Nuclear Waste Disposal Research Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials generated and/or collected by Perry County Citizens Against Nuclear Disposal, Inc. (PC-CAND). This collection should be of interest to those researching any aspect of nuclear waste disposal.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1969-1987
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
Perry County, Mississippi is the site of two salt domes – the Richton Dome and the Cypress Creek Dome - both of which were under consideration by the U. S. Department of Energy as nuclear waste repositories in the early 1980s. On November 6, 1981, citizens who opposed the idea formed the organization, Perry County Citizens Against Nuclear Disposal, Inc. (PC-CAND). The stated purpose of the group was “to inform and educate the public and public officials of the potential consequences, dangers and hazards of the disposal of nuclear waste in Perry County and Mississippi so that intelligent and informed choices may be made, and to do all these things and any act or activity in furtherance of these purposes in conformance with the laws of the State of Mississippi, including those governing non-profit corporations.”
PC-CAND battled proponents for several years, until in 1988, the Perry County sites were dropped from consideration. The organization was disbanded in 1990. In the intervening years, the Richton site has been considered for storage of crude oil reserves and natural gas, both of which would have been far more acceptable to area residents than nuclear waste.
Extent
5.50 Cubic Feet : MC2/D16
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The materials have been divided into two series:
• Series I: Records of Perry County Citizens Against Nuclear Disposal
• Series II: Nuclear Waste Research Materials
Series I contains the files of PC-CAND, which are arranged alphabetically. Folder
titles generated by the organization have been retained, and titles have been created for loose materials found in the collection. Items of interest are correspondence with Senators John Stennis and Thad Cochran; correspondence with (then) Congressman Trent Lott; newspaper clippings that follow the progress of the nuclear disposal debate; and materials that relate directly to the Richton and Cypress Creek Salt Domes in Perry County.
Series II is comprised primarily of research materials collected by PC-CAND. Items in this series pertain to the nuclear waste issue in Mississippi and other states, and are arranged alphabetically. Included are Newspaper and journal articles, newsletters, pamphlets, maps showing the Richton Salt Dome, and numerous reports regarding nuclear disposal.
Provenance
The collection was donated by Mrs. Carolyn Blackman in August 1990. It was transferred to the Archives from the Mississippiana Collection by Jennifer Brannock, November 14, 2005.
Sources
Contents of the Collection
Mississippiana Vertical Files, “Richton Salt Dome” and “Nuclear Waste Disposal”
Photograph Log
M427-2 Spent Fuel Test Area 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Underground facility for evaluating the effects of storing spent reactor fuel in a crystalline rock formation 1400 feet below the surface of the Nevada Test Site. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-3 Exploratory Drilling 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 Core samples of argillite obtained during drilling are package for shipmentto laboratories. Exploratory drilling provides current and historical data about the subsurface environment at the Nevada Test Site. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-4 Radioactive Materials Handling Facility at Nevada Test Site 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Aerial view of the facility. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-5 Equipment at Nevada Test Site 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Commercial truck parked beneath a derrick-like steel structure, either loading, or unloading a spent fuel canister. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-6 Truck Transporting Radioactive Canister 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Commercial truck traveling on a road in the Nevada desert. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-7 Truck loading, or Unloading Radioactive Canister 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Truck parked inside the Nevada Test Facility. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-8 Men Checking Equipment at Nevada Test Site 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Two men appear to be inspecting a large piece of equipment. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-9 Spent Fuel Test – Climax Granite 8 X 10 Color ca. 1980 Images showing how a spent fuel canister is placed in an underground hole. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-10 Truck at Door of Nevada Test Facility 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 A commercial carrier backing into the Nevada test facility. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-11 Unidentified Equipment 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 Appears to be the top portion of a cylindrical device. (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-12 Spent Fuel Canister Being Lowered into Storage Silo 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-13 Truck Carrying Fuel Canister Backs into Nevada Test Facility 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 Commercial Carrier at “Hot Bay.” (Box 7, Folder 2)
M427-14 Unidentified Object Engraved with “B41” 8 X 10 B & W ca. 1980 Possibly part of a piece of heavy equipment. (Box 7, Folder 2)
Source
- Perry County Citizens Against Nuclear Disposal (Miss.). PC-CAND (Organization)
- United States. Department of Energy. Office of Nuclear Waste Management (Organization)
Subject
- Perry County Citizens Against Nuclear Disposal (Miss.). PC-CAND (Organization)
- Stennis, John C., Senator (John Cornelius), 1901-1995 (Person)
- Cochran, Thad, Senator, 1937- (Person)
- Lott, Trent, Senator, 1941- (Person)
- Sierra Club (1892-) (Organization)
- Allain, Bill, 59th Governor of Mississippi (William Alexander), 1928-2013 (Person)
- Winter, William F., 58th Governor of Mississippi (William Forrest) (Person)
- Gandy, Evelyn, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (Edythe Evelyn), 1920-2007 (Person)
- Title
- Nuclear Waste Disposal Research Collection
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
