The people of the state of Washington find that:
(1) Radioactive wastes are highly dangerous, in that releases of radioactive materials and emissions to the environment are inimical to the health and welfare of the people of the state of Washington, and contribute to the occurrences of harmful diseases, including excessive cancer and leukemia. The dangers posed by the transportation and presence of radioactive wastes are increased further by the long time periods that the wastes remain radioactive and highly dangerous;
(2) Transporting, handling, storing, or otherwise caring for radioactive waste presents a hazard to the health, safety, and welfare of the individual citizens of the state of Washington because of the ever-present risk that an accident or incident will occur while the wastes are being cared for;
(3) The likelihood that an accident will occur in this state involving the release of radioactive wastes to the environment becomes greater as the volume of wastes transported, handled, stored, or otherwise cared for in this state increases;
(4) The effects of unplanned releases of radioactive wastes into the environment, especially into the air and water of the state, are potentially both widespread and harmful to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this state.
The burdens and hazards posed by increasing the volume of radioactive wastes transported, handled, stored, or otherwise cared for in this state by the importation of such wastes from outside this state is not a hazard the state government may reasonably ask its citizens to bear. The people of the state of Washington believe that the principles of federalism do not require the sacrifice of the health, safety, and welfare of the people of one state for the convenience of other states or nations.
[ 1981 c 1 § 1 (Initiative Measure No. 383, approved November 4, 1980). Formerly RCW 70.99.010.]