Robin Carnahan: “when I speak to people throughout Missouri, security continues to be their primary concern. They are concerned about…”

“when I speak to people throughout Missouri, security continues to be their primary concern. They are concerned about threats from abroad and about security in their daily lives--job security, health care security, retirement security. In this day and age, when we are making extraordinary efforts to protect ourselves, people are more fearful than ever about shipments of nuclear waste through their neighborhoods and communities. In Missouri, this is especially a sensitive issue because of our recent history of nuclear waste shipments. Two summers ago, Governor Carnahan succeeded in getting a shipment rerouted around Missouri. But last year, the Department of Energy scheduled another shipment to go through Missouri. The route the Government selected went through the most populated areas in the State, through the heavily populated suburbs of St. Louis, straight through Columbia, past Independence, and then on through Kansas City. The Government's plan would ship nuclear waste along Interstate 70 and other roads that are crowded and in disrepair. Interstate 70 through Missouri is one of the oldest stretches of Federal interstate highway in the Nation. The newest stretch is 37 years old. The oldest stretch is 46 years old. But the original design life was only 20 years. I-70 is one of the most vital transportation corridors in the Nation. It is in need of more than just basic maintenance. It is in need of total reconstruction.”