MILES URGES BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO BACK
GOVERNOR’S POSITION AGAINST PLUTONIUM SHIPMENTS
Secretary of State Jim Miles announced today that
he supports Governor Hodges’ stand to reject
plutonium shipment proposals from the U.S.
Department of Energy and called on all statewide
Republican and Democratic elected officials “to
join Governor Hodges in a bipartisan, united front
to reject plutonium shipments until we have an
ironclad legally enforceable agreement.”
In letters to
Secretary of Energy
Spencer Abraham and to U.S. Senator Wayne Allard,
R-Colorado, Secretary Miles, South Carolina’s
senior Constitutional Officer, voiced his support
of Governor Hodges’ position and said that the
issue is a matter of public safety and health in
South Carolina,
calling for no shipments until the State of
South Carolina
has an “ironclad agreement” regarding permanent
disposal of the weapons grade nuclear waste.
“I believe that Nevada Governor
Guinn’s veto of shipments to Yucca Mountain play
into this equation,” Secretary Miles added. “I
think the leaders of our state must present a
united front to prevent South Carolina from
becoming another Yucca Mountain. We need the
details in stone before shipments begin, and I
stand with Governor Hodges on this issue.”
Secretary Miles also faxed letters to
his fellow Constitutional Officers, as well as
South Carolina’s Congressional leaders, urging
them to join the bipartisan effort on behalf of
South Carolina’s citizens.
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April 11, 2002
Secretary Spencer Abraham
U.S. Dept. of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue
Washington, DC 20585
Dear Secretary Abraham:
As the senior Constitutional Officer in the State
of South Carolina, I would like to voice my
support of Governor Hodges' position regarding the
requirement of a "legally binding agreement with
enforceable milestones" for the plutonium
disposition problem we face. We here in South
Carolina are united on this issue. The lives of
our children and grandchildren are far too
valuable to "play politics".
While I recognize that some feel as though
Governor Hodges' stand is detrimental to the
nation's environmental health and national safety,
I believe that this is simply not true. To me,
this issue is about protecting the long-term
health and safety of South Carolinians.
Therefore, I urge you and your staff to work
tirelessly on a resolution to the problem at hand.
Also, I ask that you refrain from any shipments of
plutonium to South Carolina until such an
agreement is made.
We must come together as citizens, not
politicians, to find a solution. The future of our
nation, especially of those residing in South
Carolina, depends on it.
I offer my services to you in any capacity you may
need. I am dedicated to an agreeable resolution to
this problem.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Miles

April 11, 2002
The Honorable Wayne Allard
United States Senator
525 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington , D.C. 20510
fax: 202-224-6471
Dear Senator Allard:
As the senior Constitutional Officer in the State
of South Carolina, I would like to voice my
support of Governor Hodges' position regarding the
requirement of a "legally binding agreement with
enforceable milestones" for the plutonium
disposition problem we face. We here in South
Carolina present a bipartisan, united front on
this issue.
To me, this issue is about protecting the
long-term health and safety of South Carolinians.
Respectfully, I disagree with your statements
regarding the politics of this issue. I believe
that Governor Guinn’s veto of the shipments to
Yucca Mountain have caused some in Washington to
play politics with the future of South Carolina’s
public safety, health, and economy.
I urge you to work with the Administration and
with the State of South Carolina to achieve and
ironclad solution and leave political rhetoric out
of this issue.
Sincerely,
Jim Miles