Last week, the Land Use Control Board (LUCB) indefinitely postponed a vote to allow a nuclear waste incinerator to operate on Presidents Island. But employees of Radiological Assistance, Consulting, and Engineering (RACE) — the company that wants the permit — as well as members of Memphis Truth, the Riverview Collaborative Community Association, and the Sierra Club turned out in droves.
The opposition held placards that read “No Nukes” or “No Space for RACE,” while employees of the company wore stickers that said, “My job is at stake,” in reference to a recent lawsuit filed by the opposition declaring RACE a public nuisance.
The Flyer was on hand asking people from both sides how they felt about the LUCB’s decision to postpone.
Horacito Johnson, RACE employee
“They need to go on and get this over with, ’cause, like this sign says, my job is at stake. We ain’t bad enough to shut down.”
David Frederick, RACE employee
“It’s good because everyone does not know why they’re here. I promise that. … This will give them more time to learn so they’ll be better able to make an informed decision.”
Patrick Parker, Riverview Collaborative Community Association
“How long has this been going on? Basically, what it is is a stall tactic. We’ve got a major billion-dollar corporation that just wants more time to figure out what they can do.”
Carolyn Pierce, vice chair of the Sierra Club
?I certainly want them to have the information that they need to make the final decision on this. It¹s a little bit of a hassle for me to come down here because I live out in Germantown, but if we can keep nuclear waste out of our air, it¹s worth the effort.?