S.C has had enough of being the nation's dumping ground

NEW ELLENTON, S.C. - In the early Cold War &#39;50s, people around here welcomed the opening of ``the bomb plant&#39;&#39; along the Savannah River. In fact, South Carolinians for decades have embraced just about any industry that could bring jobs to the countryside. <br> <br> But now that attitude is changing, as illustrated by South Carolina&#39;s plutonium standoff. <br> <br> The U.S. Department of Energy announced plans last fall to ship weapons-grade plutonium from its Rocky Flats installation in Colorado to the Savannah River Site, where it would be converted into nuclear reactor fuel over the next two decades in an operation that could create up to 800 jobs. <br> <br> But Gov. Jim Hodges has said he does not trust the government to keep its word and fears the plutonium will be left at Savannah River permanently. <br> <br> He has vowed to do ``whatever it takes&#39;&#39; to prevent the radioactive material from being stored here - including lying down in the road to stop the plutonium-laden trucks. The Highway Patrol has conducted drills on how to block the shipments. And the governor is suing the Energy Department. <br> <br> ``Dumping this weapons-grade plutonium in our state turns us into a terrorist target. We cannot allow the federal government to paint a bull&#39;s-eye on South Carolina,&#39;&#39; Hodges, a Democrat up for re-election in November, said earlier this year. <br> <br> The shipments were set to begin May 15 but were put on hold for a month to see how the lawsuit plays out. The case is set to be heard on June 13. <br> <br> The dispute is part of what some see as a turnaround in public opinion in South Carolina. <br> <br> With its cheap labor and little concern about the environment, South Carolina has long been home to some of the nation&#39;s most dangerous substances. In addition to the Savannah River Site, the state has a low-level nuclear waste dump in Barnwell. <br> <br> But a hazardous waste landfill near Sumter and a medical waste incinerator in Hampton have been shut down in recent years by state officials, reflecting what some see as greater environmental awareness. <br> <br> ``South Carolina has always tilted toward anything that would create jobs. But recently there has been a gradual awareness that some industry does more damage than good,&#39;&#39; said Jim Farmer, a history professor at the nearby University of South Carolina-Aiken. <br> <br> Sporadic attacks on Hodges for putting Savannah River Site jobs at risk with his stand against the plutonium have not caught on with the public. <br> <br> ``People worry we&#39;ll lose the reasons why people come here: the beaches, the beautiful environment,&#39;&#39; said Democratic state Sen. Phil Leventis, a harsh critic of the Sumter-area landfill in his district. <br> <br> The Savannah River Site is about 20 miles east of the Augusta, Ga., area, with 477,000 people, and 170 miles east of Atlanta, a metropolitan area with a population of 4 million. <br> <br> In 1950, the government bought up 300 square miles of land near Ellenton and over the next three years constructed the five Savannah River reactors that would be used to process plutonium for nuclear weapons. During the height of the Cold War, Savannah River employed 26,000 people. <br> <br> ``To some it&#39;s the worst thing that ever happened. For me, it&#39;s the best thing that&#39;s ever happened,&#39;&#39; said Clarence Bush, who runs an auto repair shop whose customers include engineers and others who work at Savannah River. <br> <br> A man could make twice as much working at Savannah River as he could in other towns nearby, and getting a job there was dream of many growing up in nearby Barnwell, recalled Edward Lemon, mayor of the town of 5,000. <br> <br> ``If you could get on out there, you were set,&#39;&#39; Lemon said. <br> <br> With the Cold War over, about 13,000 people work there now, cleaning up the leftover nuclear material and getting it ready to ship to New Mexico to be stored underground permanently. The plutonium from Rocky Flats is being sent to South Carolina as part of a plan to clean up and close the Colorado installation. <br> <br> ``If they end up just storing it here, so what?&#39;&#39; said Arthur Hanna, who retired after 33 years of working on Savannah River reactors. ``As long as they keep it protected.&#34;