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