March 2006 E-Newsletter

As this E-newletter was being prepared, we received breaking news from the Western Shoshone about their case with the United Nations in Geneva. In an historic and strongly worded decision by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) the United States was urged to " freeze" , " desist" and " stop" actions being taken or threatened to be taken against the Western Shoshone Peoples of the Western Shoshone Nation.

We would like to remind you about the BLM comment period, which will close May 8, for comments on the right-of-way requested by PFS. The right-of-way is necessary in order for PFS to ship nuclear waste across federal lands, whether it is by rail or truck. Check our resource page for details on how to participate. We have provided a number of tools to give you key information and talking points.

About Our Main Programs

Skull Valley

In an alarming development, on February 22, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a license to PFS for its proposed nuclear waste dump. A draft license had been issued on February 10. In doing so, the NRC violated it' s own policies, because approval was still pending from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the comment period for the BLM has not ended. Most recently, PFS has announced that it is looking for prospective customers to fund the project. In the on-going Goshute opposition to the project, Leon Bear cancelled the most recent tribal election, but not before Margene Bullcreek had an opportunity to speak her piece to those assembled, and educate them about the status of the PFS project.

Yucca Mountain

The Bush Administration has requested additional funding for Yucca Mountain, in order to facilitate the " nuclear renaissance." More allegations of shoddy quality control work have been brought, this time about the corrosion rate of the waste packages. Because of these allegations, a stop-work order has been issued on that work. The nuclear industry is continuing its pressure to remove all obstacles to accelerating the building of new nuclear plants, and has called for the 77,000 ton storage limit to be expanded.

Envirocare

The Utah legislative session ended on March 1. During the final weeks of the session the bill proposed by the legislature giving itself override power over dissent by the governor to passed both chambers. The governor, as expected, vetoed the measure, and although the Senate successfully overrode the veto, the session ended without the House bringing the measure to a vote. Regulation of nuclear and hazardous waste in Utah will continue to be handled by a process of consensus of the county, regulatory, legislative and executive bodies. The measure had been controversial because of the involvement the bill' s sponsor had with the nuclear waste giant Envirocare. The giant became a behemoth earlier this month, when it purchased BNG America, changed its name to EnergySolutions, and then purchased Duratek of Maryland. These acquisitions give the new EnergySolutions expertise in all classes of nuclear waste, as well as reprocessing capabilities. Recently another company, Clean Harbors, sought to expand its hazardous waste operations in Tooele County to include nuclear waste.

Weapons Testing

In a clear violation of the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a subcritical test was conducted at Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory on February 22. Subcritical tests, so-called because the critical mass necessary for a nuclear reaction is not achieved, are a key element of the Stockpile Stewardship Program. For more information on subcritical testing, check out our information page.

Recent Events

Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

The partnership with Russia to control the production and disposition of nuclear fuel and waste, forged in January has been expanded to include a select list of other nations. This policy defies the authority of the IAEA, and has foreign policy implications, especially regarding Iran, India and Ukraine.

Grassroots Resistance to the Nuclear Power Industry

There have been recent local victories. In Illinois, Senator Barak Obama is proposing legislation that would require nuclear power plant operators to notify local authorities of unintentional leaks of radioactive materials. In New Jersey, the NRC was pressured into hearing the testimony of a group of activists concerned about the corrosion on a steel radiation barrier. These activists may be the first group allowed this kind of hearing at the NRC . County officials in New York are demanding answers from Entergy about leaks and health risks. In Vermont, the New England Coalition is the only citizens group to achieve intervenor status before the NRC on a power uprate.

Indigenous Resistance

The Western Shoshone took their Human Rights case to the United Nations, and on March 10, it was decided.

Power Plant Safety Issues

Plumes of radioactive water have been found near Palo Verde in Arizona. Indian Point 2 had to be shut down suddenly. There was a fire at the Byron Nuclear Generating Station in Illinois. An emergency was declared at the LaSalle County nuclear plant. In New Jersey there are fears that the radiation barrier in the reactor vessel at Oyster Creek has nearly corroded through. There have also been investigations at Turkey Point and Three Mile Island into security lapses. Both plants contract for security services with Wackenhut.

What We' re Doing

Outreach and Education

We are developing new fact sheets, particularly to confront the misconceptions that nuclear energy is clean and safe. We logged many miles, canvassing neighborhoods with HEALUtah to build grassroots opposition to SB70. Recently Pete Litster and Margene Bullcreek were interviewed by KBOO community radio in Portland, Oregon. They spoke against the licensing of the PFS facility and on issues of corruption at the hands of the nuclear industry, US government agencies involved in the process, and the disputed Tribal government who has uniquely benefited from this process, at the direct expense of others on the reservation who oppose it.

On Our Web Site

We are working on two new sections: Media and Legislative Outreach, and Fact Sheets. We will be placing PDF versions of our fact sheets here for you to use for outreach on a local basis.

Please Contribute

We have a very lean operation in Salt Lake City, but we do still have to keep the bills paid! Donations of any amount are always welcome. You can donate securely through PayPal by pressing the button below our logo.

Volunteer Opportunities

We are always looking for volunteers to help with outreach tables at community events, flyering, phone banking, and posting articles on our web site. We are also looking for particularly motivated volunteers who would like to become subject matter experts, and contribute in substantial ways to our fact sheets and web content. If you live in the Salt Lake City area, and would like to help out, please drop us a line.

Special Thanks

Continued and sincere thanks to Tom King for his efforts in securing a new laser printer, and in troubleshooting the computer system. Thanks to Tom Olsen for converting our VHS film library to DVD, and in making other films available to us in this format.

Stay tuned…