One last fight

The New York Times reported last week that before his death on May 7, Virginia attorney Joseph Egan had planned disposal of his ashes. Egan, hired by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn to represent the state in court battles over nuclear waste dumping, wanted his ashes deposited at Yucca Mountain, with the words “radwaste buried here only over my dead body” spoken.

Yucca Mountain is the site selected by the federal government for a proposed dump for high level nuclear wastes. Egan is one of a number of attorneys who have helped slow the federal effort down to a crawl, and he became a true believer.

Egan’s family intends to carry out his wish and members of the Nevada congressional delegation are supporting the family against what is expected to be Bush administration opposition to allowing access to Yucca Mountain for the ashes to be deposited.