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A DAY AFTER a federal judge refused to block the shipments of weapons-grade plutonium to the the Savannah River complex in the northwest part of the state, Hodges declared a state of emergency and read a statement ordering “that the transportation of plutonium on South Carolina roads and highways is prohibited. I order that any persons transporting plutonium shall not enter the state of South Carolina.”
Hodges, who appealed Thursday’s court ruling and asked for an injunction to delay the plutonium shipments, would not answer questions about specific plans for roadblocks or other barricades at the Savannah River Site near Aiken.
The Energy Department plans to move about 6½ tons of plutonium from the Rocky Flats weapons installation in Colorado, which is being cleaned up and closed, to the Savannah River Site, where the material would be converted into nuclear reactor fuel over the next two decades.
But Hodges has said he fears that the government will end up leaving the plutonium permanently in South Carolina, making the state a tempting target for terrorists.
Hodges, a Democrat who is up for re-election in the fall, has been threatening for weeks to use state troopers to block roads into the Savananna River Site and has vowed to lie down in the road if necessary to stop the plutonium-carrying trucks.
Sid Gaulden, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said traffic would still flow along the state’s roads. He acknowledged that the department did not have enough resources to close every entry point to the state.
NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
The state argued Thursday that the Energy Department failed to complete environmental impact statements, a process that can take years, and backed out of signing a binding agreement that the plutonium would be stored in the state only temporarily.
However, the judge ruled that the state had not provided enough proof of any violations to stop the plutonium from being shipped.
The dispute is part of what some see as a turnaround in public opinion in South Carolina.
In the early Cold War, people around here welcomed the opening of “the bomb plant” along the Savannah River. In fact, South Carolinians for decades have embraced just about any industry that could bring jobs to the countryside. But now that attitude is changing, as illustrated by South Carolina’s plutonium standoff.
With its cheap labor and little concern about the environment, South Carolina has long been home to some of the nation’s most dangerous substances. In addition to the Savannah River Site, the state has a low-level nuclear waste dump in Barnwell.
But state officials have shut down a hazardous waste landfill near Sumter and a medical waste incinerator in Hampton in recent years, reflecting what some see as greater environmental awareness.
“South Carolina has always tilted toward anything that would create jobs. But recently there has been a gradual awareness that some industry does more damage than good,” said Jim Farmer, a history professor at the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Sporadic attacks on Hodges for putting Savannah River Site jobs at risk with his stand against the plutonium have not caught on with the public.
“People worry we’ll lose the reasons why people come here: the beaches, the beautiful environment,” said Democratic state Sen. Phil Leventis, a harsh critic of the Sumter-area landfill in his district.
JOBS WERE WELCOME
The Savannah River Site is about 20 miles east of the Augusta, Ga., area, with 477,000 people, and 170 miles east of Atlanta, a metropolitan area with a population of 4 million.
In 1950, the government bought up 300 square miles of land near Ellenton and over the next three years built the five Savannah River reactors that would be used to process plutonium for nuclear weapons. During the height of the Cold War, Savannah River employed 26,000 people.
“To some, it’s the worst thing that ever happened. For me, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened,” said Clarence Bush, who runs an auto repair shop whose customers include engineers and others who work at Savannah River.
A man could make twice as much working at Savannah River as he could in other towns nearby, and getting a job there was dream of many growing up in nearby Barnwell, said Edward Lemon, mayor of the town of 5,000.
“If you could get on out there, you were set,” Lemon said.
With the Cold War over, about 13,000 people work there now, cleaning up the leftover nuclear material and getting it ready to ship to New Mexico to be stored underground permanently. The plutonium is being sent to South Carolina as part of a plan to clean up and close the the Rocky Flats installation in Colorado.
“If they end up just storing it here, so what?” said Arthur Hanna, who retired after 33 years of working on Savannah River reactors. “As long as they keep it protected.”
Hodges, who appealed Thursday’s court ruling and asked for an injunction to delay the plutonium shipments, would not answer questions about specific plans for roadblocks or other barricades at the Savannah River Site near Aiken.
The Energy Department plans to move about 6½ tons of plutonium from the Rocky Flats weapons installation in Colorado, which is being cleaned up and closed, to the Savannah River Site, where the material would be converted into nuclear reactor fuel over the next two decades.
But Hodges has said he fears that the government will end up leaving the plutonium permanently in South Carolina, making the state a tempting target for terrorists.
Hodges, a Democrat who is up for re-election in the fall, has been threatening for weeks to use state troopers to block roads into the Savananna River Site and has vowed to lie down in the road if necessary to stop the plutonium-carrying trucks.
Sid Gaulden, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said traffic would still flow along the state’s roads. He acknowledged that the department did not have enough resources to close every entry point to the state.
NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
The state argued Thursday that the Energy Department failed to complete environmental impact statements, a process that can take years, and backed out of signing a binding agreement that the plutonium would be stored in the state only temporarily.
However, the judge ruled that the state had not provided enough proof of any violations to stop the plutonium from being shipped.
The dispute is part of what some see as a turnaround in public opinion in South Carolina.
In the early Cold War, people around here welcomed the opening of “the bomb plant” along the Savannah River. In fact, South Carolinians for decades have embraced just about any industry that could bring jobs to the countryside. But now that attitude is changing, as illustrated by South Carolina’s plutonium standoff.
With its cheap labor and little concern about the environment, South Carolina has long been home to some of the nation’s most dangerous substances. In addition to the Savannah River Site, the state has a low-level nuclear waste dump in Barnwell.
But state officials have shut down a hazardous waste landfill near Sumter and a medical waste incinerator in Hampton in recent years, reflecting what some see as greater environmental awareness.
“South Carolina has always tilted toward anything that would create jobs. But recently there has been a gradual awareness that some industry does more damage than good,” said Jim Farmer, a history professor at the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Sporadic attacks on Hodges for putting Savannah River Site jobs at risk with his stand against the plutonium have not caught on with the public.
“People worry we’ll lose the reasons why people come here: the beaches, the beautiful environment,” said Democratic state Sen. Phil Leventis, a harsh critic of the Sumter-area landfill in his district.
JOBS WERE WELCOME
The Savannah River Site is about 20 miles east of the Augusta, Ga., area, with 477,000 people, and 170 miles east of Atlanta, a metropolitan area with a population of 4 million.
In 1950, the government bought up 300 square miles of land near Ellenton and over the next three years built the five Savannah River reactors that would be used to process plutonium for nuclear weapons. During the height of the Cold War, Savannah River employed 26,000 people.
“To some, it’s the worst thing that ever happened. For me, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened,” said Clarence Bush, who runs an auto repair shop whose customers include engineers and others who work at Savannah River.
A man could make twice as much working at Savannah River as he could in other towns nearby, and getting a job there was dream of many growing up in nearby Barnwell, said Edward Lemon, mayor of the town of 5,000.
“If you could get on out there, you were set,” Lemon said.
With the Cold War over, about 13,000 people work there now, cleaning up the leftover nuclear material and getting it ready to ship to New Mexico to be stored underground permanently. The plutonium is being sent to South Carolina as part of a plan to clean up and close the the Rocky Flats installation in Colorado.
“If they end up just storing it here, so what?” said Arthur Hanna, who retired after 33 years of working on Savannah River reactors. “As long as they keep it protected.”
