Ward Valley Nuclear Dump

Your editorial on the proposed Ward Valley nuclear waste disposal site (“Juggling a Hot Potato Named Nuclear Waste,” April 20) was timely and informative. Radioactive waste stored near our water supplies constitutes nothing less than a time bomb planted in our midst.

If we want to survive the consequences of our technological advances, we must require the users and producers of these materials to recover, reuse and responsibly store them. AB 3798, my legislation to require tritium recovery, will address 99.3% of the waste stream proposed for Ward Valley, significantly reducing the potential for lethal leaks.

As you noted, there is still strong opposition to the common-sense notion that producers should be responsible for the dangerous waste they generate. Public support for AB 3798, and all the bills relating to Ward Valley, is needed if we are to hold producers accountable, and prevent unmeasurable future consequences to our finances and our health.

RICHARD KATZ

Assemblyman, D-Sylmar