NO to Foreign Waste!
Energy Solutions is requesting permission to import German nuclear waste in to the U.S. for incineration in Tennesseee. This proposal sets a dangerous precedent for our country and should not proceed! Sign your name to HEAL’s online statement opposing the nuclear waste import from Germany by January 17th.
We like bratwurst and Beethoven, good brews and fast cars.
But if there's one thing Americans don't want from Germany, it's their nuclear waste.
Last summer, after three years of campaigning against the importation of Italian nuclear waste, we scored a huge victory when EnergySolutions announced it would not import 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy, which it planned to process in Tennessee and ultimately dispose of in Utah's West Desert.
But now the company is trying a new tack: Import radioactive waste from Germany, ship it to Virginia, truck it to Tennessee--where it will be incinerated--and then package it up to be hauled back to its shipping port, and ferried halfway around the world back to Germany.
The question remains: Why should we expose anyone to the inherent risks of unnecessarily transporting and incinerating another country's radioactive waste in the U.S?
Just like the Italian waste proposal, this German plan puts our country in uncharted territory. Most disturbingly: What if Germany doesn't take the waste back? Where will it go then? Furthermore, if EnergySolutions decides this model of importing waste to the U.S. for incineration is its next cash cow, this sets a dangerous precedent for our country that only increases the chance that EnergySolutions would try again to pry the doors open to dump the world’s waste in Utah.
While the German proposal is ultimately Tennessee's fight and does not directly affect the state of Utah, troubling questions such as these led HEAL Utah to submit comments to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposing the German waste import.
Now you have the opportunity to make your voice heard as well! The NRC has extended the comment period, so please consider supporting the good people of Tennessee who are fighting this ludicrous plan by signing your name to HEAL’s online statement opposing the nuclear waste import from Germany.
Please take moment to stand up for our nation's right to say no to foreign nuclear waste by adding your name to the list today!
To learn more: Click here to see the Federal Register notice for the German nuclear waste import request and here to see HEAL's prior comments to the NRC.
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Depleted Uranium Update
As many of you remember, the disposal of depleted uranium at Clive from the Savannah River Site was put on hold early last year until EnergySolutions completed a performance assessment of its site.
After much advocacy on the part of HEAL Utah, experts such as Dr. Steve Nelson, and members of the public like you, the state agreed that a unique waste stream like depleted uranium, which grows in hazard and radioactivity over a period of tens of thousands of years, would require this special "performance assessment" before any more could be dumped in Utah. Its purpose is to assess whether EnergySolutions' site can really handle the long-lived hazards presented by DU.
That performance assessment is still underway and will be submitted by EnergySolutions to Utah regulators at the end of February.
Meanwhile, in a new approach, Utah regulators at the Division of Radiation Control invited key stakeholders to provide technical input into how this performance assessment is conducted and reviewed by the state. HEAL Utah has been involved in this process from day one, providing comments to ensure that the long-term health and safety of Utahns is the first priority of our regulators in reviewing EnergySolutions' performance assessment . Most importantly, we believe that since we can reasonably see now that the nuclear waste landfills at EnergySolutions’ dumpsite won’t last as long as the depleted uranium waste is dangerous, the waste shouldn’t be allowed, period.
On Feb. 1st, another stakeholder workshop will be held. HEAL will be there, urging our regulators to hold the line and enforce to the fullest extent the health and safety standards that protect us from nuclear waste.
HEAL encourages you to attend as the state decides what its priorities will be with regard to EnergySolutions’ depleted uranium performance assessment. Your presence at the workshop will send a clear signal that the public is still watching, and expects our state leaders to put public health and safety first!
Please RSVP to renetteanderson@utah.gov and sophia@healutah.org if you are planning to attend.
What: Education/Discussion session on EnergySolutions’ Depleted Uranium Performance Assessment
When: Tuesday, February 1, 2011 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, Utah; conference room 1015
Thank you for taking action to ensure a safe and healthy future for Utah!
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As a response to the blog post about EnergySolutions, I would like to invite you and your associates to join the thousands of people who, during this past year, accepted the challenge to tour the EnergySolutions facility at Clive, Utah, to become better educated about the nuclear energy industry, to learn more about the company, and to see their operation first hand. To schedule a tour, call 801-303-0191 or visit www.energysolutions.com and click on the tab labeled “Schedule a Free Tour.”
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