Like it or not, the nuke industry wants to ram nuclear waste down your throat. Well...they don't know what else to do with it and it has to go somewhere. There will be a public hearing in Santa Monica Monday night ...
We in the Los Angeles area have an unprecedented opportunity to speak to the Department of Energy about their planned policy of distributing radioactive wastes into municipal land fills and into manufactured products.
One of the four meetings being held in the entire country will be held in Santa Monica on Monday, Oct 8, 8 - 10 pm, at the Ken Edwards Center,
1527 Fourth Street, Santa Monica. Another one will be in Simi Valley,Oct. 9, 8 - 10 pm,
at the Simi Valley City Hall (address below).
The meetings are being held by the Department of Energy looking for input from citizens about their plan to recycle radioactive wastes in municipal land fills and back into manufactured products.
Santa Monica is the location of one of only 4 additional
meetings being held in the entire country.
The following is the announcement, with websites to be checked.
* * * * * *
ACTION ALERT !!
From Public Citizen, a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader in 1971 to represent consumer interests.
Department of Energy Extends Comment Period,
Adds Four Public Meetings on Radioactive Metal Recycling
Due to pressure from consumer and environmental groups, the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the extension of the public
scoping comment period for their Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on the Disposition of Radioactively-Contaminated Scrap Metals, during which they will accept comments for
consideration. Comments will now be accepted
until November 9, 2001. The DOE has also announced plans to hold four additional public scoping meetings at the following locations
October 8, 2001, 8-10PM: Ken Edwards Community Center
1527 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, California 90401
October 9, 2001, 8-10PM: Simi Valley City Hall
2929 Tapo Canyon Road
Simi Valley, California 93063
October 16, 2001, 2-5PM Zuhrah Shrine Center
& 8-10PM: 2540 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota55404
Oct. 18 meeting expected Philadelphia Convention Center
1101 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Right now, the Department of Energy (DOE) is developing a plan -
Under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry -
to unload vast quantities of their radioactive scrap metal
into municipal landfills and to "recycle" it
into everyday household products and industrial materials.
It is well established that radiation is a health hazard, and that radiation exposures should be avoided and minimized. This DOE program would allow radioactive metals to be recycled without any restrictions, which would mean that any metal products that you come into contact with could contain radiation. In essence, this would make all of us the guinea pigs in an experiment to determine the long-term health effects of repeated and unavoidable exposures to radiation.
Since the radioactive metal would not be labeled, monitored or tracked ("unrestricted release"), it is highly unlikely that we would ever really know the results of this tragic, unnecessary experiment.
We need to let the DOE know that the public won't stand for the release of radioactive materials into everyday commerce and the general environment. Instead of spending their time and taxpayer money on
finding a new contractor to perform the PEIS, they should commit those resources to finding better containment methods for ALL radioactive wastes, and stop production of further nuclear waste.
The Notice of Intent for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, as published in the Federal Register, can be found at:
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/bbs/ftpup/fedreg/36562.pdf
The notice announcing the extension of the Public Scoping Period for the PEIS, and announcement of additional Public Scoping Meetings, as
published in the Federal Register, can be found at:
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/bbs/ftpup/fedreg/46613.pdf
Public Citizen's comments on the scoping for the PEIS can be found at:
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_waste/low-level/recycling/articles.cfm?ID=4889
Written comments to the DOE will be received until November 9, 2001.
Send letters to:
Kenneth G. Picha, Jr.
Office of Technical Program Integration, EM-22
Attn: Metals Disposition PEIS
Office of Environmental Management
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585-0113
Or via fax to Metals Disposition PEIS at: 301-903-9770
Or via e-mail to: Metals.Disposition.PEIS@em.doe.gov
tis.eh.doe.gov/nepa/bbs/ftpup/fedreg/36562.pdf
Original: Nuclear Waste for your home