We’re all familiar with the acronym NIMBY, or should be. It’s short for “not in my back yard” and refers to any environmental threat or compromise to safety, or even just an eyesore.

The pervasive target in recent years has been unconventional gas drilling and fracking, but it’s not the first or only target, and it won’t be the last. Nearly 30 years ago, a motivated and organized NIMBY movement successfully fought off a multistate attempt to build a low-level nuclear waste dump near what would become the Grove City Outlet Mall. Under the name of CEASRA — Citizens Environmental Association of the Slippery Rock Area — that movement staged what might have been one of the region’s most defining victories, even it it’s little remembered today.

Now another apparent NIMBY is taking shape, based on the same topic but nowhere near the same dimensions.

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to haul 6,000 gallons of radioactive waste through Butler County on Interstate 79. The 1,100-mile route begins at the Chalk River Nuclear Labs in Ontario, Canada, and winds through multiple states, to Savannah River Site nuclear weapons and radioactive waste complex in Aiken, South Carolina.

A coalition of environmental groups — NIMBYs — has sued the Department of Energy claiming the move is incredibly dangerous and unnecessary. “The proposal has a lot more to do with generating funds to provide life support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s reprocessing infrastructure than it does with nonproliferation, or protecting health, safety, and the environment,” said Kevin Kamps of Maryland, a spokesman for Beyond Nuclear, one of the plaintiff groups.

Obviously, the thought of nuclear material passing through our county makes us nervous. But we live with radiation every day, from X-rays taken at the dentist’s office to the Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station, less than 40 miles from Butler via Route 68. Granted, the transport involves infinitely more dangerous levels of radioactivity. Every precaution must be taken; every scenario must be considered.

With an abundance of caution in mind, let’s pay attention to the questions and concerns raised in the NIMBY lawsuit. For instance, the design criteria for Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified Type B packaging that would be used in this shipping campaign require the container to survive a 1,475 degree Fahrenheit fire; is that sufficient when diesel fuel, which powers semi trucks, burns at 1,800 degrees F?

At the same time, it’s only fair to get an accurate picture of the proposed transports.

Each tractor-trailer would carry four stainless steel containers, each containing about 15 gallons of the material.

Divide 6,000 gallons into 150 trips, that’s 40 gallons per trip, although officials have said the load per trip will be closer to 60 gallons — four containers of 15 gallons each. Even at that level, 60 gallons constitutes less than one full cubic yard — less than the volume of most car trunks.

the relatively small payloads will be wrapped in protective shielding to prevent against damage from any potential wreck or collision. The containers are “crashproof,” according to Jackson Township Police Chief Terry Seilhamer, who received Radiation Protection Act training through the Pennsylvania State Police.

All told, residents should put every confidence in the first responders who say they would be ready to assist if called out for any hazardous waste accident, including nuclear waste.

Still, this is a high risk material, no matter how carefully or professionally it’s handled.

A lawsuit is appropriate if it uncovers just one case of an undotted I or an uncrossed T. Let an impartial judge determine that this nuclear waste indeed needs to be moved, that it’s being moved properly and by the safest means possible.

There is absolutely no room for error.