discussions about how to handle plutonium shipments that could arrive
in South Carolina as early as May 15.
Hodges had similar talks with state Public Safety Director Boykin Rose
and others last August when federal energy officials first said they
were planning to start moving the radioactive material from Rocky Flats
in Colorado to the Savannah River Site near Aiken.
At the time, Hodges threatened to lie down in the road to block the
plutonium-laden trucks from entering the state.
"There are a number of public safety concerns," Hodges' spokeswoman,
Cortney Owings, said Tuesday. "Tons of plutonium would be traveling
along interstates."
The governor has vowed to intercept any shipments unless he gets firm
agreement-- subject to federal court enforcement-- that the plutonium
will not remain in South Carolina permanently.
Hodges received a 30-day notification from Energy Secretary Spencer
Abraham on Monday and raised the stakes by promising to "do everything
at my disposal" to prevent the shipments from entering South Carolina
without a legally enforceable agreement.
"We have federal guidelines that dictate how hazardous material
should be shipped," Col. Anna Amos, commander of the State Transportation
Police, said Tuesday. "We are... fine tuning a plan we submitted
to the governor earlier."
Amos said her officers will be looking at the shipping documents to
make sure everything is done by the book as well as inspecting the trucks,
drivers and routes for each shipment.
"We have a special group that handle the plutonium-type shipments,"
she said. The hazardous materials unit is made up of 11 officers including
the supervisor, Amos said.
State Attorney General Charlie Condon said that he had the authority
to enter an agreement with the Department of Energy regarding plutonium
shipments-- with or without Hodges' approval.
"The Energy Secretary has full authority under national security
law to move plutonium around the country. He doesn't want to do that,
he doesn't want to have a confrontation. I don't think anyone in this
state does," Condon said.
To Avoid the showdown, Condon said, there are two options: federal legislation
or a legally enforceable agreement called a record of decision.
But Abraham will not agree to the consent decree requested by Hodges
because it could jeopardize national security, Condon said. The consent
decree would allow a federal judge to oversee the process.
Abraham rejected the courts' involvement, saying it would amount to
"an attempt to conduct... national security and foreign policy
affairs through the judicial process."
